ENG
Towering horn, a crown so rare,
In simple garb, a presence fair.
To the kind man, it shows its thanks,
Wishing him joy in life's ranks.
In the ancient Kingdom of Dvaravati, rhinoceroses were widely raised and adored. Once, during a rhino hunt, the king shot a pregnant female. As she lay dying, she birthed a calf. Amused, the king took the young rhino back to the royal gardens.
Haunted by its mother's death, the rhino feared the palace folk. At the mere sight of them, it would flee in terror, prompting the courtiers to chase it for sport, whip in hand.
It wasn't until its horn grew sharp enough that the rhino found its chance to avenge its mother: it gored a courtier during his chase. The king, enraged, called for a butcher to slay the beast. But the butcher, moved by pity, smeared dog blood on the rhino to feign its death and smuggled it out of the palace. Kept it hidden amongst his own rhinos, he nurtured it with prized wheat and lived with it for years.
One night, the butcher dreamt of the rhino speaking, "I was destined to transcend my form and become a yaoguai in this life. But your kindness calls for a reward, and I am willing to sacrifice this future to repay you. Tomorrow is when your life will end, and all my years left, I will give you. My horn will be left on your table. When you pass, have your wife burn it. If it burns completely, you shall live again."
The next day, the butcher found the horn but no sign of the rhino. He told his wife what to do and soon breathed his last. Following his instructions, his wife burned the horn for forty-nine days and nights. Astonishingly, the butcher was resurrected, yet he was different: he had grown a long rhino horn, and his skin had turned blue. Years later, still youthful after his wife passed, he became a disciple of Princess Rakshasi and was revered as the Rhino Master.
The story takes place in the Kingdom of Dvaravati, where rhinoceroses are common and valued. The king goes on a rhino hunt and shoots a pregnant female. As she dies she gives birth, and the king brings the newborn calf back to the royal gardens for amusement.
The calf is traumatized by its mother’s death and is terrified of palace people. Courtiers chase it for sport whenever they see it. When the calf’s horn finally grows sharp enough, it uses it to gore one of those hunters. The king is furious and orders a butcher to kill the young rhino.
The butcher feels pity instead of following orders. He smears dog blood on the rhino to fake its death and secretly removes it from the palace. He keeps the animal with his own rhinos, feeds it prized wheat, and cares for it for several years.
One night the butcher dreams that the rhino speaks. The rhino says it was fated to become a yaoguai (a supernatural monster or spirit) in this life, but because of the butcher’s kindness it will give up that destiny. It tells him that his life will end the next day, and that it will give him all its remaining years. The rhino says it will leave its horn on the butcher’s table and instructs the butcher’s wife to burn that horn when he dies; if it burns completely, he will be brought back to life.
The next day the butcher finds the horn and the rhino is gone. He dies as the dream predicted. His wife follows the rhino’s instructions and burns the horn for forty-nine days and nights. The butcher is resurrected, but he is changed: a long rhino horn grows from him and his skin turns blue. He remains youthful after his wife later dies, becomes a disciple of Princess Rakshasi, and comes to be known and revered as the Rhino Master.
The ending shows a clear trade: the rhino gives up a supernatural future to repay the butcher, transferring its lifespan via its horn. The ritual of burning the horn for forty-nine days is essential to the resurrection. The butcher’s revival comes with permanent physical changes and a new social role as the Rhino Master.