Nue 419962 224144250 2008-07-07T14:53:01Z Rtkat3 275202 {{otheruses|NUE}} [[Image:Kuniyoshi Taiba (The End).jpg|thumb|250px|right|[[Kuniyoshi Utagawa]], ''Taiba (The End)'', 1852. The print depicts a nue descending upon the Imperial palace in a black cloud]] A '''nue''' (鵺) is a [[legendary creature]] found in [[Japanese folklore]]. It is described as having the head of a [[monkey]], the body of a [[raccoon dog]], the legs of a [[tiger]], and a snake as a tail. According to the legend, a nue can transform into a black cloud and fly. Due to its appearance, it is sometimes referred to as a ''Japanese [[Chimera (mythology)|chimera]]''{{Fact|date=February 2008}}. Nue are supposed to be bringers of misfortune and illness.{{Fact|date=February 2008}} According to [[The Tale of the Heike]], Emperor Konoe, the [[Emperor of Japan]], became sick after having terrible nightmares every night, and a dark cloud appeared at two o'clock in the morning on roof of the palace in Kyoto during the summer of [[1153]]. The story says that the [[samurai]] [[Minamoto no Yorimasa]] staked-out the roof one night and fired an arrow into the cloud, out of which fell a dead nue. Yorimasu then supposedly sank the body in the Sea of Japan. In a local expansion of the story, the nue's corpse floated into a certain bay, and the locals, fearing a curse, buried it. A mound which exists today is supposed to be this grave.<ref>[http://www.obakemono.com/obake/nue/ Nue; The Obakemono project], www.obakemono.com, 20 August 2006, (accessed [[21 January]],[[2007]])</ref> ==Etymology== ''Nue'' as a word appears in the oldest of Japanese literature. Early quotes include [[Kojiki]] ([[712]]) and [[Wamyō Ruijushō]] (c. [[934]]). Due to the usage of [[Man'yōgana]], the [[Jōdai Tokushu Kanazukai|historical spelling]] is known to have been ''nuye''. At this early time, though, it had a different semantic meaning. It referred to a bird known as [[White's Thrush]]. In the 13th century, [[Heike Monogatari]] makes reference to a creature called a ''nue''. In addition to having the head of a monkey, the body of a tanuki, the paws of a tiger, and the tail of a snake, it has the voice of a [[White's Thrush]]. Around [[1435]], [[Zeami]] wrote a [[Noh]] song titled ''Nue'' dealing with the events described in Heike. ==Popular Culture== <!-- Note to editors: Please keep this list short and concise. Please avoid adding trivial references (e.g. the article subject is mentioned briefly in an episode of an anime, or is a minor boss in a game) and please refrain from OR (e.g. references using the following form: "X is probably based on article subject" or "X bears a striking resemblance to article subjest" etc. are strongly discouraged). Thank you. --> * The Japanese band [[Kagrra]], has an album titled ''Nue'', containing the track "Nue no Naku Koro" (鵺の哭く頃, ''When the Nue Cries''). * The [[avex]] artist [[Tomiko Van]] has a song called "Nue no Naku Yoru" (鵺の鳴く夜, ''The Night when the Nue Cries'') * A Nue appears in many of the games in the [[Megami Tensei]] series, as a potential fight opponent. * A Nue appears at the gate to the [[Dream (DC Comics)|King of All Night's Dreaming]]'s castle in [[Neil Gaiman]] and [[Yoshitaka Amano]]'s ''[[Sandman: The Dream Hunters]]''. * Zabimaru, the [[zanpakutō]] of [[Renji Abarai]] in the manga/anime series ''[[Bleach (manga)|Bleach]]'', manifests itself as a nue. * One of the monsters a player fights in the [[PlayStation 2]] game ''[[Genji: Dawn of the Samurai]]'' is a Nue. * In the Japanese version of the game [[Blood Will Tell]], Kagemitsu Daigo transforms into a Nue during one of the final battles. However, in the English version, the monster is a [[chimera]]. * In the game [[Breath of Fire III]], the first ''boss'' is a Nue, which kills villagers to feed its young. * Nue is the name of a Mikura (a [[yōkai]] turned blood-drinking machine) in the anime/CG 6-part OVA [[Karas (anime)|Karas]] voiced by [[Jay Hernandez]]. Unlike the other Mikura, he is against Eko. * Nue is a [[tiger]] monster in various [[Final Fantasy]] games. ==References== {{reflist}} [[Category:Japanese legendary creatures]] [[Category:Mythological hybrids]] [[de:Nue]] [[es:Nue]] [[fr:Nue]] [[ja:鵺]] [[no:Nue]] [[pt:Nue]] [[ru:Нуэ]] [[sv:Nue]] [[zh:鵺]]