Myths featuring Hu

Search by title and refine by origin, characters, tags, and sort order.

The Spider Demons of Pan'si Cave and the Capture of Tang Sanzang

🐉 Chinese MythologyPan'si Cave Proxy (Pansidong), Sichuan, ChinaTang Sanzang • Sun Wukong • Zhu Bajie

While traveling toward the Western Heaven, the monk Tang Sanzang is captured by seven spider spirits disguised as beautiful sisters who trap him with magic silk. After a series of comical and dangerous encounters involving the Monkey King and Pigsy, the pilgrims must face the spiders' brother, the Hundred-Eyed Demon Lord, to save their master.

Varaha Rescuing the Earth Goddess Bhudevi

🕉️ Hindu MythologyUdayagiri Caves, Madhya PradeshVishnu • Varaha • Bhudevi

When the demon Hiranyaksha dragged the Earth goddess Bhudevi into the depths of the cosmic ocean, the god Vishnu assumed the form of a massive boar named Varaha to save her. After a fierce battle that shook the foundations of the universe, Varaha defeated the demon and lifted the Earth back to safety on his mighty tusks. This myth celebrates the divine preservation of the world and is...

Salmoneus’ Arrogant Imitation of Zeus’ Lightning

🏛️ Greek MythologyAncient Salmonia, Elis, GreeceSalmoneus • Zeus • Tyro

Salmoneus, the King of Elis, claimed to be a god and attempted to recreate the thunder and lightning of Zeus through mechanical trickery. His extreme hubris eventually led to his destruction when the real Zeus struck him down with a genuine thunderbolt and condemned him to eternal torment in Tartarus.

Gonggong Smashing Mount Buzhou

🐉 Chinese MythologyPamir MountainsGonggong • Zhurong • Gun

The vengeful water god Gonggong, possessing a copper head and serpent's body, destroys the pillar of heaven, Mount Buzhou, in a fit of rage. This cataclysmic event causes the earth to tilt and the heavens to collapse, leading to global floods and perpetual instability. The myth explains the natural tilt of the earth and the origin of planetary imbalances.

Tang Sanzang and the Magical River of Childbirth

🐉 Chinese MythologyWomen's Kingdom Proxy, Qinghai, ChinaTang Sanzang • Sun Wukong • Zhu Bajie

While traveling through the Kingdom of Women, the monk Tang Sanzang and his disciple Zhu Bajie unknowingly drink water from the Zimu River, which causes them to become pregnant. Realizing the danger to their mission and their lives, Sun Wukong must battle a vengeful immortal to obtain water from the Abortion Spring to cure them. This humorous yet harrowing episode highlights the supernatural...

Isis Fashioning a Venomous Snake from Ra's Own Spittle and the Earth

🏺 Egyptian MythologyHeliopolis (Cairo), EgyptIsis • Ra • The Ennead

The goddess Isis, seeking the ultimate power of the sun-god Ra, fashions a magical serpent from his own saliva and the dust of the earth. After the serpent bites Ra and causes him unbearable agony, Isis refuses to heal him until he reveals his secret, true name. Ra eventually yields, granting Isis the divine authority and magical supremacy she desired.

The Oxyrhynchus Fish Swallowing the Phallus of Osiris

🏺 Egyptian MythologyOxyrhynchus (El Bahnasa), EgyptOsiris • Isis • Set

After the god Osiris was murdered and dismembered by his brother Set, his wife Isis searched the Nile for his remains. She recovered every piece except for his phallus, which had been swallowed by an Oxyrhynchus fish in the river. This event led to the fish becoming sacred and taboo in the region, and Isis was forced to use her magic to fashion a replacement to resurrect her husband.

Yu the Great Miraculously Born from the Belly of His Dead Father Gun

🐉 Chinese MythologyMount Yushan, Jiangsu, ChinaYu the Great • Gun • Emperor Yao

Following Gun's failure and execution for his inability to stop the Great Flood, his body remained miraculously preserved on Feather Mountain for three years. When his belly was finally cut open with a magical sword, his son Yu emerged as a hero destined to succeed where his father failed. Yu's birth marked the beginning of a new era of engineering and the eventual founding of the Xia Dynasty.

Geb's Mirth: The Great Cackler and the Shaking Earth

🏺 Egyptian MythologyHeliopolis, CairoGeb • Nut • Shu

In the ancient Ennead of Heliopolis, Geb is the personification of the earth whose physical movements manifest as seismic activity. This myth explains that earthquakes are caused by Geb's thunderous laughter, which ripples through the subterranean depths when he experiences cosmic joy or observes the divine play of the gods. As the 'Great Cackler,' his mirth serves as a powerful reminder of...

Erlang Shen Cleaving Peach Mountain with His Axe to Save His Mother Yaoji

🐉 Chinese MythologyMount Peach (Taoshan), Sichuan, ChinaErlang Shen (Yang Jian) • Yaoji (Princess Yunhua) • The Jade Emperor

This legendary tale follows Erlang Shen, the divine nephew of the Jade Emperor, as he embarks on a perilous quest to rescue his mother, the goddess Yaoji, who was imprisoned beneath Mount Peach for the crime of marrying a mortal. After years of rigorous spiritual training and the opening of his celestial third eye, Erlang wields a massive, magical axe to split the mountain asunder. The story...