Xingtian (, also Hsing T'ien) is a Chinese deity who fights against the

Supreme Divinity Chinese theology, which comes in different interpretations according to the classic texts and the common religion, and specifically Confucian, Taoist and other philosophical formulations, is fundamentally monistic, that is to say it sees the w ...

, not giving up even after the event of his decapitation. Losing the fight for supremacy, he was beheaded and his head buried in Changyang Mountain. Nevertheless, headless, with a shield in one hand and a battle axe in the other, he continues the fight, using his nipples as eyes and his bellybutton as a mouth.Yang, 217

Description

Xingtian was an official under Yandi. Yandi fought against Huangdi for the position of supreme god, but he lost the conflict. Xingtian still continued the fight after Yandi's defeat, but was defeated and decapitated by Huangdi. Eventually, he regenerated himself and continued his defiance, which was expressed by a martial dance.Strassberg, 171.

Literature

Xingtian appears in chapter 7 of the ''

Classic of Mountains and Seas The ''Classic of Mountains and Seas'', also known as ''Shan Hai Jing'', formerly romanized as the ''Shan-hai Ching'', is a Chinese classic text and a compilation of mythic geography and beasts. Early versions of the text may have existed sinc ...

'', which states that he fought and lost against the supreme god to become the supreme divinity. The god decapitated Xingtian and buried his head on Changyang Mountain. However, Xingtian persevered, using his nipples as his eyes, using his navel as his mouth, and brandishing his shield and axe. The ''Shanhaijing'' states the following: In Luo Mi's '' Lushi'' from the

Southern Song The Song dynasty (; ; 960–1279) was an Dynasties in Chinese history, 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. ...

period, Xingtian is described as a minister of the

Yan Emperor The Yan Emperor () or the Flame Emperor was a legendary ancient Chinese ruler in pre-dynastic times. Modern scholarship has identified the Sheep's Head Mountains (''Yángtóu Shān'') just north of Baoji in Shaanxi Province as his homeland and ...

, who composed music for farmers for plowing and harvesting. In the ''

Huainanzi The ''Huainanzi'' is an ancient Chinese text that consists of a collection of essays that resulted from a series of scholarly debates held at the court of Liu An, Prince of Huainan, sometime before 139. The ''Huainanzi'' blends Daoist, Confuci ...

'', Xingtian is called the corpse of Xingcan (形殘之尸). The scholar

Guo Pu Guo Pu (; AD 276–324), courtesy name Jingchun () was a Chinese historian, poet, and writer during the Eastern Jin period, and is best known as one of China's foremost commentators on ancient texts. Guo was a Taoist mystic, geomancer, collector ...

celebrated Xingtian's defiant spirit in an encomium. He mentions the similarity between Xingtian and the corpse of Geng of the Xia, since they were both characters who regenerated and continued their resistance.Strassberg, 218. The poet Tao Qian also celebrated Xingtian's spirit in his ''Thirteen Poems upon Reading the Guideways through Mountains and Seas'', where he made an association between

Jingwei Jingwei () is a bird in Chinese mythology, who was transformed from Yandi's daughter Nüwa.Yang & An (2005), 154–155. She is also a goddess in Chinese mythology. After she drowned when playing in the Eastern Sea, she metamorphosed into a bird ...

and Xingtian in their persistence to overcome tragedies but also mentions their inability to be free from it:Strassberg, 18 & 171.

Symbolism

Xingtian symbolizes the indomitable spirit which maintains the will to resist no matter what tribulations one may undergo or what troubles one may encounter.Yang, 127–128 As such, Xingtian has been lauded in poetry and prose.

In popular culture

Smite ''Smite'' is a 2014 free-to-play, third-person multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) video game developed and published by Hi-Rez Studios for Microsoft Windows, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and Nintendo Switch, and Amazon Luna.Headless men Various species of mythical headless men were rumoured, in antiquity and later, to inhabit remote parts of the world. They are variously known as ''akephaloi'' (Greek ἀκέφαλοι, "headless ones") or Blemmyes ( la, Blemmyae; gr, βλέμ ...

Kabandha In Hinduism, Kabandha (, , lit. "headless torso") is a Rakshasa (demon) who is killed and freed from a curse by the god Rama – an Avatar of Vishnu – and his brother Lakshmana. Kabandha's legend appears in the Hindu epics ''Ramayana'' and ''Ma ...

Weapons and armor in Chinese mythology, legend, cultural symbology, and fiction Legendary weapons, arms, and armor are important motifs in Chinese mythology as well as Chinese legend, cultural symbology, and fiction. Weapons featured in Chinese mythology, legend, cultural symbology, and fiction include Guanyu's pole weap ...

Notes

References

Bibliography

* Yang, Lihui, ''et al.'' (2005). ''Handbook of Chinese Mythology''. New York: Oxford University Press. *Strassberg, Richard (2002). ''A Chinese Bestiary: Strange Creatures from the Guideways Through Mountains and Seas.'' University of California Press. {{Chinese mythology Chinese gods