Nue | |
---|---|
![]() ' | |
Information | |
Alternate Names/Spellings | 鵺 |
Origins | |
Alignment | |
Element | |
Species | |
Appearance |
Origin[]
The Nue is a creature with origins in Japanese mythology, legend and folklore.
Appearance[]
Appearing in the Heike Monogatari, it has the face of a monkey, the legs of a tiger , the body of a Japanese Raccoon Dog and the front half of a snake for a tail. According to which writing it is, sometimes nothing is stated about its torso, or is sometimes depicted to have the torso of a tiger. Also, there are documents such as the Genpei Jōsuiki that state that it has the back of a tiger, the legs of a tanuki, and the tail of a fox, and furthermore the head of a cat, and the torso of a chicken. Due to its appearance, it is sometimes referred to as a Japanese chimera.
Concerning how it appears when it is depicted visually, there is also the thought that it is a combination of the animals in the Sexagenary cycle, with a northeast Tiger, a southeast Snake, a southwest Monkey, and a northwest Qian (dog and wild boar).