Legend of a Xuong Cuong: the most powerful demon

The Demon Xuong Cuong, also known as the Mộc tinh (Spirit of Wood), is a demon in Vietnamese folklore that is recorded in Wondrous Tales of Linh Nam.

According to the text, the Demon Xuong Cuong existed from the time of King Kinh Dương, who founded the Red Devil kingdom, to the reign of King Đinh, when it was finally defeated.

It is the most powerful demon that has been recorded in Vietnamese history and mythology.

Some believe that the Demon Xuong Cuong is the incarnation of a tiger that became a spirit, and that this is the reason for the worship of Ong Ba Muoi (Mr. Thirty), the Tiger God, on the 30th day of the 12th lunar month each year.

Xuong Cuong in ancient book

Wondrous Tales of Linh Nam records the following story about the Xuong Cuong:

In ancient times, there was a large tree called a sandalwood tree in the land of Phong Chau. It was over a thousand meters tall and had lush branches and leaves. Cranes would fly to the tree to build their nests, so the land was called Bach Hac (White Crane).

After thousands of years, the tree dried up and turned into a demon. The demon could change its shape at will and was very powerful. It could kill people and animals.

King Kinh Duong defeated the demon with music, but the demon was only subdued. It continued to roam about, changing its shape in ways that were impossible to predict. It often ate people.

The people of the land were afraid, so they built a temple to the demon. Every year on the 30th day of the 12th lunar month, they would bring a living person to the temple as an offering.

The people called the demon the God Xuong Cuong. Ancient people called evil and fearsome entities gods in the hope that the entity would not harm them.

The southwestern border of the land bordered the kingdom of Mi Hau. King Hung ordered the people of Ba Lo (now Dien Chau province) to bring a kind of old man who lived in the mountains as an offering every year. This practice could not be changed.

When Qin Shi Huang appointed Ren Xiao as the governor of Long Xuyen, he wanted to end this practice. The God Xuong Cuong was angry and killed Ren Xiao. As a result, the people had to worship the demon even more carefully.

In the reign of King Dinh, a Taoist priest named Wen Yu Xiang came to Vietnam from the north.

He was a virtuous man who had traveled to many countries and learned the languages of the indigenous peoples. He had also learned how to make golden fangs and copper teeth. When he was over 80 years old, he came to Vietnam.

King Dinh welcomed the priest as a teacher. The priest show the king how to do acrobatics. The king planned to use these acrobatics to lure the God Xuong Cuong to his death.

[…] The God Xuong Cuong came to see the acrobatics. The priest recited a secret incantation and then struck the demon with a sword.

The God Xuong Cuong and his followers were all killed and could never turn back into demons. The practice of offering living people to the demon was abolished, and the people lived in peace once again.

Conclusion

In the research paper “Tiger, from Spirit of Wood to Mr. Thirty”, written by Dang Tien in 2010, it is pointed out that the Xuong Cuong mentioned in the Spirit of Wood story is the god of the tiger, also known as Mr. Thirty.

In addition, the paper explains the meaning of the name “Xuong Cuong” that means to act in a cruel and tyrannical manner that cannot be controlled.