Ancient mythical beasts
Kui (kui): Legend has it that there is a "Liupo Mountain" on the East China Sea, and Kui lives on this mountain. Kui's body and head were like those of an ox, but he had no horns and only one leg. His body was blue and black. It is said that Kui emits light like the sun and moon and a cry like thunder. As long as it goes in and out of the water, it will definitely cause a storm. During the war between Huangdi and Chi You, Huangdi captured Kui, used its skin to make a military drum, and used its bones as drumsticks. As a result, the sound of hitting the drum could be heard throughout a radius of 500 miles, which greatly boosted the morale of Huangdi's army. , Chi You's army was greatly frightened.
Yu Jiang: "Yu Jiang" is the legendary god of sea, wind and plague. It is also called "Yu Qiang" and "Yu Jing". He is the grandson of the Yellow Emperor. The sea god Yujiang rules the North Sea. His body is like a fish, but he has human limbs and rides on a two-headed dragon. The wind god Yujiang is said to be called "Xuanming" and is Zhuanxu's minister. His image is a human face and a bird's body, with a green snake hanging from each ear and feet. Step on two green snakes and dominate the north. It is said that the wind in Yujiang can spread plague. If you encounter the northwest wind it blows, you will be injured. Therefore, the northwest wind was also called "severe wind" by the ancients.
猰貐(ya yu): also known as "窫窳"(ya yu). Legend has it that Yuki was once a god of heaven and was killed by a god named "Danger". He was later resurrected, but turned into a man-eating monster. There are many theories about the appearance of the wild beast. For example, it has a human face and a dragon body and is the same size as a raccoon dog. Some say it is a giant beast with a human face, an ox body and horse legs, or a dragon head and a tiger body (pictured). It is said that because the dogfish likes to eat humans, Emperor Yao ordered Houyi to kill it.
Fu Dou: "Fu Dou" originally refers to the legendary ethnic minority living in southern China, but it was described as It is a monster that looks like a dog, eats dog excrement, and spits out fire. Fires break out wherever disaster strikes, so the ancients regarded it as a sign of fire and a symbol of extreme ominousness. It is also said that Fu Dou eats fire and excretes fire-tinged feces. Fu Dou is supposed to be a symbol of the southern Chinese tribes that are demonized in mythology.
Nine-headed bird: formerly known as "Ghost Car", it has ten necks and nine heads. It is said that its tenth head was shot off by a hunter ordered by Zhou Gongdan. The headless neck was dripping with blood. The ancients declared that if the nine-headed bird flew by, they would blow out the lights and let the dogs go to drive it away. Some legends claim that each head of the nine-headed bird has a pair of wings. As a result, the 18 wings are crowded with each other, rendering all of them useless. In addition, the nine-headed bird is also called the "guhuo bird". This kind of bird preys on human children and likes to live in groups.
Qiongqi: "Qiongqi" is the evil god in Chinese legends who suppresses good and promotes evil. It is as big as an ox, looks like a tiger, is covered with thorny fur, and has wings. It barks like a dog and makes a living by eating people. It is said that Qiongqi often flies to the scene of a fight and bites off the nose of the rightful party; if someone commits an evil act, Qiongqi will capture the beast and give it to him, and encourage him to do more bad things. The ancients also called Qiongqi the kind of person who does not care about his own thoughts and is far away from gentlemen and close to villains. However, Qiongqi also has a beneficial side. In a ghost exorcism ritual called "Da Nuo", there are twelve kinds of beasts that eat evil spirits, called twelve gods or twelve beasts, and Qiongqi is one of them.
***Gong: ***Gong is a descendant of Shennong in ancient legends and belongs to the Yandi clan. As the god of water, ***Gong has a human face, hands and feet and a snake body. During the reign of Huangdi's successor Zhuanxu, he rebelled and was defeated by Zhuanxu. The emperor was so angry that he hit his head on Buzhou Mountain (the legendary pillar supporting the world), causing the world to tilt to the southeast. After that, the workers continued to cause trouble (representing the outbreak of floods), and were finally killed by Yu (representing the success of flood control).
Xuhuang: Xuhuang is an evil spirit that brings disaster to people. Legend has it that Xuhua wears a red robe, has a cow's nose, has one foot on the ground with a shoe, and the other foot is hanging on the waist, and there is an iron fan inserted in the waist. It is said that Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty once saw a kid in his dream stealing his jade flute and Yang Guifei's sachet. , making him depressed. Xuanzong was furious and immediately called for help. Then a big ghost appeared, tore Xu Hu into two halves and ate him. The big ghost refers to Zhong Kui.
Wutong God: The five obscene demons in Chinese legend are said to cause trouble in the south. There was once a saying of "Northern Fox and South Five Tong". The Wutong God often comes to people's homes to look for beautiful women. In fact, the Wutong Gods are also called the Five Manifestations Gods, and are the five sons of the God of Mount Tai. There are some accounts about the Five Gods in "Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio". It is said that a scholar named Wan killed three of them and seriously injured another one. The last one was raped by the maid of the Golden Dragon King's daughter, and finally killed everyone. Death.
Hun Chaos: also known as "Chaos", is the evil god in ancient times. Legend has it that it is fat and round in shape, as red as fire, with four wings and six legs. Although it has no facial features, it can understand songs, dances and music. There is also a saying that Chaos is an animal like a dog or a bear. Humans cannot see or hear it. It often bites its own tail and giggles; if it meets a noble person, Chaos will do violence; When encountering an evil person, Chaos will obey his command.
Chaos is the prototype of Taoist Hongjun in "The Romance of the Gods".
Chisel Teeth: A legendary monster or giant living in the swamps of southern China. Chisel Teeth has long tusks like chisels. These tusks penetrate his chin and come out. He holds a shield and a spear in his hands. It is said that Chisel Tooth preyed on humans, so the Yellow Emperor ordered Hou Yi to attack him. After a fierce fight, Hou Yi caught up with Chisel Tooth in the Kunlun Mountains and shot him dead. The chisel tooth is supposed to be a symbol of a southern Chinese tribe that was demonized in mythology.
Three-legged bird: The sun elf in ancient China, also regarded as the messenger of the sun's movement. According to ancient Chinese legend, a three-legged bird lives in the sun. People worship the sun, and the three-legged bird is also worshiped as a symbol of auspiciousness. It is said that because there are ten three-legged birds in a group and they are constantly flying in the sky, the ground is suffering from drought and scorching heat. Emperor Yao ordered Hou Yi to shoot all the three-legged birds, but Hou Yi shot down nine and left one. From then on, there was only one sun and it set in the evening. There is also a saying that the three-legged bird is an elf serving the Queen Mother of the West.
The so-called dragon gave birth to nine sons, none of whom are like dragons. This is the saying -
The eldest son is called Prison Niu: it loves music, so it often stands on the head of the piano. . Such as the Huqin of the Han people and the Sanxianqin of the Bai people. The Mongolian Morin Khuur may also be a variant of the Prison Niu.
The second son is Jai Pi: it loves to kill, so it is often placed on weapons to intimidate the enemy. At the same time, it is also used in ceremonies to appear more majestic.
The third son is Chaofeng: a beast-shaped dragon that looks a bit like a dog. It is good at looking out, so it is often placed in the corner of the palace. It is said that it can intimidate demons and eliminate disasters.
The fourth one is Pulao: it likes to roar, so people put it on the bell, mostly in the image of Pulao. It is said that it lives on the beach, but is very afraid of whales. Once a whale attacks, it will scream in fear. Therefore, people shaped the wooden pestle into the shape of a whale to make the copper bell extra loud.
The fifth child is Suanni: shaped like a lion. It is a foreign product that was introduced to China with Buddhism, so its personality is a bit like that of Buddha. It is so quiet and loves fireworks. Therefore, it is often placed on the Buddha's throne or on the incense burner to protect Buddhism.
The sixth son is Baxia: also known as Bixi, he looks like a turtle. According to legend, in ancient times, it often carried three mountains and five mountains on its back to create trouble. Later, he was subdued by Xia Yu and made many great contributions to Xia Yu. After the flood control was successful, Xia Yu let it carry out its achievements. Therefore, most of China's stone monuments are carried on its back.
The seventh child is Bian: also known as Charter, it looks like a tiger. According to legend, it upholds justice and can distinguish right from wrong, so it is placed above and below the prison door, on both sides of the door lobby, and on top of the cards that officials quietly avoid when they go on patrol to maintain the solemn atmosphere of the court.
The eighth child is negative: because it loves literature, it is placed on two sides of the stone tablet.
Mozi is Chiki: also known as Ouwei, a fish-shaped dragon. According to legend, around the time of the Northern and Southern Dynasties, the "Moji Fish" from India was introduced with Buddhism. It is the object under the seat of the rain god in Buddhist scriptures and can extinguish fire. Therefore, the chi kiss was transformed from this, so it is often placed at both ends of the roof ridge to eliminate disasters and extinguish fires.
Blue Dragon, White Tiger, Suzaku Xuanwu