Post by SSaiYen on Sept 4, 2020 18:45:34 GMT
Zodiac Animals
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Long ago, the Jade Emperor, ruler of Heaven, decided to create a way to mark time and decreed that there would be a great race across the River of Heaven and the eleven winners would become the Guardians of the Gates of Heaven and the Keepers of Time. Every animal heard the call and made ready to answer.
Rat
The three neighbors, Elephant, Cat, and Rat were very upset as they are the worst swimmers of all the animals. Elephant and Cat, ever the bullies, insisted that Rat wake them up early on the day of the race. Rat, seeing an opportunity to finally gain revenge, convinced his cousin Mouse to run into Elephant's trunk just before Elephant woke up. Elephant was so surprised, and Mouse caused so much pain that Elephant ran away and, to this day, Elephants will always show respect to Mice. As for Cat, Rat cleverly allowed Cat to bully Ox to give Cat and Rat passage across the river but, when halfway across, Rat bit Cat's tail and kicked him, causing him to fall into the river. When Ox reached the other side and was almost at the finish line, Rat darted forward and took first place, which is why the Rat is the first animal of the Zodiac.
Ox
The good-natured Ox, a proven and diligent friend, neither spoke nor conspired to win the race. Instead, on the day of the race, he awoke, ate, and then simply put his head down and kept moving forward. When his friends asked him for help, he was happy to provide it but only insofar as it didn't disturb his routine or intentions. However, in response to Rat's deceptions, he has ever after refused to speak with Rat.
Tiger
The morning of The Race, Tiger awoke with the dawn and began his journey to the River. Ignoring the many animals he would normally eat, Tiger plunged headfirst into the rushing waters and trusted in his strength to carry him through. He emerged exhausted and dropped after the finish line and was declared by The Jade Emperor as the Third Zodiac.
Rabbit
Fleet Rabbit worried about the challenge as she was also a poor swimmer and so hatched a bold plan. While the other animals tried to swim across, Rabbit instead hopped across the dangerously slick rocks that dotted the River. Whether it was Fate or Luck that kept her from slipping and being carried away by the currents, nobody knows for certain, but suffice to say that Rabbit claimed the Fourth Zodiac position after hopping on a random floating log that washed her ashore.
Dragon
Dragon, despite his gift of flight, arrived after the race was already well underway. He could have easily won, but on his way to the race he had to stop and fulfill his promise to create rain for the crops of the nearby village and attend their celebration afterwards. On his way across the river, he noticed a helpless Rabbit clinging onto a log and so decided to perform another good deed with a puff of breath that drove the log towards the shore. The Jade Emperor was so pleased that he lamented he could not name the Dragon as the first-place winner, but the Dragon humbly accepted the Fifth Zodiac Position.
Snake
Snake, despite being a strong swimmer, knew he lacked the body or power to cross the Celestial River without getting swept away. Therefore, he turned to cunning and hid in the mane of Horse while Horse slept. Letting Horse carry him across the River, Snake darted out at the last second and crossed the finish line before Horse, taking the Sixth position in the Zodiac.
Horse
Horse would not even have woken up in time for the race, but a little voice whispered in her ear at the dawn. Horse would not have eaten and had energy for the Race had that little voice not reminded her. Horse would not have tried to swim across the River had a little voice not encouraged her that she could do it. Trusting in that voice, Horse powered her way across the River and would have taken the Sixth position had Snake not darted out and startled her, causing Horse to rear up. Recovering quickly, Horse secured herself as the Seventh Zodiac.
Sheep, Monkey, and Rooster
Knowing she could not cross the river on her own, Sheep sought to cooperate with Monkey and Rooster. The three knew that, even together, they could not cross the River by swimming, they searched the shore and came upon a grove of Bamboo. Rooster used his sharp beak and claws to cut down the bamboo, Sheep pulled out her own hair and wove rope with which to tie the bamboo together, and Monkey used a long bamboo shoot as a pole. In this way all three crossed the River by working together. The Jade Emperor furrowed his brow in thought, but finally made the decision that Sheep's willingness to sacrifice of herself for the group earned her the eighth Zodiac position, Monkey's versatility earned him the ninth, and Rooster's tenacity earned him the tenth.
Dog
Much to the surprise of everyone, Dog was the next one to cross the finish line. When asked why he wasn't first, given how strong of a swimmer Dog can be, Dog replied that he had too much fun playing in the water and that was more important to him than winning a Race. Laughing, the Jade Emperor proclaimed Dog the Eleventh Zodiac.
Pig
Just as the Jade Emperor was about to call an end to the race, Pig scurried across the finish line, squealing with glee. During the race, Pig had gotten hungry and, after a grand feast for her morning meal, took a long nap and awoke with just enough time to plunge into the River and frantically swim across. On the way, she passed Cat who was clinging to a rock in the waters and cursing Rat and swearing vengeance. Pig tried to offer Cat some help but Cat swiped at Pig with his claws and Pig decided to continue across the River. It was for all these actions that the Jade Emperor decided that Pig would be declared the twelfth Zodiac and then declared the Race at an end.
This recounting of a historical tale was written by Sieo Bijeon in Hyul 109. ((The original tale has been entrenched in Chinese lore for over 2,000 years. No ownership of the tale, in general, is claimed by the Divine Order.))
Long ago, the Jade Emperor, ruler of Heaven, decided to create a way to mark time and decreed that there would be a great race across the River of Heaven and the eleven winners would become the Guardians of the Gates of Heaven and the Keepers of Time. Every animal heard the call and made ready to answer.
Rat
The three neighbors, Elephant, Cat, and Rat were very upset as they are the worst swimmers of all the animals. Elephant and Cat, ever the bullies, insisted that Rat wake them up early on the day of the race. Rat, seeing an opportunity to finally gain revenge, convinced his cousin Mouse to run into Elephant's trunk just before Elephant woke up. Elephant was so surprised, and Mouse caused so much pain that Elephant ran away and, to this day, Elephants will always show respect to Mice. As for Cat, Rat cleverly allowed Cat to bully Ox to give Cat and Rat passage across the river but, when halfway across, Rat bit Cat's tail and kicked him, causing him to fall into the river. When Ox reached the other side and was almost at the finish line, Rat darted forward and took first place, which is why the Rat is the first animal of the Zodiac.
Ox
The good-natured Ox, a proven and diligent friend, neither spoke nor conspired to win the race. Instead, on the day of the race, he awoke, ate, and then simply put his head down and kept moving forward. When his friends asked him for help, he was happy to provide it but only insofar as it didn't disturb his routine or intentions. However, in response to Rat's deceptions, he has ever after refused to speak with Rat.
Tiger
The morning of The Race, Tiger awoke with the dawn and began his journey to the River. Ignoring the many animals he would normally eat, Tiger plunged headfirst into the rushing waters and trusted in his strength to carry him through. He emerged exhausted and dropped after the finish line and was declared by The Jade Emperor as the Third Zodiac.
Rabbit
Fleet Rabbit worried about the challenge as she was also a poor swimmer and so hatched a bold plan. While the other animals tried to swim across, Rabbit instead hopped across the dangerously slick rocks that dotted the River. Whether it was Fate or Luck that kept her from slipping and being carried away by the currents, nobody knows for certain, but suffice to say that Rabbit claimed the Fourth Zodiac position after hopping on a random floating log that washed her ashore.
Dragon
Dragon, despite his gift of flight, arrived after the race was already well underway. He could have easily won, but on his way to the race he had to stop and fulfill his promise to create rain for the crops of the nearby village and attend their celebration afterwards. On his way across the river, he noticed a helpless Rabbit clinging onto a log and so decided to perform another good deed with a puff of breath that drove the log towards the shore. The Jade Emperor was so pleased that he lamented he could not name the Dragon as the first-place winner, but the Dragon humbly accepted the Fifth Zodiac Position.
Snake
Snake, despite being a strong swimmer, knew he lacked the body or power to cross the Celestial River without getting swept away. Therefore, he turned to cunning and hid in the mane of Horse while Horse slept. Letting Horse carry him across the River, Snake darted out at the last second and crossed the finish line before Horse, taking the Sixth position in the Zodiac.
Horse
Horse would not even have woken up in time for the race, but a little voice whispered in her ear at the dawn. Horse would not have eaten and had energy for the Race had that little voice not reminded her. Horse would not have tried to swim across the River had a little voice not encouraged her that she could do it. Trusting in that voice, Horse powered her way across the River and would have taken the Sixth position had Snake not darted out and startled her, causing Horse to rear up. Recovering quickly, Horse secured herself as the Seventh Zodiac.
Sheep, Monkey, and Rooster
Knowing she could not cross the river on her own, Sheep sought to cooperate with Monkey and Rooster. The three knew that, even together, they could not cross the River by swimming, they searched the shore and came upon a grove of Bamboo. Rooster used his sharp beak and claws to cut down the bamboo, Sheep pulled out her own hair and wove rope with which to tie the bamboo together, and Monkey used a long bamboo shoot as a pole. In this way all three crossed the River by working together. The Jade Emperor furrowed his brow in thought, but finally made the decision that Sheep's willingness to sacrifice of herself for the group earned her the eighth Zodiac position, Monkey's versatility earned him the ninth, and Rooster's tenacity earned him the tenth.
Dog
Much to the surprise of everyone, Dog was the next one to cross the finish line. When asked why he wasn't first, given how strong of a swimmer Dog can be, Dog replied that he had too much fun playing in the water and that was more important to him than winning a Race. Laughing, the Jade Emperor proclaimed Dog the Eleventh Zodiac.
Pig
Just as the Jade Emperor was about to call an end to the race, Pig scurried across the finish line, squealing with glee. During the race, Pig had gotten hungry and, after a grand feast for her morning meal, took a long nap and awoke with just enough time to plunge into the River and frantically swim across. On the way, she passed Cat who was clinging to a rock in the waters and cursing Rat and swearing vengeance. Pig tried to offer Cat some help but Cat swiped at Pig with his claws and Pig decided to continue across the River. It was for all these actions that the Jade Emperor decided that Pig would be declared the twelfth Zodiac and then declared the Race at an end.
This recounting of a historical tale was written by Sieo Bijeon in Hyul 109. ((The original tale has been entrenched in Chinese lore for over 2,000 years. No ownership of the tale, in general, is claimed by the Divine Order.))