Question 1

Is "A nine-tailed fox spirit possessed her and caused harm" true?

Accepted Answer

Both the 「Guoyu·Jinyu」 and the 「Shiji·Yin Benji」 record only that she was a daughter of the Yousu clan; however, 「Fengshen Yanyi」, chapter 097, states: “众诸侯岂知你是九尾狐狸在恩州驿迷死苏妲己，借窍成形，惑乱天子”, the nine-tailed fox possessing and harming people is entirely a creation of the gods-and-demons novel.

Question 2

Is "She participated in political decisions and influenced Di Xin" true?

Accepted Answer

The Book of Documents, in the 'Oath of Mu', records King Wu of Zhou accusing Di Xin of 'heeding only his wife's words.' However, later attributing all atrocities, such as the viper pit and the dissection of a pregnant woman to verify the fetus, to Daji is literary exaggeration.

Question 3

Is "The transformation of the image of the Queen Mother of the West" true?

Accepted Answer

According to the 'Classic of Mountains and Seas, Western Mountains, Second Sequence', the Queen Mother of the West 'looks like a human, with a leopard's tail and tiger's teeth, and is good at whistling; her hair is disheveled and she wears a jade ornament; she is in charge of the calamities and punishments of heaven and the five residual evils.' Initially, she was a half-beast deity in charge of punishment, killing, and disasters. However, in the 'Tale of King Mu', volume 3, it is recorded that King Mu of Zhou went on a western expedition and 'met the Queen Mother of the West at the Jade Pond' and feasted and exchanged poems with her. At this time, her image had evolved into a dignified and peaceful female immortal. By the Ming Dynasty, in novels such as 'Investiture of the Gods', she further evolved into the Golden Mother of the Jade Pond who holds the banner of gathering immortals.

Question 4

Is "Killed Chi You and Kua Fu" true?

Accepted Answer

The Classic of Mountains and Seas, Chapter on the Great Wilderness, North, clearly records Yinglong's two great achievements: 'Yinglong had already killed Chi You, and also killed Kua Fu, then went to the south and dwelt there, so the south is rainy.' As the most important divine dragon under the Yellow Emperor, his martial feats of slaying Chi You and Kua Fu are clearly consistent in the mythological narrative of the Classic of Mountains and Seas.

Question 5

Is "Invented metal weapons" true?

Accepted Answer

Many ancient texts associate Chiyou with the invention of weapons. Documents such as the Records of the Grand Historian also frequently link Chiyou closely with warfare. Across various classical works, Chiyou's image as the inventor of weapons and the god of war in ancient times is relatively consistent. The original text in the Classic of Mountains and Seas, Chapter on the Great Wilderness, North: "蚩尤作兵伐黄帝，黄帝乃令应龙攻之冀州之野。"

Question 6

Is "The ending of the chase and the cause of death" true?

Accepted Answer

The Classic of Mountains and Seas, Chapter 'Overseas North' records that Kuafu raced with the sun, thirsting for drink, and before reaching the Great Marsh, 'died of thirst on the way.' However, in the same book, Chapter 'Great Wilderness North' states, 'Yinglong had already killed Chiyou, and also killed Kuafu,' indicating that Kuafu died at the hands of Yinglong. Liezi, Chapter 'Tang Wen' basically follows the account of dying of thirst on the road. There is a clear discrepancy in the cause of death in early sources.

Question 7

Is "The staff transformed into Denglin" true?

Accepted Answer

Regarding the remains after Kuafu's death, the Classic of Mountains and Seas, Chapter 'Overseas North' clearly records that he 'cast away his staff, which transformed into Denglin.' Liezi, Chapter 'Tang Wen' also records that after Kuafu died, his staff fell and transformed into a forest of a hundred li, providing shade for later generations. On this romantic mythological ending, the records of the two early classics are remarkably consistent.

Question 8

Is "Whether Qiongqi is a human clan or a man-eating beast" true?

Accepted Answer

The Records of the Grand Historian, Annals of the Five Emperors, records it as a human: "Shaohao had an unworthy son who destroyed trust and hated loyalty, adorned evil words, and the world called him Qiongqi." The official histories list it as one of the Four Evils exiled by Yao. Novels, however, have drastically reshaped its form, turning it into a monster. The Classic of Mountains and Seas, Section on the North Within the Seas, states: "Qiongqi resembles a tiger with wings, eats people starting from the head, and devours those with disheveled hair; it is north of the Taiquan." It transforms from a person of bad character into a man-eating beast with wings.

A Shanhaijing Bestiary Lineage: Why One Name Can Have Many Bodies

The nine-tailed fox begins as a Green Hill beast, not another name for Daji

Yayu: one name, three bodies

A hybrid body may be a divine officeholder

Yinglong and Kui: creatures mediate war, drought, rain and power

Lineage is not a final model: ox-like and winged Qiongqi, girl and bird Jingwei

Figure by figure