Sun is one of the key elements that stand out in every mythology. It is viewed as a celestial object that is supreme to all, and nothing can stand in its way, especially not a mortal. But Chinese mythology talks about a legendary warrior who was brave enough to stand against not just one sun but 10. He was a master of archery and was called Hou Yi. Hou Yi is not renowned only because he fought the suns but also because he played a crucial role in slaying many demons and monsters who threatened Chinese people. Many stories would describe Hou Yi as a hero and a savior. Some even identify him as a personification of a god or at least a demigod. But there are some stories that define him as a villainous character. Even so, the association of Hou Yi with the suns, is one of the most famous stories in Chinese mythology.
Hou Yi was a skilled archer, and as for some legends, he was the leader of the Dongyi tribe. He lived with his wife Chang’e. Hou Yi’s skills were recognized even by the gods. When the world was young, both humans-and monsters lived together. Four of the fierce monsters started to threaten the lives and livestock of humans. Emperor Yao, the mythical emperor of the Chinese empire, tried to reason with the monsters to stop the harassment, but because it was not successful, the emperor sought the help of the gods. He prayed to the mighty gods and explained how his subjects suffer at the hands of monsters. Some legends claim-that since Yao was a just ruler, the gods gifted him a mythical creature-that helped him travel to heaven whenever needed.
So the emperor visited the heavens and confronted the gods himself and stated his case. The gods agreed to assist the emperor, and appeared before Hou Yi, since he is the best archer in the empire. The gods advised Hou Yi to help in the emperor’s course. They also granted him a magical bow that could shoot an arrow extremely far, and three magical arrows, a Frost Arrow, a Flame Arrow, and a Super Arrow. Also, they increased his sense of tracking, so that he could easily hunt down the monsters. With these arrows, Hou Yi was tasked to kill the monsters.
This is considered as the first encounter between Hou Yi and emperor Yao. One of the four monsters that Hou Yi had to kill is Zaochi. Zaochi had a pair of buckteeth, and with them, the beast smashed everything that came in his way. The beast heard of Hou Yi and how he was tasked to kill him with magical arrows. So he went into hiding. After nine days, Zaochi emerged from his hiding, because he was hungry. Hou Yi sensed his presence even though he was mountains away from him. Hou Yi used his Frost Arrow and fired toward Zaochi. Even though the beast was covered by several mountains, the arrow passed through every mountain along the way and hit the monster freezing him to death.
Another monster that harmed other beings was “Bashe”, who is a giant serpent who lived in a lake. The land around the lake was frequently flooded, but the humans and the animals have no knowledge of the reason for the flood, since the lake does not hold much water to cause a huge flood. They were unaware of the serpent that lived in the lake. Every time Bashe stirred the water in the lake, it overflowed. Bashe himself had the power to spit out water from his mouth, and so created a huge flood that would cover up many villagers. When the snake is hungry, he would cause floods. He would suck back the water he spitted out and would swallow all the humans and animals that get carried in by the current. Hearing of the beast, Hou Yi set off to find the lake Bashe was living in. Hou Yi used his flaming arrow and shot at the serpent. The flaming arrow was so powerful that it is said that its heat could even melt down a mountain. When the arrow hit the serpent, Bashe got incinerated and turned into a black stone.
Yayu was the next monster that was killed by the grand archer. But unlike the other two monsters, Yayu came forward and challenged Hou Yi himself. It is because Yayu had the power to replicate himself and he made thousands that looked like him. But Hou Yi had only one magical arrow and he didn’t know what the arrow was capable of unlike the other two. When Hou Yi shoot the arrow, it started to divide. A rain of arrows showed down on the group of monsters, killing every replica of Yayu. There was one more monster left for him to kill but Hou Yi had no more magical arrows. When he reached the sleeping “Fengxi”, who was a cattle eating monster, Hou Yi shot all his ordinary arrows together. But the arrows were not powerful enough to even wake the sleeping monster. When he saw the bamboo forest nearby, he started to gather up bamboo and place them around the monster with the help of locals. This is because bamboo would explode when caught on fire. They cut down an entire forest and laid it all over the beast. Then he ignited the pile of bamboo, killing the monster as well. After heroically completing the task, the gods convinced Hou Yi to stay by the emperor, to slay any other monsters that threaten the people of China.
The most famous heroic act of Hou Yi is saving the world from the wrath of 10 suns. During the time of Hou Yi, it is believed that there were 10 suns. Each sun would rise and would set in its own cycle, and was tasked to appear in turns in the sky. But once, all 10 suns appeared at the same time. The earth became just as hot as in hell and soon the heat started to destroy life on earth. The emperor tried to reason with the 10 suns and to convince them that only one should shine in the sky at a time. Just as the earth, the suns were young, so they didn’t consider his request, but instead, they became rebellious and began to shine even brighter. Soon crops started to shrivel up and animals and humans started to die because of the unbearable heat. Many monsters who love the heat, started to emerge and destroy the rest of the living. On seeing the destruction, emperor Yao assigned his skilled archer Hou Yi, to convince the 10 suns.
Just as the emperor, Hou Yi tried to reason with the ten suns, but again it didn’t work. Then pretended to shoot at them with his bow to intimidate them, but this attempt didn’t succeed as well. So finally, the grand archer began to shoot at them one by one. As each sun fell, it turned into a three-legged raven. Finally, only one sun was left, and the emperor Yao, and Xihe, the mother of the 10 suns asked Hou Yi to spare it, since life on earth would be destroyed without the light of the sun. So Hou Yi spared it. Some stories claim Hou Yi didn’t agree to spare the remaining sun, so a brave boy stole the arrow of the archer. Another variation of the story claim that it was the emperor himself that stole the arrow.
Saving the human world from the ten suns is considered the most heroic act of Hou Yi. It pleased the gods immensely, so they gifted him immortality in the form of a pill. Hou Yi didn’t consume the pill right away and left it at his house. Knowing about its existence, “Peng Meng” who was an apprentice of Hou Yi, tried to steal the pill when Hou Yi was away. To stop Peng Meng, Hou Yi’s wife Chang’e swallowed the pill and became immortal. She then got floated away to the moon and henceforth became the moon goddess. Hou Yi still continued to protect his wife even though now she is a goddess. At times of an eclipse, Hou Yi would shoot an arrow at the sun, so it would uncover the moon. Chang’e mourned for the loss of her lover every night and her tears turned into stars that shine in the sky.
Another variation of the story is that after saving the world from the 10 suns, the people of China proclaimed him the new emperor. Even though Hou Yi was a kindhearted archer with the power he grew arrogant and became a tyrant. Seeing her husband’s change, Chang’e feared that he would become a tyrant ruler for eternity, if he consumed the pill. So she swallowed it herself and became the goddess of the moon. Angered by his wife’s actions, Hou Yi chased her to the moon, but was stopped by the hare of the moon. The Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival is celebrated in honor of Chang’e’s sacrifice. According to another variation of the story, Hou Yi realized his cruelty and repented. When gods saw his sincerity, they granted him eternity and placed him on the sun. Hou Yi also constructed a palace for his wife on the moon. On the 15th day of each lunar month, Hou Yi is believed to travel to the moon to see his wife and reconcile. Hou Yi is most regarded for his positive attributes in Chinese mythology, even though some stories portrait him as a tyrant. He is considered as the patron of the Chinese archers. In stories which state no dispute between Hou Yi and his wife, their love story is considered as one of the greatest love stories in Chinese mythology.
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