Usuario:Poli 2.0

Qilin

WHAT IS QILIN

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IWStRYq0oAY

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• The Qilin is one of the "Four Divine Creatures", the other three being the phoenix, the turtle and the dragon. In ancient times, it was considered a celestial, benevolent animal and a symbol of good omens, related to prosperity or serenity and is also associated with the arrival of a sage. It is sometimes called the "Chinese unicorn" in comparison to the western mythological animal, as both are provided with horn / s, are calm and vegetarian animals, and are associated with prosperity and serenity.

• This imaginary creature carries deep cultural connotations. In ancient Chinese culture, there are a lot of legends about the relations between the qilin and the emperors. It was believed that the animal could transmit the will of Heaven and therefore dictate the rise and fall of a dynasty. Even in popular culture, there are sayings that it can bring children and it is said that Confucius was brought by one. They are also used to describe a person with "brilliant talent."
• In traditional Chinese folk customs, there are various ornaments that carry images of the Qilin and are given to children as talisman for luck and protection. It is still possible to see representations today, of these creatures to guard imperial mausoleums.
• CHARACTERISTICS DEPENDING ON DYNASTIES AND REGIONS

China

During the Jin dynasty, the Qilin are depicted as engulfed in flames and smoke, with a dragon's head, scales, and the body of a powerful hoofed beast, like a horse. This image evolved during the Ming dynasty (1368-1644), by an animal of the oxen family, keeping the head of a dragon, but adding to it a pair of horns and flame ornaments. During the Qing dynasty (1644-1911) it is already taken as an imaginary animal and in the paintings the antlers are inspired by that of the deer, the scales of the skin are clearly of marine animals, the hooves of ox and the tail is of a lion.

Korea

Girin (기린) is the Korean version of "Qilin" and in modern Korean it means giraffe. It is described as a creature with a great mane with the torso of a deer, a bull's tail and a horse's hooves. In Korean art they were initially depicted as more deer, however over time they have become more horse. This is widely used in Korean Buddhist and royal arts.

Japan

Kirin is the Japanese form of "Qilin", which has also come to be used in modern Japanese as giraffe. Japanese art tends to depict kirin as more deer than in its Chinese version. It is represented as a cross between a deer and a dragon, but with the tail of an ox, instead of a lion. In some cases they are represented with a single horn facing backwards. In the Chinese hierarchy of mythological animals, the qilin ranks as the third most powerful creature, but in Japan the kirin ranks first.

origins

A strong argument is that the Quilin is a stylized representation of the giraffe. Since the Quilin is mentioned from the Ming Dynasty. Its earliest reference dates roughly from Zheng He's travels. It is known of Zheng He's trip through East Africa (passing, among other places, through present-day Kenya) when he took two giraffes to Beijing. It is also known that these two giraffes were called "Quilins". The Emperor proclaimed giraffes magical creatures, the capture of which was evidence of the greatness of their power.

This argument is supported by some attributes of the Quilin, such as its vegetarian diet and calm nature. Its reputed ability to "step on the grass without disturbing it" may refer to the giraffe's long legs. However, the opposite side says that the Quilin was an already existing myth and its name was taken and applied to giraffes. Also, giraffes have much longer necks than Qilin descriptions of the Ming Era.

physical characteristics

In multiple legends, the Qilin is seen as a hybrid being that starts from a tiger with the body of a lion, the horn of a servant and the tail of a fish. With the passage of time and the disappearance of many tigers, it was believed that this mythological creature would take its form and coexist as that feline, just to be able to do justice to those who murdered and mutilated these animals to tear off their skin.

In other cultures this god is represented as a giraffe, this belief came from the Zheng family, when on a trip to West Africa they bought many giraffes from Somali merchants, along with zebras and other exotic animals. The emperor's fleet traveled together with all these animals and they proclaimed the giraffes as Qilin for their greatness and great power.

history of qilin

The Qilin is one of the 4 sacred animals of ancient China. In the case of Europe, it is known as the Chinese Unicorn and from the Ming Dynasty, Japanese and Korean history integrated the Qilin into their cultures.

The story goes that the body of the Qilin was that of a deer, on the other hand, the most important part was the head, it had various forms of animals, it could be either a lion or a dragon; the tail was of an ox, the horns also belonged to a deer and the back of a marine animal.

The Qilin is said to have been around since the 5th century BC. Even Emperor Wu of Han supposedly captured a living qilin in 122 BC. Legend has it that the qilin has a similar appearance to the tiger after its disappearance in real life and that it also became a representation of a giraffe, since giraffes are magical creatures that were granted greatness of power.

Qilin-Chinese

Despite its strong appearance, it is considered a kind animal, for that reason, the kings and emperors saw the Qilin as a symbol of peace and prosperity. Hence, in the house of the emperors located in the Forbidden City and the Summer Palace, you can find statues of the Qilin, bathed in bronze or made of stone.

The Qilin has really become an important symbol or creature in history. It is said that the people who come from the Yangtze River, in the Spring Festivities offer a whole show to express good wishes, therefore, they usually carry the Qilin made with paper on their shoulders, as a sign of their devotion. On the other hand, in China they say that "Qilin provides children", that is, with this phrase people show the desire to have descendants and a prosperous family.

https://youtu.be/Lp3qUEecuNw?list=TLGGyWIVVBg3j9UwNDEwMjAyMQ