According to Sima Qian's Records of the Grand Historian, Gun's father was Zhuanxu, grandfather was Changyi, and great-grandfather was the Yellow Emperor, Changyi & Gun being mere officials, not emperors.[3][4][5][6] Book of Han, quoting Lord Yu Imperial Lineage, stated that Gun was a five-generation-descendant of Zhuanxu.[7] The Classic of Mountains and Seas stated that Gun (also known as "White Horse" Báimǎ) was the son of Luómíng (駱明), who in turn was the son of the Yellow Emperor.[8] Also in many versions of the mythology, Gun appears as a demi-god. In legends, he even discovered some of the secrets of the gods.
In order to make dykes that would ward off floods, he stole Xirang (Chinese: 息壤) (self-renewing soil) from the gods. After the dykes were finished, when the water levels rose, the magical earth of the dyke also rose to keep the water out. It worked very well at first, but when the dykes rose too high (in the legend, they rose to nine rèn 仞 (an ancient Chinese measure of between 1 and 3 meters)), they collapsed, resulting in the death of many people in the subsequent flood. Some legends say that Gun was executed by Emperor Shun on Feather Mountain (at the present day Lianyungang, Jiangsu) with the sword of Wu, other sources however state that he committed suicide by jumping into an abyss, transformed into an animal and became the god of the abyss.[2] Before his death he told his son, Yu the Great, to finish his job.
Classic of Mountains and Seas also records that Gun has family ties to Huantou "Happy Head", also known as Huandou "Happy Helmet", one of the Four Criminals.[9][10] In turn, Zhang Shoujie's Correct Meanings of Records of the Grand Historian (史記正義) identifies Gun with the Taowu ("Block-Stump"), another of those four.[11]
Etymology & Identity
According to Schuessler (2009), 鯀 (standard Chinesegǔn < Old Chinese *kwə̂nʔ) is the same word as 鮌 (gǔn < OC *kwə̂nʔ) and 鯤 (kūn < OC *kûn), the latter being a mythical giant fish mentioned in Zhuangzi.[12][13]
Taiping Yulan (Siku Quanshu version) quotes "Records of Natural Conditions and Social Customs" (風土記) that the 鯤Kūn[a] is also colloquially known as [海鰌 [zh]] Error: {{Lang}}: invalid parameter: |labels= (help)hǎiqiū (literally: "sea loach"),[15] which in turn has been identied with 鯨鯢jīngní "bull-whales and cow-whales" by Emperor Yuan of Liang in his treatise Jinlouzi (金樓子 "Master of the Golden Chamber").[16]
In his treatise "Commentaries on a miscellany of marine creatures in Fujian" (閩中海錯疏Mǐnzhōng hǎicuò shū), Ming scholar Tu Benjun (屠本畯) states that the 馬鮫mǎjiāo "Chinese mackerel, Chinese seerfish" is also called 章鮌zhānggǔn.[17]Wolfram Eberhard (1968) suggests that Chinese texts' descriptions of 鯀 Gǔn as a "naked one" and "dark fish" (玄魚)[18][b] fit the eel.[20]
^Sibu Congkan (四部叢刊 [zh]) version of Taiping Yulan has 鯢ní "cow-whales" here instead of 鯤 Kūn.[14]
^"Records of picked-up Leftovers" (拾遺記) by Wang Jia (王嘉) additionally describes the dark fish, whom Gun became after drowning himself, as having scales and barbels.[19]
^Shanhaijing, vol. 10 "鯀妻士敬，士敬子曰炎融，生驩頭。" translation: "Gun's wife is Shijing (Lady-Respect), Lady-Respect's son is Yanrong (Flame-Steam), bears Huantou (Happy-Head)."
^Book of Documents"Canon of Shun" quote: “流共工于幽洲，放驩兜于崇山，竄三苗于三危，殛鯀于羽山，四罪而天下咸服。” translation: "[Shun] exiled Gonggong (Join-Work) to You province, banished Huandou (Happy-Head) to Mount Chong, expulsed Sanmiao (Three-Miao) to Sanwei (now in Gansu), and executed/imprisoned Gun (Big-Fish) in Feather Mountain. The Four Criminals were thus subdued, all under Heaven were convinced."
^Shiji Zhengyi "Volume 1", quote: "鯀檮机也" Siku Quanshu version, Zhejiang university's copy p. 133 of 156
^Schuessler, Axel. (2009) Minimal Old Chinese and Later Han Chinese. Honolulu: University of Hawai'i. p. 317, 333-4
^Zhuangzi, "Enjoyment in Untroubled Ease" quote: "北冥有魚，其名為鯤。鯤之大，不知其幾千里也。" translation: "In the Northern Ocean there is a fish, the name of which is Kun - I do not know how many li in size."
^Commentaries on a miscellany of marine creatures in Fujian "vol. 2 - scaled [creatures] section B - Majiao" quote: "馬鮫，青斑色，無鱗有齒，又名章鮌青斑色，無鱗有齒，又名章鮌" translation: "mǎjiāo: blue-colored, mottled, scaleless, having teeth; also called a zhānggǔn".
