According to Chinese mythology, there were originally ten sun crows which settled in ten separate suns. Each day one of the sun crows would be rostered to travel around the world on a carriage driven by Xihe, the "mother" of the suns. As soon as one sun crow returned, another one would set forth in its journey crossing the sky. One day all ten sun crows came out on the same day, causing the world to burn; the celestial archer Houyi saved the day by shooting down all but one of the birds.
"A three-legged bird said to live in the sun. In ancient China, there used to be 10 suns which would take turns travelling the sky. But one day, all ten suns appeared in the sky and scored the earth. A man named Hou Yi shot down nine of the suns."
