Ancient China · Legendary Figure

Gun 鯀

Attested AD 588

Passages: 3
Chapters: 3
Histories: 3

Overview

Gun was a Legendary Figure.

Life and dates

Death

At Mount Yu 羽山 · Executed
Directly stated · Book of Later Han 122, passage 186

Attested activity

legendary antiquity
Directly stated · Book of Later Han 122, passage 186; History of Song 106, passage 142
AD 588 佛家變受異形之謂
Dated from the passage context · Book of Sui 77, passage 68

Key source chapters

Places and affiliations

Polity Xia 夏後氏 · Relation Associated with
Directly stated · History of Song 106, passage 142

Events and relationships

Received border sacrifice from Xia
Ritual · Recipient
Directly stated · History of Song 106, passage 142

References in the histories

Book of Later Han, Chapter 122Volume 111: Commanderies and States Part Three · 1 passage

〖祝其〗有羽山，殛鯀之山。杜預曰在縣西南。博物記曰：「東北獨居山，西南有淵水，卽羽泉也，俗謂此山爲懲父山。」 Zhuqi contained Mount Yu, remembered as the mountain where Gun was executed. Du Yu places it southwest of the county. The Bowu ji says, “To the northeast stands Dujushan; to the southwest is Yuanshui, which is Yuquan. Commonly this mountain is called Chengfu Mountain.”

History of Song, Chapter 106Volume 106 Treatises 59: Rites 9 · 1 passage

故商、周以契、稷有功於唐、虞之際，故謂之祖有功，若必以有功而為祖，則夏後氏不郊鯀矣。 Shang and Zhou honored Qi and Ji as ancestors of merit for their service in the age of Yao and Shun; but if merit alone made one an ancestor, the Xia would not have sacrificed at the border to Gun.

Book of Sui, Chapter 77Volume 77 Biographies 42: Recluses · 1 passage

至若鯀為黃熊，杜宇為鶗鴂，褒君為龍，牛哀為獸，君子為鵠，小人為猿，彭生為豕，如意為犬，黃母為黿，宣武為鱉，鄧艾為牛，徐伯為魚，鈴下為烏，書生為蛇，羊祜前身，李氏之子，此非佛家變受異形之謂邪？」 Consider Gun becoming a yellow bear, Du Yu becoming a cuckoo, Lord Bao becoming a dragon, Niu Ai becoming a beast, the gentleman becoming a swan, the petty man becoming an ape, Peng Sheng becoming a pig, Ruyi becoming a dog, Lady Huang becoming a soft-shelled turtle, Xuan Wu becoming a river turtle, Deng Ai becoming an ox, Xu Bo becoming a fish, the bell-ringer becoming a crow, the scholar becoming a snake, Yang Hu's former incarnation, the son of the Li clan—are these not what Buddhism calls transformation into different forms?"