Difference between revisions of "Avian"

Revision as of 03:39, 11 November 2011

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Houou

Main article: Feng Huang

A legendary avian that appears in countless Chinese legends. Both male and female, it is the king of all flying creatures. A servant of the Emperor of Heaven, it is two meters long and has a five-colored body and a five-toned voice. It only eats bamboo seeds and only perches on paulownia trees.

In the Chinese "Classic of Rites", Feng Huang is counted as one of the Four Holy Elements and protects the south. It is also sometimes identified among the Four Holy Beasts alongside Zhu Que, Phoenix, and Garuda.

Jatayu

Main article: Jatayu

A king of the birds, appearing in the Indian epic Ramayana. He takes the form of a vulture and was said to have lived for over 6,000 years. Although he is the son of Arna, brother of Garuda, another king of the birds, he is also sometimes considered the son of Garuda himself.

In the Ramayana, he forms a friendship with King Rama, an incarnation of the supreme Hindu deity Vishnu, and promised to protect Rama's queen, Sita. However, Sita was kidnapped by Ravana, king of the Rakshasas and an enemy of Rama. Jatayu set out alone to save Sita, but had his wings cut off by a sword and was mortally wounded. He died in Rama's arms.

Phoenix

Main article: Phoenix

An avian that is born from fire and lives forever. There is said to be only one in the world. It is commonly associated with fire and immortality. The tears of the Phoenix can heal wounds, and drinking its blood is said to bestow immortality and eternal youth. It is a symbol of death and rebirth. Every 500 to 600 years, it builds a nest of fragrant wood and then dies in a blaze of fire, only to be reborn as a fledgling from the ashes.

The Phoenix is believed to originate from Egyptian mythology or from the Phoenician guardian bird Phoenciiax. In the grimoire "Lemegedon", it is listed as the 37th of Solomon's 72 demons.

Suparna

Main article: Suparna

Zhu Que

Main article: Zhu Que

The Vermilion Bird is one of the Four Symbols of the Chinese constellations. According to Wu Xing, the Taoist five-elemental system, it represents the fire-element, the direction south, and the season summer correspondingly. Thus it is sometimes called the Vermilion Bird of the South and it is also known as Suzaku in Japan and Jujak in Korea.

Yata-Garasu

Main article: Yatagarasu

In Japanese mythology, Yatagarasu has the appearance of the great bird and represents the will of Heaven or divine intervention in human affairs. Although Yatagarasu is mentioned in a number of places in the Shintō canon, there is very little explanation, and much of the material is contradictory.

This great crow was sent from heaven as a guide for Emperor Jimmu on his initial journey from the region which would become Kumano to what would become Yamato. It is generally accepted that Yatagarasu is an incarnation of Taketsunimi, but none of the early surviving documentary records are quite so specific.

Garuda

Main article: Garuda

The Garuda is a large mythical bird or bird-like creature that appears in both Hindu and Buddhist mythology.

In Hindu mythology, a Garuda is a lesser Hindu divinity, usually the mount of Vishnu. Garuda is depicted as having a golden body, white face, red wings, and an eagle's beak, but with a strong man's body. He wears a crown on his head. He is ancient and has size enough to block out the sun.

In Buddhist mythology, the garudas are enormous predatory birds with intelligence and social organization. Like the Nāgas, they combine the characteristics of animals and divine beings, and may be considered to be among the lowest devas.

The exact size of the garuda is uncertain, but its wings are said to have a span of many miles. This may be a poetic exaggeration, but it is also said that when a garuda's wings flap, they create hurricane-like winds that darken the sky and blow down houses. A human being is so small compared to a garuda that a man can hide in the plumage of one without being noticed. They are also capable of tearing up entire banyan trees from their roots and carrying them off.