chinese mythology
X is for Xing Tian
Name: Xing Tian (means “punished one” or “he who was punished by heaven”
Type: giant
Origin: Chinese mythology
Description: Basically, he’s a headless giant punished by heaven. *grins* Here’s a roughly translated excerpt from Shanhaijing I came across on Wikipedia:
Xingtian fought against [Huang] Di. Di cut off his head, and the head was buried in the Changyang Mountains. But Xingtian, with his breasts as eyes, and his navel as mouth, continued to fight with his axe and shield.
Anyone know of any other “X” creatures? I’m very curious! lol
Q is for Qilin
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| A qilin of the Qing dynasty in Beijing’s Summer Palace |
Name: Qilin
Type: Chinese chimera
Origin: Chinese mythology
Description: The Qilin is a hooved chimera sometimes portrayed as having parts of a fish, dragon, ox, lion and/or even a tiger. They are said to bring prosperity and only appear in land ruled by a peaceful or a wise man. For instance, the birth of Confucius was foretold by arrival of a Qilin.
The Qilin’s origins are tied to Chinese exploration of Africa around the 5th century. The Zheng He’s exploration of the areas around modern Somalia were successful, and they obtained some giraffes and other animals which they brought back to China. The word Geri, which in Somalia means giraffe, is the base word for Qilin. The slender high figure of the Qilin gave it special properties, such as walking on water and walking in grass without damaging the blades of the grass. The Qilin love the righteous and should anyone evil try to attack them while a Qilin is close by, the Qilin would attack the wicked by shooting flames from its mouth or using other powers.
Interesting Facts: The Chinese have the Qilin as their third most powerful creature after the dragon and the phoenix. This was not always been the case. Before the Qin-dynasty, the Qilin was ranked the highest. In Japan, the Kirin is the same as the Chinese Qilin. The Japanese still honor pre-Qin dynasty mythology and have the Kirin as the top creature in their culture.
What Q creatures or beings do you know of?