Yinglong, the Winged Dragon (Chinese myth)
Yinglong, known as the Winged Dragon in Chinese mythology, is a significant figure associated with the legendary Emperor Huangdi, or the Yellow Emperor. Revered as one of the oldest dragon entities, Yinglong is characterized by immense wings and is said to take three thousand years to mature, transitioning from a small water snake to a winged dragon. In the mythological narratives, Yinglong plays a crucial role in aiding Huangdi during battles against formidable foes, particularly the demon Chiyou, who leads a band of half-human, half-beast brothers. The dragon's ability to control rain allows him to summon flood rains that devastate enemy forces, contributing to Huangdi's victories.
Yinglong’s importance extends beyond his martial prowess, as he is also linked to agricultural prosperity through his control over rain and storms, reflecting the dual nature of rainfall being both a blessing and a potential curse. The myth of Yinglong has been preserved in ancient texts, such as the "Shan Hai Jing" (Classic of Mountains and Seas), dating back to the fourth century BCE, indicating his longstanding cultural significance. His influence on human life is illustrated by traditional practices where clay figures of Yinglong were created to beseech rain, a practice that persisted into the early twentieth century. Ultimately, Yinglong's story highlights the interplay between natural elements and human survival within traditional Chinese agrarian society, embodying the reverence for dragons in Chinese culture.
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Yinglong, the Winged Dragon (Chinese myth)
Author: Traditional
Time Period: 5000 BCE–2500 BCE
Country or Culture: China
Genre: Myth
PLOT SUMMARY
China’s legendary ancient emperor Huangdi, called the Yellow Emperor, is devoted to making life better for his fellow humans and subjects. However, he has to fight many enemies, including gods and demons. In his battles, Huangdi is supported by the winged dragon Yinglong (or Ying-lung, meaning “responding dragon”). Yinglong is one of the oldest existing dragons, as indicated by the immensity of his wings. Dragons take three thousand years to mature. During that time, they transform from small water snakes and develop wings.
Huangdi and Yinglong are opposed by a band of demon brothers. Their leader is the evil rebel Chiyou, the inventor of weapons, who has a human body and a bull’s head. His eighty-one brothers are half human, half beast. Chiyou provides his brothers with strong weapons, including near-invincible lances.
Chiyou, ungrateful after Huangdi makes him god of war, rebels against the Yellow Emperor. In one account, Yinglong is responsible for Huangdi’s first victory. Yinglong attacks Chiyou’s army from above, sending a deluge of flood rains to destroy everything below. Yet Chiyou rises again in alliance with Fengbo, god of wind, and Yushi, god of rain.
There are different versions of the outcome of the myth. According to one account, despite Yinglong’s ability to control rain, he is useless against Fengbo and Yushi. The battle is won by the intervention of Huangdi’s daughter Ba. Her lightning strikes dry up the storms that were raised by Fengbo and Yushi. She defeats the enemies, allowing Huangdi to kill Chiyou.
In another version, the victory belongs to Yinglong. The winged dragon dominates the battlefield from above. He flaps his giant wings and causes fierce rains to drench the opposing army. He launches numerous airborne attacks, using his fangs, tail, and the storm to destroy Chiyou’s host.
After Huangdi triumphs over Chiyou, Yinglong helps restore the land by drawing drainage tunnels in the earth with his tail. Once Huangdi dies, however, Yinglong no longer serves humanity. People have to cope with floods and droughts on their own. Unable to go back to heaven, Yinglong stays in southern China, where it rains a lot because of his presence.
SIGNIFICANCE
Yinglong, the winged dragon is a popular Chinese mythological creature with roots in the Neolithic age. In written form, myths involving Yinglong can be found in classic Chinese texts dating back to the fourth century BCE. In one of its oldest written forms, the myth of Yinglong’s support for Huangdi has survived in Shan hai jing (The Classic of Mountains and Seas). Contemporary scholars believe that this compilation was written down first in the fourth century BCE.
The earliest surviving written reference to The Classic of Mountains and Seas is by China’s great historian Sima Qian (145 BCE–86 BCE) in the first century BCE. He sought to separate historical information from its primarily mythical accounts. For Sima Qian, Huangdi is the first Chinese emperor who may have been a historical person. By tradition, he lived around the twenty-seventh century BCE. According to most contemporary scholars, Liu Xiang was the first editor of the Classic. Xiang was an imperial court bibliographer of the Western Han dynasty who lived from around 77 BCE to 6 BCE. His son, Liu Xin (53 BCE– 23 CE), wrote the earliest preface to the classic. More than three centuries later, between 310 and 324 CE, Guo Pu published his annotated version of the classic.
In imperial China, Yinglong was believed to have a very powerful effect on rain and able to cause both flooding and drought. Guo Pu notices that the myth of Yinglong’s support for Huangdi in battle inspired people to make clay figures of Yinglong to implore the dragon for rain, a tradition that continued into the early twentieth century.
This Chinese folk belief is echoed by The Classic of Mountains and Seas itself. The text states that after people appeal to Yinglong for rain, he defeats Chiyou: “When there is a drought, people make an image of Responding Dragon, and they receive a heavy rainfall” (Birrell 162).
Indeed, the interplay of rain, storm, and drought are core to the myth of Yinglong. These were natural effects that essentially influenced life and welfare of traditional Chinese agrarian society. While normal amounts of rain sustained life, its abundance in floods or its absence in droughts threatened human survival.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Birrel, Anne, trans. The Classic of Mountains and Seas. New York: Penguin, 1999. Print.
Chen, Lianshan. “War between Emperor Huangdi and Chiyou.” Myths and Legends of China. New York: Cambridge UP, 2011. 53–60. Print.
Strassberg, Richard E. A Chinese Bestiary: Strange Creatures from the Guideways through Mountains and Seas. Berkeley: U of California P, 2002. Print.
Visser, Marinus Willem de. The Dragon in China and Japan. Amsterdam: Müller, 1913. Print.
Yang, Lihui, et al., eds. Handbook of Chinese Mythology. New York: Oxford UP, 2005. Print.