Anthropologists dug up bones that belong to two female ancient Mongol warriors that might have inspired the story of The Ballad of Mulan.
Christine Lee, an anthropologist from the California State University in Los Angeles, conducted research on the find of these skeletal bones. Though there is no evidence that these warriors were named “Hua Mulan,” they date back to the fourth or fifth century. This is around the same time the legend emerged.
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According to New Scientist, “Three of the skeletons belonged to Xianbei women—and two were potentially warriors. Lee and Gonzalez reached this conclusion partly due to the nature of marks left on the bones where muscles once attached.”
Image/Christine Lee
However, these bones are missing evidence of trauma, a thing commonly found in the battle-wound dead. Lee says that this might be because these bones belong to members of the elite class.
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The Ballad of Mulan was about a young woman who disguised herself as a man to replace her dad during China’s war against the Mongols. The story has then been adapted by Disney for an animated and live-action film.
Do you think that there was actually a real-life Mulan? Let us know in the comments!
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