• Koguryo and Balhae
  • Great Tomb of Gangseo
Vermilion Bird (Left)
TitleVermilion Bird (Left)
Vermilion Bird (Left)
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A female Vermilion Bird is painted on the left wall next to the southern entrance of the Great Tomb of Gangseo. According to written records, the Vermilion Bird originates from Fenghuang and is often treated as one and the same in terms of iconography and symbolism.
Much like the dragon, extremely diverse descriptions of Fenghuang exist in historical texts. Shanhaijing or The Classics of Mountains and Seas states, "A bird exists that resembles a rooster and features the five cardinal colors. Its name is Fenghuang." Shuowen Jiezi (literally “Explaining and Analyzing Characters”, A Chinese dictionary from the Han Dynasty) states, "Fenghuang is an ethereal bird featuring the five cardinal colors. Its front resembles the Qilin (a.k.a. Kirin: chimerical creature of Chinese mythology), and the rear resembles a deer. It has the neck of a snake, tail of a fish, scales of a dragon, shell of a tortoise, chin of a swallow, and the beak of a rooster." Therefore, the Fenghuang sometimes resembles a rooster or is a composite of several animals much like the Azure Dragon.
The Vermilion Bird displayed in the image resembles the appearance of a rooster as stated in ancient records. Its beautiful shape is mystical and features the five cardinal colors on its body. Particularly, the S-shaped curve from the neck down to the chest is snake-like, and the horizontal line of the body from the center of the chest down to the abdomen is similar to the Azure Dragon. The face is more ornate than that of a rooster, and a flame-shaped crest sits on top of the head. A lotus branch with red buds sits in its beak. This lotus branch elegantly mimics the S-shaped curves of the Vermilion Bird's upper body. These two S-curves from the lotus branch to the body of the Vermilion Bird complement each other and create a fancy yet elegant design.
The fully-spread crescent-shaped wings are gorgeously colored in white, green, and red and the bent legs complete a dynamic image of a bird preparing for flight. Multiple mountain peaks depicted in white, red, and black below the Vermilion Bird provide a sense of perspective to the mural.
This Vermilion Bird's neat, graceful face and beak shape indicate that she is a female. Notably, the body and wings have a strong presence of white in sharp contrast to the intense red color of the tail feathers. The overall appearance is very neat and exudes a strong sense of elegant femininity.

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