Bai Ze, the Beast Who Knew Every Spirit
Chinese legend tells of a wise, talking beast who met the Yellow Emperor and described to him all 11,520 kinds of spirits and monsters in the world.
What was reported
Bai Ze is a mythical creature of Chinese legend, often shown like a lion or ox with horns and extra eyes, wise and able to speak. When the legendary Yellow Emperor was travelling the eastern coast, he met Bai Ze, who told him about every kind of spirit, ghost and monster there was: 11,520 of them.
The emperor had them all written down and drawn, so that people would know how to recognise and protect themselves from each one.
Explanations offered
Bai Ze's book is lost, if it existed, but pictures of Bai Ze were hung in homes as charms against evil. The legend spread to Japan as hakutaku, and it's a kind of origin story for books of monsters.
- When
- Told since ancient times
- Where
- Mount Tai, Shandong, China
- Witnesses
- Chinese legend
- Status
- Legend
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.
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