Nafu

Overview

Nafu is the ox-shaped beast of Mount Guanti in the Shanhaijing’s first northern itinerary. Its distinguishing stated feature is a white tail, and its voice resembles a shout. The passage supplies a name and locality but no human face, wings, unusual number of legs, or predatory behaviour. This is a relatively spare entry in a literary inventory of remarkable creatures.

Mount Guanti also hosts Songsi, a human-faced bird that jumps when it sees people, and contains trees and a river associated with magnetic stone. Songsi’s reaction to humans does not belong to Nafu. The source’s comparative description is retained without pretending that it settles a biological identification. A white-tailed bovine shape alone could resemble an actual animal, while the named mythographic context establishes why the figure belongs in this collection of received-text marvels.

Origins & earliest records

China; Shanhaijing Northern Mountains

Records & interpretation

Named primary-text transcription directly read; exact historical illustration pending.

Selected bibliography

Documented works and useful reading. This is not a list of every appearance.

1. 01

   Shanhaijing, Northern Mountains

   Anonymous received text

   First northern itinerary; Mount Guanti

Family & connections

A source-supported family tree or inspiration record has not yet been compiled for this profile. Related reading below indicates a connection in subject matter, not a proven lineage or creative influence.

Primary records and illustrations

References

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1. Primary text transcriptionShanhaijing: Northern Mountains, received primary textResearch access: 2026-10-05

Image credits

A sourced illustration has not yet been added. This gap is included in the coverage record.