Pan Hu: The Princess and the Dog

Hey guys! Today's post is a relatively short story, in part because I've been wanting to tell it and in part because midterms are here. I'll have a special treat for you next week – the first of my posts about the Monkey King!

Today's story is about a dog named Panhu. The character plays an important role in the King Pan Festival. Some cultures in China trace their lineage back to Pan Hu's ancestry. Let's dive into the myth!

Once there was a mighty king in China. There came a time when his queen developed a most dreadful earache. The king sent for physicians and wizards, until at last one was able to solve his wife's ailment. The man extracted a small golden worm from the queen's ear, and the pain immediately went away.

Instead of killing it, the queen was intrigued by the worm. She put it on a plate and covered it in a small jar, leaving some food and drink out for the creature. Several days passed. When next the queen checked on the worm, she discovered that a small dog rested upon the plate – the worm had transformed!

 

The dog was named after the plate and the jar, resulting in the name of Pan Hu. He grew rapidly, until he was soon nearly the size of a man on his back legs. The king was quite fond of Pan Hu and kept him always by his side.

Because of this, Pan Hu learned of some of the king's problems. A neighboring kingdom was at war with him, and it didn't look as if the king could win. He had put out a bounty on the enemy king, promising to reward the hand of his daughter in marriage to whoever killed the other king and brought his head as proof. Unfortunately, due to the enemy king's military prowess, no one was willing to try.

Well...no human, any way.

Upon hearing of the bounty, Pan Hu disappeared for several days. The king was very worried, for no one knew where he had gone. Imagine his surprise when, several days later, Pan Hu reappeared – carrying the head of the king's worst enemy!

(Not all versions of the story tell of how Pan Hu defeated the enemy king. One which I have gives an explanation I quite enjoy, however – one similar to the Greek Trojan horse. Pan Hu went straight to the enemy king's castle. Upon seeing him, the king declared that his opponent's favorite dog had deserted him, and that it was obviously a good omen of his impending victory. A celebration was held. Pan Hu waited until the whole castle was drunk, then beheaded the king and went on his way.)

A great feast was held in celebration, with the best cuts of meat reserved for Pan Hu. Despite this honor, the dog refused to partake in the feast, and instead sulked in the corner. The king abruptly remembered his promise to marry his daughter to whoever defeated his opponent. He went before Pan Hu and tried to explain. Surely the dog did not expect to marry the princess? After all, she was a human, and he was a...well, a dog!

Much to the king's surprise, Pan Hu spoke to answer him! The dog explained that if it was only his animal form which was preventing the marriage, it could be easily fixed. If Pan Hu was placed beneath a golden bell and left there for seven days, without anyone looking at him, he would become a man.

The king agreed to this, and the dog was placed beneath a golden bell. Six days passed without incident, but partway through the seventh the princess herself grew worried about Pan Hu. No food or drink had been left with him, and she did not want the dog to waste away. She lifted the bell ever so slightly to slip a drink underneath –

– and the spell was broken.

 

The transformation had mostly finished, leaving Pan Hu with the body of a man. However, his head remained that of a dog. Despite this, the king honored his agreement and married his daughter to Pan Hu. The princess and Pan Hu went on to have many children, whose descendants are the Yao of China.
 

I hope you guys enjoyed the story! I love that a dog succeeded where no mortal man could.

See you next week!