The Forest god Pan
(From the Motion Picture: Princess Mononoke)
The
Feng
Chinese
origin
The
Feng
Chinese
origin
Past the great expanse of China, in a small fishing village, in the kingdom of the wise to the East, there once lived the most humble man alive. He was engaged to the most humble, and beautiful woman alive, named Hoang. One day the young man, Phuong, went hunting in the woods, and without knowing it, he killed one of the forest demons, who had taken the shape of a wild boar. This angered the other demons in the forest, and they began to gather to make war against Phuong’s village. When Phuong heard that the army of forest demons was approaching, he ran with Hoang to seek help from the great forest god, Pan. Pan was neither good nor bad, but only concerned himself with what affected the forest.
Now in order to see Pan, Phuong and Hoang would have to cross into the forbidden part of the forest. It was forbidden because only the pure in heart could pass through alive, and anyone who had ever tried to pass had been instantly changed into a rock. But they were desperate, and willing to risk anything to save their village. And as they passed the forbidden spot, they both instantly changed into never before seen bird-like creatures. Their feathers were green, red, yellow, white, and black. Phuong had a large bill, the neck of the snake, the back of the tortoise, and the tail of the fish. Huang had the crane’s forehead, the fowl’s bill, the neck of the snake, the shell of the tortoise, and the tiger’s stripes. They both also had three legs. When they saw each other, they knew that their new bodies were the bodies they were meant to have, and they flew to the middle of the forest to see Pan.
Not only did Pan intervene and stop the demons from attacking the village, but he also gave Phuong and Hoang the right to be married and live on the sun. He also gave them the collective name of Feng. And so they live on the sun in complete happiness forever. They come back to the earth only when a descendent from their village is to be married. If the descendent believes the story of the Feng, then they appear during the wedding, blessing the couple with marital happiness and everlasting love.