What are the mythical beasts in ancient legends? Let’s add a picture~

Suzaku

The Phoenix is ??a spiritual creature that represents happiness in China. There are many forms of it. Such as golden pheasant, peacock, eagle, swan, black bird (swallow) and so on. ． ． It is also said that it was transformed into the Buddhist Dapeng Garuda. The phoenix mentioned in the Phoenix myth has the head of a chicken, the chin of a swallow, the neck of a snake, the tail of a fish, and has five-color patterns. There are five kinds of phoenixes, divided by color: red is phoenix, green is phoenix, white is swan, and yellow and purple phoenix can also be said to be red bird or black bird. Suzaku is one of the four spirits. Like the other three spirits, it comes from the stars and is the general name of the seven stars in the south: Well, Ghost, Willow, Star, Zhang, Yi, and Zhen. When I think of it, it's Suzaku. Zhu is red, like fire, and the south belongs to fire, so it is called Phoenix. It also has the property of being reincarnated from the fire, just like the phoenix in the West, so it is also called the Fire Phoenix.

Xuanwu

Xuanwu is a spiritual creature composed of a turtle and a snake. The original meaning of Xuanwu is Xuanming, and the ancient sounds of Wu and Ming are connected. Wu means black; Ming means yin. Xuan Ming originally described turtle divination: the back of the turtle is black, and turtle divination is to ask the turtle to go to the underworld to ask the ancestors, bring the answers back, and show them to the world in the form of divination. Therefore, the earliest Xuanwu was the turtle. Later, the meaning of Xuan Ming continued to expand. Turtles live in rivers, lakes and seas (including turtles), so Xuan Ming became the god of water; turtles live long, and Xuan Ming became a symbol of immortality; the original underworld was in the north, and the oracle bone divination of the Yin and Shang Dynasties stated that "the divination must be northward", So Xuan Ming became the god of the north again

White Tiger

In China, the white tiger is the god of war and killing. Tiger has many magical powers such as avoiding evil, warding off disasters, praying for prosperity and punishing evil, promoting good deeds, making wealth, and getting married. And it is one of the four spirits, and of course it is made of stars. Among the twenty-eight constellations, there are seven in the west: Kui, Lou, Wei, Ang, Bi, Xi, and Shen. Therefore, it is the representative of the West, and its white color is because it is the West. The West belongs to gold among the five elements, and its color is white. So it is called White Tiger not because it is white, but because of the five elements.

Qinglong

Qinglong, also known as "Blue Dragon", is the oriental god in ancient mythology. The dragon is the totem of the Chinese nation. Ever since the Yellow Emperor appointed him to the sky and commanded power in all directions, the dragon has become a symbol of the Chinese nation and even the whole of China. The more definite shape was established in the Han Dynasty. From the beginning of the Han Dynasty, the dragon was determined to be the symbol of the emperor. Symbols and representations. In Eastern legends, the green dragon has a body like a long snake, a unicorn head, a carp tail, a long beard on its face, deer-like antlers, five claws, and a mighty appearance. In Western mythology, the dragon is more like a lizard with wings.

Four Spirits

Qilin

Qilin, also known as "Qilin", referred to as "Lin", is a benevolent and auspicious beast in ancient legends. An animal in ancient legends, together with the phoenix, turtle and dragon, is called the "Four Spirits". Known as the Holy Beast King. And it is the mount of God.

Phoenix

Everyone is very familiar with the mythical bird. It has a head like a chicken, a chin like a swallow, a neck like a snake, a chest like a tiger, and a tail like a fish. Bird of Five Virtues.

According to Guo Pu's annotation in "Erya Birds", the characteristics of the Phoenix are: "Chicken head, swallow jaw, snake neck, turtle back, fish tail, five colors, about six feet high." "Come from the country of the Eastern Gentleman, soar across the four seas, cross Kunlun, drink from the mainstay, wash your feathers in the weak water, and don't stay in the wind cave, see that the world will be at peace." "The Classic of Mountains and Seas? Illustrations" says that there are five kinds of character patterns: "The first text is called De, the wing text is Shun, the back text is Yi, the belly text is Faith, and the back text is Ren."

Turtle. (One of the 4 Spirits)

Dragon

The dragon is a miraculous animal in Chinese mythology that is good at change, can cause clouds and rain, and benefit all things. Legend has it that it can hide and appear. Climb to the sky and dive into the abyss in the autumn wind. It can also stir up clouds and cause rain. It is the leader of all scale insects and the head of the four spirits (dragon, phoenix, unicorn, and turtle). It later became a symbol of imperial power. Emperors of all dynasties claimed to be dragons, and the utensils they used were also decorated with dragons.

The Four Evils

梼杌 táo wù

A ferocious beast in ancient legends.

According to legend, it is the son of Zhuanxu, the Northern Emperor of Heaven. It is also named Aohun, which is difficult to train. From these names, we can roughly infer what it does. Like Qiongqi, Yaozhu later became one of the Four Evils.

Qiongqi

According to the "Book of Mountains and Seas? Hai Nei Bei Jing", Qiongqi looks like a tiger with a pair of wings, likes to eat people, and can even steal people's heads. The whole thing started to eat, it was a ferocious beast.

However, also in the "Book of Mountains and Seas", the "Western Classic of Mountains" mentions another image of Qiongqi. In that chapter, Qiongqi looks like a cow with hedgehog hair, which is similar to the "Hainei Northern Classic" There is a big difference between those who say it. However, both are ferocious beasts that like to eat people, so there is no difference in this aspect.

Chaos

. "The Book of Western Mountains" in the second volume of "The Classic of Mountains and Seas" says: "Three hundred and fifty miles to the west is called the Tianshan Mountains. There are many gold and jade, some are green and real yellow, and the Yingshui flows out, and flows to the southwest into the Tang Valley. There is a sacred bird, whose shape is Like a yellow sac, red as red fire, with six legs and four wings, Hundun has no face, it is the song and dance, and it is actually the Emperor River. "Hundun is chaos, and the image of chaos is the divine bird that knows song and dance."

Taotie tāo tiè

A legendary greedy and cruel monster. Ancient bells and tripods were often engraved with the shape of their heads for decoration. "Lu's Spring and Autumn Annals": "Zhou Ding made gluttonous food, which has a head but no body. It eats people without swallowing them, causing harm to their bodies. It is necessary to repay them with words." "Shenyi Jing? Southwest Huang Jing": "There is someone in the southwest. Yan has a hairy body and wears a pig on his head. He is as greedy as a wolf. He likes to accumulate wealth for himself and does not eat other people's crops. The strong will seize the old and the weak. He is afraid of the crowd and kills them alone. This is called Taotie. " Song Shaobo "After hearing about it." Volume 26 of "Records": "In the early days of Shaosheng, my ancestor was an official in Chang'an Mansion. He was selling soup cakes in front of the Han Emperor Gaozu Temple in Xicheng. He got a white jade box, which was more than a foot high. It was engraved with clouds, dragons and phoenixes. It was built as a sacred mountain in the sea, and it was enough for gluttons. , a true treasure of the third generation."

In addition to ancient mythical beasts, ancient mythical beasts other than Li Li and ancient books are also praised by people

Water Qilin

Character is kind. , a creature with powerful demonic power, who is well versed in the principles of the world, understands the will of God, can listen to the destiny of heaven, and is a divine beast of the king.

Red Flame Beast

The God of Fire Zhurong and the God of Water ***Gongben are descendants of Shennong

Baize

The mythical beast on Kunlun Mountain , a famous mythical beast, covered in snow-white body, able to speak human language, understand the emotions of all things, rarely seen and seen, unless there was a saint ruling the world at that time, and he came here with a letter. (Another saying is that it is a white horse)

Chongming Bird

Yao reigned for seventy years, and there was a country with accumulated branches. The bird that presented the Ming Dynasty had two clear words in its eyes.

Bifang

A kind of bird, shaped like a crane, with one leg, red stripes and a white beak.

The dragon gave birth to nine sons

The dragon gave birth to nine sons, which means that the dragon gave birth to nine sons. None of the nine sons became dragons, and each of them was different. The so-called "dragon begets nine sons" does not mean that the dragon happens to have nine sons. In traditional Chinese culture, nine represents many things and has the supreme status. Nine is an imaginary number and also a noble number, so it is used to describe the dragon son. The saying that the dragon has nine sons has been around for a long time, but there is no explanation about which nine animals they are. It was not until the Ming Dynasty that various theories emerged. Notes by some scholars in the Ming Dynasty, such as Lu Rong's "Shu Yuan Miscellaneous Notes", Li Dongyang's "Huailutang Collection", Yang Shen's "Sheng'an Collection", Li Xu's "Jie'an Old Man's Essays", Xu Yingqiu's "Yuzhitang Tan" "Yun" and so on, the situation of all the dragons are recorded, but they are not unified.

Version 1:

Those who like heavy things: Bixi (sounds like Bixi), like to carry heavy objects on their backs, so they carry a stone tablet on their backs.

Good Watcher: 鸱ki (pronounced Chiki), who likes to look around the most, and are often decorated on the eaves. See the decorative little beasts on the ridges of ancient Chinese buildings

鸸餮 (pronounced Taotie), the most greedy Eat, can eat and drink, often decorated on the lid of the tripod. Because it can drink water, some are also decorated on bridge railings to prevent floods from flooding the bridge.

Those who are good at killing by nature: Yaju (Yin Ya Zi), who are fond of killing and fighting, often decorated on the rings and hilts of weapons.

狴狴 (Yin Ya Zi), the most popular People who hate crime are often decorated on the lintel of prisons.

Those who are good at fireworks: Suanni (pronounced sour mud), who are good at fireworks, are often decorated on the button of the lid of the incense burner.

Water lovers: Papi (sounded as Baxia) is located beside the bridge and likes water the most. It is often decorated on the top of the stone bridge railings. The four corners of the rear door bridge are covered with snakes, and the shape is very beautiful.

Those with a docile temperament: Jiaotu, most disgusted with others entering its lair, often decorated at the door.

Good ringer: Pulao, who likes music and roaring the most, is often decorated on the button of the big bell.

Version 2:

1. Bixi (bi, xi): shaped like a turtle, good at carrying loads. You can see him carrying a stone tablet in palaces, ancestral halls, and mausoleums all over the country. Among the various sayings of Long Zi, Bixi is generally ranked first among the Nine Sons.

2. Chiki (chi, wen): Likes to look around and is often placed on the ridge of a building, opening its mouth to swallow a ridge, and having a sword to fix it.

3. Pulao (pu, lao): has a rock and roll temperament, loves music, and loves to yell. It is used to decorate the tops of ancient musical instrument bells, and his figure can also be seen on the buttons of temple bells.

4. Bian (bi, an): in charge of prison. It is often decorated on the lintel of the death row prison. Because its shape resembles a tiger, there is also a folk saying of Tiger Head Prison.

5. Suan Ni (suan, ni): has Buddha nature and likes incense, which can be seen on the lid of the incense burner. Moreover, Suanni is also the mount of Manjushri Bodhisattva and can be seen in temples dedicated to Manjushri Bodhisattva. There is also a temple dedicated to Suanni on Mount Wutai, the dojo of Manjushri Bodhisattva. Because Suanni is the fifth son of the dragon, the temple is named Wuye Temple, which has great influence in the local area. Yichong once visited this temple, and the incense was extremely strong.

6. Taotie (hao, tie): gourmet, gluttonous. Taotie patterns can often be seen on bronzes unearthed during the Xia and Shang dynasties, representing ferocious monsters with heads and no bodies.

7. Yaizhen (ya, zi): cruel and irritable temperament, likes to fight. This is what the folk idiom "Yaiju must retaliate" says. Their statues can usually be seen on the handles of some weapons or on the rings at the tail ends to enhance the murderous intent.

8. Shutu (shu, tu): looks like a snail and a clam, has a docile temperament and is a bit autistic. So he was placed on the door with the knocker in his mouth to prevent Xiaoxiao from visiting.

9. Pixiu (pi, xiu): It is called the ninth son of the dragon in the South and Southeast Asia. It has a big mouth without an anus and can only go in but not out. It is very popular among gamblers. A jade ferret was placed in the Macau casino, and it was said that it would eat all kinds of food, and it would only make money but no loss.

Version 3:

The dragon gave birth to nine sons. In ancient times, there was a legend among the people that "the dragon gave birth to nine sons, and if they did not become dragons, each had his own interests." But there are different opinions on what Jiuzi is. "China's Auspicious Illustrations" says:

The eldest of the nine sons is called Qiu Niu. He likes music and squats on the head of the piano; Fighting, engraved on the sword ring and hilt to swallow the mouth;

The third child was called Chaofeng, and he was very dangerous in his life. The beast in the corner of the palace is his portrait;

The fourth son Pulao, When it is hit, it roars loudly and serves as the animal knob on the beam of the bell to help its sound spread far and wide

The five sons Suan Ni (suan ni), shaped like a lion, likes smoking and sitting, leaning on the foot of the incense burner. Then he swallowed the smoke and blew out the mist;

The six sons of Baxia, also known as XX (bi xi), are like turtles with teeth and like to bear heavy loads. The turtle under the stele is also the turtle;

The seven sons of Bixi (bi gan), shaped like a tiger and fond of litigation, there are its images on both sides of the prison gate or the official hall;

The eight sons bear the burden, the body is like a dragon, elegant and gentle, coiled on the top of the stone tablet;

< p>Lao Jiu Chi (chi) kiss, also known as the owl tail or the chi (chi) kiss, has a moist mouth and a thick throat and is easy to swallow, so it became a spine-swallowing beast at both ends of the palace ridge, using it to extinguish fires and eliminate disasters.

龙子之豱屃

龙子之笑风

龙子的Chikis

龙子的豱屃

Long Zi’s Pulao

Long Zi’s Prison Cow

Long Zi’s Suan Ni

Long Zi’s Ya Cane

< p>Others

獬豸xiè zhì

The famous mythical beast produced under the ancient divine sanction system is also called the "dharma beast". According to "Lunheng" and "Huainanzi? Xiuwu Pian", it is as big as a cow and as small as a sheep. Its appearance is roughly like a unicorn. Its whole body is covered with thick dark hair, its eyes are bright and energetic, and its forehead is There is usually a single horn on the head. It is said that if the horn is broken, the person will die. Some have been seen with wings, but most of them have no wings. He has high intelligence, can understand people's words, and will use his horns to resist those who are dishonest and unfaithful. In later generations, ordinary sheep were often raised in temples to replace Haechi

Ghost carriages

Also known as the nine-headed bird. They are red in color and look like ducks. The larger ones have wings that are about ten feet wide. They are blind during the day and at night. If there is slight darkness, they will fly by. Falling in love sparkles people's soul. There is also a saying that the Nine Heads were once one of the dogs barking and often dripping blood. A house with drops of blood will bring bad luck. (This suspicion is an individual case)

It is recorded in "Three Kingdoms Classics", "Lingbiao Luyi", "Zhengzitong" and "Gufeng".

Chisel Teeth

The humanoid beast has teeth three feet long, shaped like a chisel, extending down to the chin, and holding a shield (should have certain intelligence). He was shot by Yi in the fields of Shouhua.

It is recorded in "The Classic of Mountains and Seas (Overseas Southern Classic) (Dahuang Southern Classic)" and "Huainanzi (Ben Jing Xun)".

Hengmai

Born in a stone lake, this lake is always frozen. It is seven or eight feet long, shaped like a carp and red. It is in the water during the day and turns into a human being at night. If you pierce it, it will not die if you boil it. If you boil it with two black plums, it will die. If you eat it, you can get rid of evil diseases.

It is recorded in "Shenyi Jing (Northern Wild Classic)".

狴犴

Also called xianzhang. It looks like a tiger, is powerful and prone to litigation, so people carved it on the prison door. The tiger is a mighty beast, so it can be seen that the purpose of the tiger is to enhance the majesty of the prison and make the criminals intimidated.

Nine-tailed fox

The provincial name is "Nine-tailed Fox", also known as "Nine-tailed Bird". A legendary beast. He lives in the mountains of Qingqiu and eats people. It was said that it first appeared in the pre-Qin Dynasty, and it was said to be an auspicious beast in the Han Dynasty, symbolizing the rise of the king. Also, peace will appear in the world, symbolizing the prosperity of the king's descendants.

"Nanshan Jing": "(Qingqiu Mountain) There is a beast, its shape is like a fox's ears and nine tails, its sound is like a baby, it can eat people, and those who eat it are not poisonous."

"White Tiger Tong": "If you are virtuous, you will see a nine-tailed fox among birds and beasts."

Roar

It is shaped like a rabbit, with long pointed ears, only more than a foot long. The lion is afraid of it, and its body will rot as it roars. "Yan Expo Yu Tan" contains it.

Three-legged Crow

The sun elves in ancient China are also regarded as the messengers of the sun's movement. According to ancient Chinese legend, the three-legged crow lives in the sun. People worship the sun, and the three-legged crow is also worshiped as a symbol of auspiciousness. It is said that because there are ten three-legged crows per bird, they are constantly moving in the sky, causing drought and scorching heat on the ground. Emperor Yao ordered Hou Yi to shoot all the three-legged crows, 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 crow is an elf who serves the Queen Mother of the West.

Kui (kui)

"The Classic of Mountains and Seas? The Classic of Wilderness" records: There is Liubo Mountain in the East China Sea, which reaches seven thousand miles into the sea. There is a beast on it, shaped like an ox, with a pale body and no horns, and one foot. When it goes in and out of water, there will be wind and rain. Its light is like the sun and moon, and its sound is like thunder. Its name is Kui. The Yellow Emperor obtained it, used its skin as a drum, and used the bones of thunder beasts as prongs. The sound could be heard for five hundred miles, so as to make the world famous.

It is said that there is a "Liupo Mountain" on the East China Sea, and Kui lived 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 the 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 Chiyou, 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.

Kui lives with heaven and earth. There are only three in the world. The above is the first one. The second one was killed by Qin Shihuang. But Qin Shihuang did not have the achievements of the Yellow Emperor, so the drum made of Kui's skin is not so magical.

Snake

Water beast. It has a human face and a jackal body, has wings, moves like a snake, and has a voice like a roar. Bring in the flood. "The Classic of Mountains and Seas (Second Second Classic)" contains it

Yingzhao

Human face and horse body, with tiger stripes, bird wings, and a voice like a pomegranate. He claims to be the god who looks after the garden for the Emperor of Heaven, but he seems to be nothing more than a mythical beast at best. It is recorded in "The Classic of Mountains and Seas (Three Western Classics)".

Dangkang

It is shaped like a pig with teeth and is named after its bark. A good year can be foreseen. It is recorded in "The Classic of Mountains and Seas (Eastern Four Classics)".

Feilian

It has the body of a deer, a head like a bird, horns, and a snake tail with leopard characters. Some say he is Feng Bo. But I think it’s more reasonable to be a mythical beast that controls the wind and atmosphere. "Chu Ci (Li Sao)" contains it.

Several kinds of dragons in ancient Chinese legends

Yinglong 1. A kind of winged dragon in ancient legends. According to legend, when Yu was controlling floods, Yinglong used his tail to draw the ground into rivers and let the water flow into the sea. 2. A god who is good at making clouds and rain in ancient legends.

"Ciyuan" says that "Yinglong" is a thousand-year-old dragon with wings, and a five-hundred-year-old dragon is called a horned dragon. Dragons are extraordinary creatures with extremely long lifespans, and Yinglong is the most noble among dragons (of course, some people think that Yinglong can refer to ancient clan tribes and mysterious ancient countries-Yinglong clan and Yingguo). In "Heavenly Questions", Qu Yuan, the great Chinese poet, expressed his confusion about how the dragon helped Dayu control the floods and how it used its tail to draw a river on the ground to divert the floodwaters into the sea.

Chilong Tianchengxuan

There are two theories about Chilong: one is one of the origins of the dragon in Chinese legends.

Also known as Chiwei, it is a kind of sea beast. During the reign of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, someone said that Chilong is a water spirit and can prevent fire. It is recommended to place it on the roof to avoid fire. Secondly, it is said that it is the second son of the nine sons of the dragon. Ancient books say: "The second one is Chi's kiss, which is of a hopeful nature, and is the head of the beast on the house today." (The shape is like an animal, and the habit is to look around or take risks, so it has become the dragon on the roof of temples, halls, towers, pavilions and other high places today, or the beast on the roof, The animal in the temple horn can also suppress fire.) According to the above statement, the original shape of the chilong should be the gecko in our lives.

The characteristic of this kind of dragon is that it has no scales and fins

Jiaolong

Another example: Jiaoqiu (Jiao and Qiu. Qiu: a kind of dragon in ancient legends) A small dragon with horns. Also generally refers to the aquarium); Jiao Chi (Jiao dragon. Chi: an animal that is said to be a genus of Jiao dragon); Jiao Si (Jiao dragon and Jiao ox)

There are also ancient books that say it is hornless. Dragon

Jiao, dragon genus. The hornless one is called a dragon. ――"Yun Hui"

The mainstream view is that it is a hornless dragon

Qiu Long

Pinyin qiú lóng

Explanation 1. In ancient legends A little dragon with horns and no beards. Qu Yuan's "Tianwen": "The horned dragon bears the bear." "Rui Ying Tu" of the Song Dynasty: "Dragon, horse, god, horse, the spirit of the river, eight feet and five inches high, long neck, wings, trimmed down hair, and a nine-note sound. It will be seen if there is a king of Ming Dynasty." The horned dragon is a legend. Among the auspicious animals, "the divine horse", "a horse over eight feet tall is a dragon", "a horse with two horns is a Qiu".

Candle Dragon

A mythical beast in ancient Chinese mythology. Also known as Zhuyin, also written as Qianlong. It has a human face and a dragon body, holding a candle in its mouth, illuminating the gloom in the sunless place in the northwest. Legend has it that he is so powerful that when he opens his eyes, the sky is bright and it is day; when he closes his eyes, the sky is dark and it is dark, which is night. Today's cultural historians believe that the Zhulong is a myth of the northern dragon totem tribe, and its original appearance should be male root, which is transformed from the male genitals. It came into being later than the era of vulva worship.

"The Classic of Mountains and Seas. The Great Wilderness Classic": "Beyond the Northwest Sea, to the north of the Chishui River, there is Zhangwei Mountain. There is a god with a human face and a snake body and a red body. His eyes are straight and he is riding straight. His silence is dark, and his eyes are straight. Seeing is bright. If you don't eat or sleep, the wind and rain will be the night. It is the candle with nine yin, which is called the candle dragon. "The God of Zhongshan is called the candle yin, which is regarded as day, and sleep is regarded as night." It's winter, it's called summer, it doesn't drink, it doesn't eat, it doesn't rest, its breath is wind; its body is thousands of miles long, in the east of Wuhu, it is an object, with a human face and a snake body, and it is red, and it lives at the foot of Zhongshan Mountain." See "Original" by Gong Weiying. Worship Outline.

"Chu Ci. Tianwen": "If the northwest is opened, how can the air flow? When the sun is not there, how can the candle dragon shine?" And "Dazhao": "There is Hanshan Mountain in the north, and the dragon pardons it. Only."

The candle dragon is in the north of Yanmen, hidden in the Weiyu Mountain, and the sun cannot be seen. Its god has a human face and a dragon body but no legs. ("Huainanzi? Terrain Training")

Panlong (note that it has no clouds)

The sky is not enough in the northwest, and there is no news of yin and yang, so there is a dragon holding the fire spirit to illuminate the sky gate middle. (Guo Pu annotated "The Great Wilderness Northern Classic" and Zhulong quoted "Poetry Containing Shenwu" ①)

The "Wanxing Jing" says: The sun flows in all directions. The ancient sage said: When the candle dragon travels to the east, it will be cleared, when it travels to the west, it will kill, when it travels to the south, it will kill, and when it travels to the north, it will kill severely. ("Yi Wei Qian Kun Chishuo? Volume 1")

"Overseas Classic": "The god of Zhongshan, whose name is Zhuyin, is regarded as day, sleeps as night, blows as winter, and calls as summer. It drinks, does not eat, does not rest, and breathes like the wind; its body is thousands of miles long, and it is in the east of Wuhu. It is an object with a human face and a snake body, and it is red, and it lives at the foot of Zhongshan Mountain."

The theories are similar but slightly different. It is based on "Overseas Classic" and "Great Wilderness Classic".