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Ba: The Drought Maiden
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She won the war. She could never go home.
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42 card teachings from the Chinese Mythology tradition
The fantastical beings described in the Shan Hai Jing: nine-tailed foxes, dragons, one-eyed giants, and hybrid creatures that inhabit the mountains and seas of the ancient Chinese cosmos. The Shan Hai Jing describes over 400 mythical beings, each associated with specific mountains and rivers. These creatures served as a geographical and mythological encyclopedia of ancient China.
How to read this collection: The entries below are Oriens card titles and short renderings, not verbatim quotations. Open a linked card to see its underlying text, translation, source, and modern interpretation where available.
Oriens card title
Ba: The Drought Maiden
Oriens rendering
She won the war. She could never go home.
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Buzhou: The Broken Pillar
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Where the sky tilted and the rivers found their way
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Changxi: Mother of Twelve Moons
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The cold light has a mother, too
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Fei: The Plague Herald
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Where it walks, water dries and grass dies
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Fusang: The Sun Tree
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Where ten suns rest between the days
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Gonggong: The Sky-Breaker
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One angry god tilted the entire universe
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Goumang: Lord of Spring
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A bird-body, a human face, two dragons
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Gun: The One Who Stole from Heaven
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He took the swelling soil. It cost him everything.
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Hundun: The Faceless Chaos
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No eyes. No mouth. Yet it dances.
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Jianmu: The World Tree
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A hundred spans without a branch
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Kuafu Chases the Sun
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He died reaching. His staff became a forest.
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Kunlun: The Capital Below Heaven
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A mountain guarded by a nine-tailed tiger god
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Nuwa: The One Who Repairs the Sky
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Ten gods born from her body
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Qingqiu: The Green Hill
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Where the nine-tailed fox makes its home
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Queen Mother of the West
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Leopard tail, tiger teeth, and a crown of stars
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The Bird Who Fills the Sea
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One twig at a time, against an ocean
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The Birds That Must Fly Together
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One eye. One wing. Two bodies.
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The Bristle-Haired Hermit
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Human-shaped, boar-bristled, sleeps through winter
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The Celestial Hound
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A white-headed fox-cat that wards off harm
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The Country of Gentlemen
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They carry swords and let others go first
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The Country of Giants
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They sit and carve boats, and they are huge
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The Country of the One Eye
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A single eye, centered in the face
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The Country of Women
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Surrounded by water. Entirely their own.
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The Fire-Herald Crane
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When it appears, something burns
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The Five-Virtue Phoenix
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When peace is near, it appears
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The Harvest Pig
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When it calls its name, the fields will be full
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The Long-Armed Fisherfolk
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Hands that reach the water, two fish in each
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The Luan Bird
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Five colors, like a peace you can see
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The Nine-Tailed Fox
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A cry like a child, a mountain of jade
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The One-Legged Thunder Ox
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Its voice is the storm
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The People Who Do Not Die
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Black skin, long lives, no ending
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The Split-Body Serpent
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One head. Two bodies. War follows.
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The Sun Crow
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Ten suns carried on black wings
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The Torch Dragon
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Its eyes open, it is day. They close, it is night.
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The Winged Dragon
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Heaven's rain-bringer, war's decider
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The Winged Tiger
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It punishes the good and rewards the cruel
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Xiangliu: The Nine-Headed Serpent
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His blood poisoned the ground forever
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Xihe: Mother of Ten Suns
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She bathes each one before it rises
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Xingtian: The Headless Dancer
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They cut off his head. He made eyes from nipples.
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Yi: The Bow That Saves
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He was sent to ease the suffering below
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Yuqiang: Lord of the Northern Sea
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Wind and winter obey a bird-faced god
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Zhurong: The Executor of Fire
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Summer's overseer rides two dragons
Read the source card →Explore more about Mythical Creatures → Knowledge Page · What is Mythical Creatures?
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