Xương Cuồng, also known as Mộc Tinh (literally "Tree Demon"), is the main antagonist of Vietnamese mythology.
He is a demon born from a dead tree who is a recurring threat for the entirety of ancient Vietnam since King Dương Vương's reign until Đinh Tiên Hoàng's reign where he is finally slain. He is considered one of the most powerful demons in Vietnamese history, and some even suggests that his original form is not a tree, but a tiger.
Biography[]
The common myth is that Xương Cuồng began his life as a tree that persisted for thousands of years, until it finally gained enough sentience and powers to the point that it could shapeshift, and often killed people for fun. The hero Lạc Long Quân once confronts Xương Cuồng, and despite the demon's powerful winds and attempt to trap him under his roots, he manages to escape and stabs Xương Cuồng with his fiery spear, which burns the demon to cinders. However, Xương Cuồng is later revealed to be alive into King Dương Vương's time, and the king has to use music to defeat him. That said Xương Cuồng still causes troubles, so the people have to set up a temple for him and sacrifice one person every December 30. When Emperor Qin Shi Huang wants to abolish this tradition, Xương Cuồng is thoroughly angered and kills his messenger.
Xương Cuồng eventually eats King Hùng IX and assumes his identity to drink wine and elope with beautiful girls. He is later exposed and defeated by Mẫu Thượng Ngàn, who takes him as her pet until she dies in the Sơn Tinh-Thủy Tinh war. After which, he becomes Sơn Tinh's companion.
During Đinh Tiên Hoàng's reign, the king asks the wizard Văn Du Tường to teach him, so Văn Du Tường agrees and sets up a trap to kill Xương Cuồng. He has a circus with many interesting performances, and true to his prediction, Xương Cuồng comes to see, only to be killed by Văn Du Tường. It is stated that he "can't become an evil spirit/monster anymore" which, given Vietnamese belief that those who attain godhood can never truly die, likely means that he has ascended to a higher plane of existence. With Xương Cuồng and his minions dead, the tradition is finally abolished and peace returns to the people of the land.
Powers and Abilities[]
Xương Cuồng is a demon who has been around for thousands of years, giving him lots of knowledge and experience in magic. He can control the weather, reach his long arms to grab his victims, shapeshift, and blows winds so powerful that even Lạc Long Quân has a hard time reaching him. He can even trap his victims under his roots, though Lạc Long Quân manages to escape via his fiery spear. Xương Cuồng's shapeshifting abilities are so great that he has used many forms to eat people in the land. Xương Cuồng is also a trickster, able to lure others into a false sense of security before killing and devouring them.
Xương Cuồng's many abilities have proven to be a obstacle to many kings, that they are forced to let him eat people every December 30 for so long, until Mẫu Thượng Ngàn finally defeats him.
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- In old Vietnamese language, "Xương Cuồng" means "violent acts that can't be tamed".
- Xương Cuồng turning from a tree demon to a tiger god is based on the traditional beliefs that tigers merge their spirits to the trees where they stalk their prey. Based on this, it is entirely possible that Xương Cuồng started out as a normal tiger that merged his spirit with a tree and gained sentience from there.
