Strange - Kikou

...According to J. Baltrušaitis's "Middle Ages in Fantasy" (1955), the Christian image of a flying devil was created around the 13th century, influenced by these Chinese immortals and winged monsters. Also, the "Book of Crafts," compiled by Zhang Hua and others at the end of the 3rd century, tells of a people who operated flying vehicles called "Qihuo," which is interesting as it suggests the beginnings of the concept of propeller airplanes, which went one step further than the bird-man fantasy. Furthermore, birds are associated with production, fertility, and safe childbirth, and their singing in early spring and the sight of them incubating eggs became symbols of the start of life and production. ...

*Some of the terminology explanations that mention "kiho" are listed below.

Source | Heibonsha World Encyclopedia 2nd Edition | Information

…J.バルトルシャイティスの《幻想の中世》(1955)によれば，キリスト教における飛びまわる悪魔像は，これら中国の仙人や翼を持つ魔物に影響されて13世紀ころに成立したという。また3世紀末に張華らが編纂した《博物志》に〈奇肱（きこう）〉という飛行車を操る民族が語られており，鳥人幻想から一歩進んだプロペラ飛行機構想の萌芽を示唆して興味深い。　さらに鳥は生産，豊穣，安産と関連づけられ，春先に鳴きだし，卵を抱く姿が生命活動と生産の開始を示す象徴となった。…

※「奇肱」について言及している用語解説の一部を掲載しています。

出典｜株式会社平凡社世界大百科事典 第２版について | 情報