SANZUWU (Three-Legged Golden Crows / The sun)

Sanzuwu has the shape of a three-legged Black Crow. It is a creature found in a variety of myths and works of art in East Asia. It is believed to exist in East Asian culture and represents the sun.

In Chinese myth and culture, it is depicted as a three-legged black crow. The whole body glows golden light. It have red eyes, shining like sunlight. The light it emits is the sun as we see it.

The most common depiction and mythology of a Sanzuwu is the story of a Three-Legged Golden Crow named Yangwu or more commonly referred to as Jinwu Although it is often depicted as a raven or crow. Usually, it is usually red instead of black.

According to folklore, there were initially ten Three-Legged Golden Crows born of the sun goddess Xihe and the god Di Qun. Each son was a Three-Legged Golden a sloar deity, charged with taking it in turns to travel across the sky to nourish the earth. Because, Three-Legged Golden Crow likes to eat two mythical immortal grass, one called Deri or "sun on the ground", and the other, Chunsheng or "born in spring" so they often come from the sky to the ground to eat these grasses. However, they would inadvertently burn everything underground when they did so. So Xihe covered their eyes and drove each of them in the sky every day in a carriage.

They all reside on a red mulberry tree called Fusang, in the east at the foot of the Sun Valley. Fusang is said to have nine branches, each with a cavity and those niches that are home to a Three-Legged Golden Crow. Every day, a sun crow will leave. As soon as one sun crow returns, another will begin its journey across the sky.

One day the Three-Legged Golden Crows decided it would be fun to travel up into the sky together, and so they did and ignore every command.Then the earth burned, the seas dried up, plants died, and the people suffered. Hearing of this, the Jade Emporer ordered the Great Archer, Hou Yi to take up his bow and shoot the Suns down. Hou Yi did as ordered and shot the Suns down, one by one, until only one brother remained. The other three-legged Crow was immediately called Zhuque. Every day, he had to fly to the sky to illuminate everyone, not allowed to rest.

Japan

In Japanese mythology, this flying creature is an ordinary crow or a black magpie called the eight meter crow Yatagarasu. The appearance of this large bird is understood to be evidence of Heaven's will or divine intervention in human affairs. Yatagarasu as a crow god is a special symbol of guidance. Although not celebrated today, the crow is a sign of rebirth and rejuvenation.

North Korea

In Korean mythology, this animal was called the Samjok-o. During the period of the Goguryeo kingdom, Samjok-o was considered the symbol of the sun. The ancient Goguryeo thought that a three-legged crow lived on the sun, while a turtle lived on the moon. Samjok-o is a highly regarded symbol of power, said to be more powerful than the Korean dragon and bonghwang.

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