Читать книгу The Element Encyclopedia of Magical Creatures: The Ultimate A–Z of Fantastic Beings from Myth and Magic - John Matthews - Страница 325

The Cat Fish is a Chinese fish monster which causes earthquakes. It lives at the base of a volcano and its upheavals bring all kinds of disturbance. It appears in the legend of Monkey King or Sun Wu Kung, when Monkey and his friends are accompanying the monk Tripitaka on his way to receive the scriptures from Buddha. His friend Sandy is swallowed up by the Cat Fish and when Monkey goes to rescue him, he too is devoured. While the monk prays to stop another earthquake, Monkey finds Sandy making up to a fairy spirit in the Cat Fish’s stomach. Along with Pigsy, the third friend who is also consumed, the heroes decide against getting out of Cat Fish by the back door and try to go out the way they came down. Sandy tickles the Cat Fish in the throat until the monster starts to laugh and spits them out.

In medieval European lore, there is another Cat Fish which is a creature with the upper body of a cat and the lower body of a fish. It appears in heraldic devices and European coats of arms.