''The Legend of the Condor Heroes'' is a

wuxia ( ), which literally means "martial heroes", is a genre of Chinese fiction concerning the adventures of martial artists in ancient China. Although is traditionally a form of historical fiction, its popularity has caused it to be adapted f ...

novel by Chinese writer Jin Yong (Louis Cha). It is the first part of the ''

Condor Trilogy The ''Condor Trilogy'' (射鵰三部曲) is a series of three wuxia novels written by Hong Kong-based Chinese writer Jin Yong (Louis Cha). The series is amongst the most popular of Jin Yong's works. The novels in the trilogy are: * ''The Legend ...

'' and is followed by ''

The Return of the Condor Heroes ''The Return of the Condor Heroes'', also called ''The Giant Eagle and Its Companion'', is a wuxia novel by Jin Yong (Louis Cha). It is the second part of the ''Condor Trilogy'' and was preceded by ''The Legend of the Condor Heroes'' and followe ...

'' and ''

The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber ''The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber'' (), also translated as ''The Sword and the Knife'', is a wuxia novel by Jin Yong (Louis Cha). It is the third and final installment in the ''Condor Trilogy'', preceded by ''The Legend of the Condor Heroes ...

''. It was first serialised between 1 January 1957 and 19 May 1959 in ''

Hong Kong Commercial Daily The ''Hong Kong Commercial Daily'' () (HKCD) is a Chinese state-owned newspaper, published in broadsheet format in Hong Kong and dubbed “China’s international media window” by the central government.condor Condor is the common name for two species of New World vultures, each in a monotypic genus. The name derives from the Quechua ''kuntur''. They are the largest flying land birds in the Western Hemisphere. They are: * The Andean condor (''Vult ...

, the

Andean condor The Andean condor (''Vultur gryphus'') is a giant South American Cathartid vulture and is the only member of the genus ''Vultur''. Found in the Andes mountains and adjacent Pacific coasts of western South America, the Andean condor is the larg ...

and

Californian condor The California condor (''Gymnogyps californianus'') is a New World vulture and the largest North American land bird. It became extinct in the wild in 1987 when all remaining wild individuals were captured, but has since been reintroduced to nort ...

, is native to China.

Plot

The story is set in China during the

wars War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militias. It is generally characterized by extreme violence, destruction, and mortality, using regular o ...

between the Jurchen-led Jin Empire and the predominantly ethnic Han

Song Empire The Song dynasty (; ; 960–1279) was an imperial dynasty of China that began in 960 and lasted until 1279. The dynasty was founded by Emperor Taizu of Song following his usurpation of the throne of the Later Zhou. The Song conquered the rest ...

. Yang Tiexin and Guo Xiaotian, a pair of sworn brothers, pledge that their unborn children will become either sworn siblings (if both are of the same sex) or a married couple (if they are of opposite sexes). One day, Yang Tiexin's wife, Bao Xiruo, saves a wounded Jurchen warrior, who turns out to be Wanyan Honglie, the sixth prince of the Jin Empire. Smitten by Bao Xirou's beauty Wanyan Honglie later sends his troops to attack Yang Tiexin and Guo Xiaotian's village. Guo Xiaotian is killed while Yang Tiexin goes missing. Guo Xiaotian's pregnant wife, Li Ping, wanders into Mongolia, where she gives birth to their son,

Guo Jing Guo Jing is the fictional protagonist of the wuxia novel ''The Legend of the Condor Heroes'' by Jin Yong. He also appears as a supporting character in the sequel, ''The Return of the Condor Heroes'', and is mentioned by name in ''The Heaven Swo ...

, who grows up in Mongolia under the care of

Genghis Khan ''Chinggis Khaan'' ͡ʃʰiŋɡɪs xaːŋbr />Mongol script: ''Chinggis Qa(gh)an/ Chinggis Khagan'' , birth_name = Temüjin , successor = Tolui (as regent)Ögedei Khan , spouse = , issue = , house = Borjigin , ...

. He learns martial arts from the "Seven Freaks of Jiangnan" and Ma Yu of the

Quanzhen School The Quanzhen School (全真: ''Quánzhēn''), also known as Completion of Authenticity, Complete Reality, and Complete Perfection is currently one of the two dominant denominations of Taoism in mainland China. It originated in Northern China i ...

, as well as archery skills from

Jebe Jebe (or Jebei, mn, Зэв, ''Zev''; birth name: Jirqo'adai (Modern Mongolian: Zurgadai), mn, Зургаадай, ) (death: approximately 1224) was one of the most prominent Noyans (generals) of Genghis Khan. He belonged to the Besud clan, p ...

. The Chinese title of the novel is derived from an incident in Guo Jing's youth when he shot two eagles with a single arrow. On the other hand, a pregnant Bao Xiruo captured by Wanyan Honglie, believing her husband to be dead agrees to marry Wanyan Honglie. She gives birth to a son,

Yang Kang Yang Kang is the fictional antagonist in the wuxia novel ''The Legend of the Condor Heroes'' by Jin Yong (Louis Cha). He also serves as a foil to Guo Jing, the protagonist. Birth and heritage Yang Kang's hometown is in Niu Family Village ...

, who is raised as a Jurchen nobleman. Although he is mentored by

Qiu Chuji Qiu Chuji (10 February 1148– 21 August 1227), courtesy name Tongmi (通密), also known by his Taoist name Master Changchun, was the disciple of Wang Chongyang and a renowned Taoist master. He is known for meeting Genghis Khan near the Hindu K ...

of the Quanzhen Sect, he also secretly learns the evil "Nine Yin White Bone Claw" technique from

Mei Chaofeng Mei Chaofeng (梅超風; Méi Chāofēng), original name Mei Ruohua (梅若華; Méi Ruòhuá), is a character in the ''wuxia'' novel ''The Legend of the Condor Heroes'' by Jin Yong. She was the fourth disciple of Huang Yaoshi. She was known as th ...

. Guo Jing is honest, loyal and righteous, but slow-witted. In contrast, Yang Kang is clever, but scheming and treacherous. They eventually meet each other and their respective lovers,

Huang Rong Huang Rong is a fictional female protagonist in the wuxia novel ''The Legend of the Condor Heroes'' by Jin Yong. She also appears as a supporting character in the sequel, ''The Return of the Condor Heroes''. In ''The Legend of the Condor Heroe ...

and

Mu Nianci Mu Nianci is a character in the wuxia novel ''The Legend of the Condor Heroes'' by Jin Yong (Louis Cha). She is the romantic interest of the antagonist, Yang Kang, and the mother of Yang Guo, the protagonist in the sequel novel, ''The Return of ...

. The main plot follows Guo Jing and Huang Rong's adventures and their encounters with the "Five Greats", the five most powerful martial artists in the ''wulin'' (martial artists' community). During their adventures, both Guo Jing and Huang Rong learn various martial arts techniques from the most powerful martial artists in ''wulin'' at that time. Guo Jing also discovers who was behind the death of his father. Meanwhile, Yang Kang plots with the Jurchens to conquer his native land, the Song Empire. Yang Kang refuses to acknowledge his Han ethnicity and is strongly driven to acquire wealth, fame and glory. His treachery is slowly unveiled throughout the novel in the encounters he has with Guo Jing and Huang Rong. With Guo Jing's assistance, the Mongols conquers the Jin Empire and subsequently turn their attention towards the Song Empire. Guo Jing is unwilling to aid the Mongols in attacking his native land so he leaves them and returns to the Song Empire to helps his fellow Han people counter the impending Mongol invasion. On the other hand, Yang Kang dies from poisoning after attempting to kill Huang Rong with a palm strike, but ends up hitting her spiked soft armour, which was accidentally stained with poison. He leaves behind Mu Nianci and their unborn son, whom Guo Jing names "

Yang Guo Yang Guo, courtesy name Gaizhi, is the fictional protagonist of the wuxia novel ''The Return of the Condor Heroes'' by Jin Yong. Birth and heritage Yang Guo traces his lineage to Yang Zaixing, a Song general who participated in the Jin–Song W ...

". In the meantime, the Mongol invasion of the Song Empire is temporarily halted when Genghis Khan dies.

Characters

English translation

The novel has been translated into English in 4 volumes: #''A Hero Born'' by Anna Holmwood #''A Bond Undone'' by Gigi Chang #''A Snake Lies Waiting'' by Anna Holmwood and Gigi Chang #''A Heart Divided'' by Gigi Chang and Shelly Bryant

Adaptations

Films

Television

Comics

In 1998, Hong Kong's Ming Ho Press (明河社) published a 38 volume

manhua () are Chinese-language comics produced in China and Taiwan. Whilst Chinese comics and narrated illustrations have existed in China in some shape or form throughout its imperial history, the term first appeared in 1904 in a comic titled ''Cu ...

series illustrated by

Lee Chi Ching Lee Chi Ching (; born 1963) is a Hong Kong manhua illustrator with the pen name "清兒". Lee began drawing comics and graphic novels in 1981. In 1992, he won an award for his watercolors at the Hong Kong Contemporary Art Biennial and had his wor ...

. This was published in Indonesia by MNC Comics in 2000.

Video games

''Shachou Eiyuuden: The Eagle Shooting Heroes'' is a video game developed by

Sony Computer Entertainment Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE), formerly known as Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE), is a multinational video game and digital entertainment company wholly owned by multinational conglomerate Sony. The SIE Group is made up of two legal co ...

for the

PlayStation is a video gaming brand that consists of five home video game consoles, two handhelds, a media center, and a smartphone, as well as an online service and multiple magazines. The brand is produced by Sony Interactive Entertainment, a divisi ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Legend of the Condor Heroes 1957 novels Depictions of Genghis Khan in literature Novels set in the Jin dynasty (1115–1234) Novels set in the 13th century Novels about revenge Novels by Jin Yong Novels first published in serial form Novels set in Mongol Empire Novels set in the Southern Song Works originally published in the Hong Kong Commercial Daily Hangzhou in fiction Chinese novels adapted into television series Novels set in Zhejiang Novels set in Shaanxi