Tradition / Region: Chinese mythology
Alternate Names: —
Category: Fish
The Myth
In the far western lands, at Mount Taiqi where the Guan River is born, there lives a strange fish known as the Wenyao. The river flows westward into the drifting sands, and within these waters the Wenyao make their home.
The Wenyao resembles a carp in shape, yet from its body grow wings like those of a bird. Blue-green patterns flow across its scales, its head is white as bone, and its mouth is red like fresh lacquer. By day it swims through rivers and seas; by night it takes to the air, flying between the Western Sea and the Eastern Sea.
When the Wenyao cries out, its voice is like that of a phoenix calling across the sky. Its flesh is sour and sweet to the taste, and those who eat it are cured of madness and falling sickness. It restores vital energy and replenishes the blood.
When Wenyao appear in abundance, it is taken as a sign that the year will be fruitful and the harvest great.
Gallery
Sources
Wikipedia contributors. (n.d.). 文魯魚. In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, from https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E6%96%87%E9%B3%90%E9%B1%BC
Interpretive Lenses
Religious Readings
- Christian Ascetic Deep Dive
Philosophical Readings
- Nietzschean Deep Dive
Psychological Readings
- Jungian Deep Dive
Esoteric Deep Dive
- Hermetic Deep Dive
Political / Social Readings
- Marxist Deep Dive
Other
- How to Invite The Wenyao Fish