Three-legged bird

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Three legged bird commonly found in mythology and art.

The three-legged (or "tripedal") bird is a creature found in various mythologies of Asia, Asia Minor, and North Africa. It is often thought to inhabit and represent the sun.

The creature has been featured in myths from Egypt, where it appears on wall murals.^[1] It has also been found figured on ancient coins from Lycia and Pamphylia.^[2]

1 China
2 Japan
3 Korea
4 Notes
5 References
6 See also

[edit] China

Common Fènghuáng art in in China

In Chinese mythology, the Fènghuáng (鳳凰/凤凰) is believed to be the Chinese counterpart to the three legged bird, which can be traced back 7000 years within Chinese art and literature. According to scripture Erya - chapter 17 Shiniao, Fenghuang is said to be made up of the beak of a rooster, the face of a swallow, the forehead of a fowl, the neck of a snake, the breast of a goose, the back of a tortoise, the hindquarters of a stag and the tail of a fish.^[3] Although it is commonly depicted as being two legged, there are some instances in art in which it has a three legged appearance.^[4]^[5] The tripedal version is first illustrated in the icongraphy of the Xi Wangmu (Queen Mother of the West) in Han-period religious art.^[6] In the Yong Tai Tomb dating to the Tang Dynasty Era, it is also shown as three-legged bird.^[7]

[edit] Japan

Yatagarasu serving Emperor Jimmu

In Japanese mythology, the creature is a raven or a Jungle Crow called Yatagarasu (八咫烏), which is the bird of the sun goddess Amaterasu. The Yatagarasu appears in the Japanese ancient document called the Kojiki (古事記) where it was called upon to choke a beast attempting to devour the sun and as the protector to Emperor Jimmu. On many occasions, it appears in art as a three-legged bird, although there is no description stating that the Yatagarasu was three-legged in the Kojiki. The three-legged version of the Yatagarasu is used as the emblem of the Japan Football Association today.

[edit] Korea

Three-legged bird flanked by dragon and phoenix. Mural from the Goguryo period.

In Korean mythology, it is known as Samjogo (hangul: 삼족오; hanja: 三足烏). During the period of the Koguryo Kingdom, the Samjogo was a highly regarded symbol of power, thought superior to both the dragon and the Korean phoenix.^[1] The three-legged bird is one of several emblems under consideration to replace the phoenix in the Korean seal of state when it is revised in 2008. The Samjogo is considered a symbol of Goguryeo.

[edit] Notes

^ ^a ^b Chosun.com.
^ Volker, T. (1975). The Animal in Far Eastern Art and Especially in the Art of the Japanese. Brill, p.39.
^ 《尔雅·释鸟》郭璞注，鳳凰特徵是：“雞頭、燕頷、蛇頸、龜背、魚尾、五彩色，高六尺许”。
^ Feng Huang, Emperor of Birds
^ Ancient Spiral: The Phoenix
^ Xi Wangmu Summary
^ China 1999 - Tang Dynasty Day