#Pixiu Dragon

[msb-lair]

Potential hatchlings from Pixie and Pixiu. They'll be more savannah than ripple, about equal amounts of current vs safari, and more spines than scales. Primary and secondary of matching ranges of mostly dark blues. Tertiary includes greys, blacks, purples, and blues. And about equal amounts of both breeds.

(Yes, I still hate that they purposefully mismatched the rarity of ripple and current.)

[felis-rach]

I have a lot of Ducktales in my head right now so. What if instead of dying in the first episode Pixiu is adopted by the family <3

[heatherjpp13]

Appreciate Life & Love! 🧘 -----------------☯☯☯----------------- #TeamHeather #Buddha #mindfulness #meditation #breath #buddhism #peacefully #harmony #wisdom #blessing #lotus #buddhawisdom #Protection #buddhainspired #Purification #buddhist #Dragon #Pixiu #buddhastones #spiritual #spirituality #mindfulness #love #positive #calm #loverofbudhha #consciousness #gemstone #mind #happiness https://www.instagram.com/p/Cp-ap5dsoKT/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[theendisneat]

Soulmates

Characters: Zhongli, Diluc Warnings: Fluff, angst, descriptions of burn injuries/treatment Word Count: 1292

Zhongli - (Matching Soulmarks)

Laying in bed, you snuggled deep under the covers, consciousness drifting closer as you felt warmth crawl over you bare back. As you woke up, you became aware of the roughened fingertip tracing nonsense lines over the dips and curves of your muscles.

You groaned pleasantly as a gentle fire trailed after the fingertips, causing you to shiver. “Stop it.” You mumbled sleepily. “Let me go back to sleep.”

A deep chuckle reverberated through the chest behind you, arms moving to wrap around your waist and pull you close, lips pressing to the bottom of your nape. “I apologize for waking you, my dear.”

“No you're not.” You scoff playfully, rolling over to face the one behind you.

You were greeted with sharp, amber eyes that glowed like Cor Lapis roving over your form. Long, brown hair, tipped a shining gold, was spread across shoulders and pillows like a halo, strung messily around thin, branched antlers. Broad arms kept you close and thin lips were pulled into a handsome smile that crickled those keen eyes.

“No.” He simply said, leaning down to brush a kiss against your forehead.

While he did so, your own fingers found themselves tracing. Across the plains of his chest, your fingers followed the lines of a beautiful, lithe, dragon of gold and brown scales with a wild, yet regal, mane, intertwined with a Pixiu. Curved antlers and small, feathery wings complemented its tough body and strong, deadly teeth.

Wrapped in ribbons of gold and red, red gauze and mora surrounding them, they danced with each other, and instinctively you knew that yours and your husband’s beast forms were gazing at each other with eyes of love.

It was such a shame that your mark was on your back while Zhongli’s got to be on his chest, where he could gaze at it so easily.

“You’re ridiculous.” You murmured, kissing the head of the dragon and watching with softened eyes as it glowed with subtle warmth, a sign of acceptance of affection.

Zhongli only rumbled with agreement, nuzzling the top of your head and playfully biting one of your thicker antlers. You huffed, trying to shake him off, but when he stubbornly stayed on, you flopped into his chest, closing your eyes once more.

“The sunlight is only beginning to rise. Let me sleep for just a bit longer?” 

Zhongli let go of your antler, looking down at you with incredulousness mixed with mirth. “How can you be a Pixiu when you act so much like a house cat?”

“What have I to do all day but laze around? Let me sleep.” You chuckle softly.

“That is by your own choice.”

“And it is yours that Liyue should no longer require help from its reigning god or his spouse, therefore, I have not much to do.” 

Zhongli sighed, but even then you felt, even heard, the smile in his voice. “Then you may stay in bed, and I will go make us breakfast.” 

You hummed happily. “What a wonderful husband you are.”

"Do not tease me so early in the morning." Zhongli said, sliding from under the silk covers of your bed.

You gasp. "I was not! I was being honest!"

Zhongli only smiled and with a brush of his palm against your back, and yours along his chest, he left to go prepare your morning meal as you burrowed into a nest of blankets and early morning sun rays.

Diluc - (Matching Scars)

You sat on the edge of the tub, your hands rhythmically kneading the shampoo into his fiery, curly hair. Your pants were curled up to your knees, your legs to either side of him as he sat between your knees, his back to you. 

“Arms out.” You instructed gently. Diluc obediently held his arms, which had been resting on the sides of the tub out further as you grabbed the small bucket of water, dumping it over his head. 

You squeezed out the rest of the shampoo before lathering his hair with a sweet smelling conditioner. Diluc’s head was pointed down, and with him facing away from you, you couldn’t gauge his expression. You paused, your fingers tangled in his silky strands.

“You're rather quiet today.” You commented casually. “Are you alright?”

Diluc was quiet for a moment, so still you would have mistaken him for being asleep. “I hate this.”  He grumbled.

You knew what he was talking about, of course. The red, flaking scars that ravaged his fingers all the way to his elbows. The scars that yours matched, in visual alone. 

When they first appeared on your arms, you panicked. Scars had shown up on you before, and the first one you ever got was a momentous occasion, but never to the degree that the violent red had crawled up your skin, though they didn’t hurt. You thought something severe had happened, you thought more damage would come, you thought your soulmate - one you hadn’t even had the pleasure of meeting yet - would soon perish.

But scars kept coming. Along your legs and arms and stomach and in a strange way, it assured you. It at least let you know that they were still alive.

You never bothered to hide your scars, not seeing them as something shameful or disgusting. And because you had no need to care for them, you wore whatever you’d like.

That was how you stumbled into the Angel’s Share on a sweltering afternoon, scars uncovered in a loose short sleeved shirt. The wide eyed look on the poor bartender had left you deeply confused and soon anxious when his breathing picked up.

Everything spiraled from there.

And now you sat at the edge of the tub, sighing with sorrow. “I know you hate it.”

Gently coaxing Diluc from the tub, you dried him off and quickly dressed him in his soft clothes to spare him the humiliation he always felt despite doing this every night since you had married. His eyes were downcast as you led him from the bathroom to the bedroom, pushing his shoulders so he sat on the bed.

After collecting what you needed, you held your hands out for his arms. After a moment of silent deliberation, he placed his hands in yours. Taking some moisturizer, you slowly massaged it into the burns, taking care not to hurt him.

He hated it. Hated being coddled. Hated being unable to take care of himself. Hated being damaged. Hated that his damage infected you. It was a sight that curled in his heart every time he saw it. 

As you slid on his pressure garments, he scowled. “I hate it.” 

“I know Diluc. I know you do.” You smiled and it melted him, filled him with warmth that only appeared with you. 

You always knew what to say, how to help him. You didn’t give faux sweet words of hollow encouragement and you didn’t scold him for feeling down, telling him to just buck up and think positive.. You were just there. A comfort. A rock. You knew how his mood dipped and raised. You knew that right now, when he’s like this, he just wants you to tell him you understand.

He was brought from his thoughts when he felt a sweet kiss to his reddened cheek, still flushed from the warm bath. He looked at you, slowly getting sucked in your soft eyes as his own dropped from exhaustion.

“Let’s go to bed, hm?” You whispered as you guided him under the covers, sliding him beside and nuzzling into his neck. “Maybe you’ll feel better in the morning.”

Diluc finally allowed the tenseness in his shoulders to drop. Curled around you, cared for, not coddled, healing, not damaged, he sighed and soon fell asleep.

[fuckyeahchinesefashion]

You've poated Jade corn ornaments twice now (maybe more, and I've missed it). Why are they a thing? They seem to be really well done, and I had always viewed Jade as being a gem with cultural significance.

　

During the Ming and Qing dynasties in China it was popular to carve jade into vegetable- or fruit-shaped ornaments, the most famous artwork being the 翠玉白菜Jadeite Cabbage and 东坡肉形石Dongpo Meat-shaped Stone, 白菜baicai/cabbage is a common carving subject because of its resonance with '菜cài=财cái=wealth' in the Chinese context. Chinese call these ornaments 文玩wenwan in general, meaning fine collectible traditional handicrafts, especially suitable for playing and appreciating in the hand. I feel like the contemporary jade or other gemstone ornaments continues this tradition with further innovation. Young people prefer ornaments made in richer mineral materials and brighter colors (light colors are more popular), and the themes are also diverse, not limited to traditional ones. I guess in young peoples' aesthetic, the jade corn is lovely in shape and roasted corn is a popular street food in china. Other contemporary pieces that young people like to collect include various other shapes, such as jade rabbits, 貔貅pixiu(mythical creature that brings fortune and wards off evil), 龙long(chinese dragon),  calabash, grape, fish, butterfly, crabs, flowers, guanyin, metteyya, the twelve shengxiao, and so on, some more traditional, some more contemporary. It's quite fun.

In addition, the Chinese believe that 玉yù/jade is spiritual(the Chinese word 玉yù actually refers to more than just jade, it can refer to jade-like stones in general but let's put it this way), so the Chinese have the habit of "nurturing jade", meaning that if you wear and play with your jade jewellery/ornaments by hand for a long time (the act of playing with it is called "盘pán"), it will become smoother and accumulate more lustre, bringing you a good energy field in daily life, thus you will have more luck. The Chinese also consider that if the jade ornament has been 开光kāi guāng (blessed by eminent 道士daoshi/daoist priest or blessed by eminent bhiksu or bhikkhunī/buddhist monks or nuns, usually with ceremonial process of chantting/intoning incantations), they will also help to protect you from mishaps and even disasters. Many Chinese women have the habit of wearing jade bracelets or red string weaved jade ornaments (jade bracelets are the type of smooth circular or beads bracelets).

翠玉白菜Jadeite Cabbage and 东坡肉形石Dongpo Meat-shaped Stone are as follows.

[amphiptere-art]

A tiny bit of a dragon categories.

This is a bunch of images listing different Dragon types that I used as reference.

These illustrations are mine though. The eight main limb orientation types I've used. Still works.

9 Western Dragon- also includes: Fey/pyrausta, Knucker, ying long, zmey, pixiu, dragonnet, dragonnette, longma.

9 Drake- also includes: Kirin, amphisbaena (winged and legged), oroboros (legged), bixi, suanni, Dragonoid, Hydra, Sea orc.

6 Eastern Dragon- also includes: Korean dragon (imoogi), Japanese dragon (ryuu), Chinese dragon (lung), imperial Chinese Dragon.

6 Wyrm- also includes: sea serpent, Quetzalcoatl (wingless), oroboros (limbless), amphisbaena (wingless), Lernaean Hydra.

5 Wyvern- also includes: zilant, guivre, cockatrace (basilisk), amphisbaena (winged and legged).

3 Lindworm- also includes: Leviathan, Tatzelwurm.

2 Amphiptere- also includes: Quetzalcoatl (winged).

2 Basilisk (salamander, cockatrace)- also includes: Tarasque.

[princess-of-the-corner]

Sorry for an ML submission but I was musing on the Renlings again and also the Kwami animal designates in general. Cos if they wanted to so specifically tie their origin to China (Technically Tibet given the Orders location but I am unsure they did that on purpose) there's a ton of great creature designs.

Off the cuff there are the Nine sons of the dragon, one dragon and 8 other hybrids from turtles, to fish, to dog like critters mixed with dragons, all with different domains and duties.

Then you have the

Xiezhi, which would tie into the Miraculous Special Well as a ox/goat-lion hybrid with the innate ability to detect right from wrong and a penchant for ramming wrongdoers.

"I know, I should give up my vengeance." "Nope, we need to ram these fuckers!"

Pixiu, winged lion-dragons whom are powerful protectors of the souls of the dead that can only eat wealth for complicated reasons as well as guard against disease.

Fenghuang, with strong sun associations, its essentially a phoenix minus the coming back from the dead trope.

Shíshī, stone lion-dogs, IE guardian lions, meant to protect against harmful material and spiritual elements.

Qilin, a deer/horse-dragon with associations to benevolence and the birth and death of sages.

Honestly yeah a lot of them would've worked well

[flying-pierog-art]

Psst

Tell me about The Gloom Land

This is your opportunity to infodump :P

IT'S TIME!!! To use your free infodump coupon! (thanks pixiu 🙏)

First of all, for those reading this and not knowing what the story is about:

The Gloom Land being set in a futuristic, supernatural reality, follows a group of teenagers who escape from a simulation to a seemingly Utopian city-state - The Advena. They get to face the fact that The Advena changed a lot since their parents were last there. As a bloodthirsty demon started haunting the City and unalive its people, The Advenians developed a fear of the wild, outside world, calling the forest surrounding the City - The Gloom Forest. In return, people who find this approach oppressive and unnecessary, call The Advena - The GloomLand.

The group finds themselves fighting against the oppressive part of the Advena's leads, finding the truth behind The Dragon Revived (a beast the advenians are so afraid of) and the whole race of Revived in general, with more problems finding them along the way and doubting, whenever this whole mess is worth their future lifes in Advena...

All the fun stuff! :D

Those are icons of the main characters in order(I'll update those since there were some slight changes in design since I made them):

Tom Skyler Matylda

Karo Charlotte Raphael

Henryk Camille Valentin

[kafkaoftherubble]

试问：这是啥？//Question: what is this?

and I only just remembered about these, but I kept seeing these turtle dragon statues around. I need to research them more but honestly, they're so cute I might just call them my 6th favorite type

@secondhanddragon So, you wanted to know what this is?

I went to search for their information and the creature with the highest probability (so high my confidence level is at 99%) of matching the above is...

金鳌，或称龙龟

Golden Ao, also known as Dragon Turtle

It's classified as a divine turtle （神龟）rather than a dragon; my guess is that since it is not one of the Dragon's Sons, it doesn't count in a traditional bestiary.

It has the shell of a turtle but the body of a dragon, and once again, it's useful in Fengshui. It symbolizes power and wealth.

-----------------------

However! This is not the only turtle-dragon in Chinese mythology. In fact, my Brain's first thought—though we kinda immediately discarded it—was the other one...

赑屃，或称霸下、龟趺

Bixi, also known as Ba Xia ("Dominate Below") and Gui Fu ("Foot Tortoise")

Now this is one of the Dragon's Nine Sons. Bixi is strong; the word 赑 basically means "able to support great weight," but it's not a common word to be used in any stretch. It's the son of the dragon and a tortoise, and later depictions of Bixi gradually show characteristics of a dragon more than its earlier, clearly-tortoise-like features.

How did you rate your confidence level? Why are you sre that the image I showed you was a Dragon Turtle and not a Bixi?

It's the function of Bixi that gave it away!

Bixi is always made to carry steles and important tablets on its back, especially the ones by emperors. The idea is that the deeds and/or names of those recorded on this stele/tablet will live on forever with Bixi, who has the steadfast longevity of a tortoise and the divine power of a dragon.

It possesses quite a few meanings:

power and status; hence its steles are often those of emperors, high chiefs, and whatnot.

longevity, since it is the son of a tortoise

local cultural symbol (local tribal importance)

and mythological symbolism (in Taoism)

One of the myths concerning Bixi is this: Bixi used to carry mountains on its back and wreak chaos through tidal waves. Then, one of China's ancient emperors, Da Yu, subjugated Bixi and made it work under him. Da Yu was known for his Great Flood project—he devoted much of his life to solving it, and in this mythologized version, Bixi was one of those divine creatures who helped*. When the project was over, Da Yu worried that Bixi would return to its old wayward ways, so he created this gigantic stone tablet detailing Bixi's contribution and great deeds and asked Bixi to carry it around. The weight of that tablet caused Bixi to be too sluggish to wreak havoc anymore.

*You might be interested to know that another one who helped Da Yu was "Ying Long (应龙)"—yes, this is a full-fledged dragon.

This is how I'm confident that your image was that of a dragon turtle and not a Bixi.

---

How do I distinguish between a Bixi and Black Tortoise (Xuan Wu 玄武)?

Same deal. It's the stele/tablet. Also, Bixi has teeth. Tortoises do not. Later Bixi has draconic features. Xuan Wu is always... a tortoise! Hahahaha.

----

So there you go. I'm most confident that it is a dragon turtle. However, Bixi has more stories to it due to being a Son of the Dragon.

As a rule of heuristics (not statistics; I did not collect data for this), if a Chinese myth creature is found as a small, delicate ornament, it's quite likely that it has connotations in Fengshui. It's the same for Pixiu and Qilin, and the same for dragon turtles too.

Thank you for reading my ramble! I hope it was fun and informative for you!

----

Citations and Links:

"Dragon Turtle" in Wikipedia.

"Bixi" in Wikipedia.

"金鳌 (中国古代神兽)" in Baidu Baike. (In Chinese)

"赑屃（中国古代神兽)" in Baidu Baike. (In Chinese)

Kafka's Notes: I generally don't like Baidu Baike because it lacks citational rigor, so it's hard to trace information to its source. However, it was very useful for me to search for names and preliminary information, so I included it here. Some of the stuff I mentioned (like the Legend of Bixi and Da Yu) was from Baidu Baike; I judged that a folklore is not always recorded in academic sources, so this instance of lacking citational rigor is acceptable.

[heavenlydragon]

Helloooo! Question time again!

In the movie, the white dragon people are known for special blood controlling the wind and the fire and having the wings. Especially the royal family.

About the wings, I understand, that is an acient sign in the white dragon race (also Van's father...?), in the TV version is only from Varie.

Are there a symbolism between White dragon/wings (inspired by japanese folklore?)? And the dragon Fossil in the movie...? I'd like to know more about White dragon people.

Hi! Recently I've translated a lot of movie materials, but surprisingly, there wasn't much wing lore. Plus, they are not 100% consistent. For example, movie novel provides some explanations but is not a carbon copy of the movie script and several things are different there, including some of the terminology. Therefore, it is up to you whether you accept its explanations.

The abilities Van, Dilandau, and Folken display in the movie (I assume this is what you mean by controlling the wind and fire) are called "sorcerous powers" in the novel. They are not exactly connected to (white) dragon clan or to the wings, it's just said some people are naturally born with them on Gaea. But yes, they are much stronger in the dragon clan. Dilandau's "personal guard" Chesta is also someone with that "sorcerous power", but his is of a different kind (telepathy and observing a distant scene with his "mind eye"). But sure, the creation of wind and fire definitely seem to be dragon clan related abilities.

About the origins of the dragon clan, this time, the movie audio dramas provide some explanations but they are rather vague. Basically, the clans are "followers" of the White and Black Dragon Gods, which are implied to be the fossilized dragons you see. Escaflowne and Alseides are also tied to the two dragon gods but it's all just mentioned in passing and not too specific. If you are new to it, one thing you can NOT count on is Escaflowne lore providing some clear, unambiguous explanation, sorry. The meaning of the wings is even less clear from either so I will not get into speculation here. Please wait for the translations to be published (they eventually will be) and we can discuss opinions then.

Regarding Japanese folklore , you can research tennin/tenshi (basically, a Japanese buddhist version of an angel) or tengu (winged legendary creatures) as winged humanoids in Japanese folklore. But I guess the closest match would be the O-Watatsumi or Ryuujin (in some sources they are the same) which is basically a dragon deity that can take human form. O-Watatsumi rules over waters and Ryuujin is said to rule over the wind and storm (and medicine). Through his daughter who married a human, Ryuujin became the ancestor of the imperial line in Japan. If you read about the legends, several things will sound familiar or reminiscent of the Esca lore in general. The dragon god with land creating abilities, the divine/dragon ancestry of the ruler, the woman of the divine/dragon blood falling for a human, there are magical/powerful jewels present (like the pendant, the energist), you note connections to Jeture and Escaflowne (the god) from the series, etc. Ryuujin is even alternatively named Ryuu-ou, yes, Dragon King (or King Dragon). And there's more dragon gods than just him! It makes me wish there was a book just about the legends centered around this dragon myth. If I can get my hands on some book that I can use I may put together a more exhaustive list of similarities/references.

I don't think the human form of Ryuujin is traditionally depicted with wings though, but I'm not an expert. Dragons with feathery wings I think you only get in the legendary creatures that are composites between dragon and other animals, such as Chinese Pixiu or Ying Lung, and Japanese Hai-Riyo. I feel like this connection between dragon and person having angel-like wings could be just Escaflowne lore where the movie draws from the series itself (and where the series draws from was not the question).

So, I guess that's it from me. Maybe there's some tidbits in the movie artbook as well but tbh I didn't check, I have my hands full with the translations I still need to finish ^^;

[lighty-ender974]

A new oc this time another mythical creature I didn't had.

A Pixiu ! (A big ass lion/dragon-) Here's my big boi Plasma!

[msb-lair]

Dragon: Pixiu - Veilspun Obelisk Fathom Male

First Record Second Record

(Obelisk scroll applied on 2021-06-16) (Python scroll applied on 2021-06-16) (Striation scroll applied on 2021-06-16) (Scales scroll applied on 2021-06-16) (Fathom scroll applied on 2024-06-16) (Savannah scroll applied on 2024-06-16) (Safari scroll applied on 2024-06-16)

Purchased For: 25,000 treasure Hatched On: 2021-05-23 ID: 69543483

Parentage: Jasujung/Cernunnos Flight: Nature

Primary: Twilight Fade Basic Python Secondary: Cornflower Blend Basic Striation Tertiary: Sky Capsule Basic Scales Eyes: Common

Comments: Purchased three years ago as a mate for Pixie, my first gen Obelisk. His primary and secondary colours reverse hers, and his tertiary makes their range run all the way up into the blues.

I loved how dramatic of an appearance his initial genetics worked out as.

His name is an auspicious Chinese lion-dragon mythological creature, said to have the head of a dragon, the body of a lion, and feathered wings, which certainly comes close to describing obelisk dragons. It was also in part a nod of the head to China’s successful manned rocket launch that same day; clearly an auspicious event.

And now, exactly three years later, he’s been changed to be one of the new fathom dragons, which kind of throws the lion-dragon connection out the window, doesn’t it?

Apparel: 

Fin Jewels

Aqua Deepsea Bulb

Deepwater Fins

Warmwater Wanderers

Seaside Kelpie Mane

Water Aura

Familiar: Dreadtooth Ravager

Progeny Testing: 

[Test] Pixie

[Test] Pixie

Broods: 

Nested with Pixie on 2021-06-17, 2 eggs [Clutch]

Joined with Pixie on 2021-07-25, 2 eggs [Clutch]

Matched with Pixie on 2021-09-10, 2 eggs [Clutch]

Mated with Pixie on 2021-12-07, 2 eggs [Clutch]

Bred with Pixie on 2022-03-04, 3 eggs [Clutch]

[fox-buried-in-maple-leaves]

nature for haoyu?

Ask Game!

🌈 RAINBOW — what is your oc's sexual orientation/gender identity? what pronouns do they use?

"Uhhhh????" is how he'd respond. Gender is a lie! Hàoyú uses he/she pronouns though and has no gender preference for those she decides to date. 🎄 CHRISTMAS TREE — what is your oc's favorite holiday?

The Dongzhi Festival! Which is a winter solstice festival. He likes all the snacks. 🐶 DOG FACE — does your oc have any pets?

Does Jing count? 🐈 CAT — does your oc prefer a wide circle of friends or a few close friends?

Few close friends. He isn't a very talkative person except to those he really likes. 🐷 PIG FACE — what is your oc's favorite animal?

Red pandas! She thinks they're so cute and fluffy.. 🐉 DRAGON — what is your oc's favorite mythical creature?

Pixiu! :D 🍃 LEAVES FLUTTERING IN WIND — what is/was your oc's favorite subject in school?

He liked writing class.. Calligraphy is very calming. 🌴 PALM TREE — does your oc have a green thumb? do they enjoy gardening?

Yes.. Hàoyú has a green thumb... And yes.. he enjoys it. But as a job?! Seriously Ying Yue- 🍎 RED APPLE — where was your oc born? do they still live in/around their place of birth or do they live somewhere else? how do they feel about their birthplace?

Hàoyú was born in Lijiang. She lives a bit away from it now but will visit from time to time to see her parents. He has a relatively neutral outlook on it.

[heatherjpp13]

🧘🏻‍♀️Happiness will never come to those who fail to appreciate what they already have. -----------------☯☯☯----------------- #Tibet #Buddha #mindfulness #meditation #breath #buddhism #peacefully #harmony #wisdom #blessing #lotus #buddhawisdom #Protection #buddhainspired #Purification #buddhist #Dragon #Pixiu #buddhastones #spiritual #spirituality #mindfulness #love #positive #calm #loverofbudhha #consciousness #gemstone #mind #happiness https://www.instagram.com/p/Cn4qMduAmUC/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[typing-noises]

mythological creatures (part 2)

hi, this is part two of mythological creatures (that you could add to your wip 👀)! this post will focus on greek, chinese, and scottish mythological creatures hehe

greek

centaurs: a creature with a human’s upper body and a horse’s lower body. they followed dionysus, the god of wine, and were known for being boisterous savages.

chimera: a fire-breathing hybrid creature with the head of a lion, the body of a goat, and the tail of a serpent.

harpies: avian creatures with the heads of women and long talons. vicious and violent when provoked.

hydra: a giant nine-headed water serpent creature that dwelled in the lake of lerna, the entrance to the underworld. for each head that is decapitated, two heads grow in its place

manticore: a creature with a human face, a lion’s body, and a scorpions tail. it can shoot poisoned spikes from its tail and mane to paralyse prey.

nymphs: minor nature deities (typically female) who presided over local natural phenomena (e.g. springs, trees, meadows, etc.)

phoenix: an immortal bird that regenerates when it rises from their own ashes. while some myths claim that it dies and decomposes, others claim that it explodes into flames before its death.

satyrs: a creature with the body of a man, the legs of a horse, and horns. they were companions of dionysus, the wine god, and loved wine, music, and dance. they were conflated with the roman fauns, so some depictions of satyrs had goat legs instead.

sirens: a creature that is half bird, half woman, living on an island. they have alluring voices that they used to lure sailors and kill them. in some myths, they were fated to die if anyone survives their singing

chinese

long (dragon): perhaps the most importnat creatures of chinese mythology/folklore, chinese dragons are giant serpentine creatures with four legs and no wings. they are associated with water and the sky, as well as strength, power, and fortune. they could control the water andd the skies. there are many dragons in chinese myths, from yinglong (the rain dragon) to chilong (the sea dragon). the emperor of china is commonly associated with the dragon.

feng huang (phoenix): not to be confused with the greek phoenix, it is a bird born of fire with a rooster’s beak, a swallow’s face, a fowl’s forehead, a snake’s neck, but often depicted as a multicoloured pheasant with long tail feathers like a peacock. they symbolise virtue and grace. it is often associated with the empress in imperial china, paired with the dragon that represents the emperor.

qi lin: one of the luckiest creatures in chinese mythology, it is chimera-like, with the body of an elk the head of a lion, the horns of a deer, the eyes of a tiger, and an ox tail. it appears in areas ruled by wise and benevolent leaders, signifiying the arrival of a good ruler.

hu li jing/jiu wei hu (nine-tailed fox): as the name suggests, they are foxes with nine tails— cunning spirits with magical powers, often disguising themselves as a beautiful woman to seduce men. they eat humans, and some myths depict them as having the power to spit fire. they can be seen as an auspicious omen as eating a hu li jing can protect humans from poison. the hu li jing is similar to the japanese kitsune.

pixiu: winged creatures with a dragon’s head and a lion’s body that represent wealth. males help their master seek wealth, while females guard the wealth at home. stone pixiu statues are common in homes.

xiang liu: a nine-headed snake that is said to bring floods and destruction. it a is a cruel creature that fed on human flesh and can spray polluted water that turn places into swamps.

huo dou: a black dog whose appearance foreshadows a great fire with many deaths. the huo dou can eat, breathe, and excrete fire.

dia jiang: a six-footed bird with four wings and no ears, eyes, or mouth. it lives in a mountain filled with rivers and precious materials like gold and jade. despite their lack of body parts, they enjoy singing and dancing.

scottish

it’s interesting to note how most scottish mythological creatures are aquatic! - audrey

cat fairies (cait sith): cats that are as large as dogs who have an identifying white patch on their chests, able to steal souls of the unburied dead. are said to be able to walk on hind legs when not being seen by humans, they’re also where the myth of cats being witches’ animal forms came from.

kelpie (each-uisge): supernatural aquatic horse that lures people to ride on its back, before drowning them in a lake. could be identified by its constantly dripping mane, but can sometimes take a human form.

loch ness monster (uilebheist loch nis): lake-dwelling monster that is said to inhabit loch ness, described as potentially having a long neck and several humps protruding from its back. not particularly aggressive, just conspiracy-theory-ish :)

selkies: seals who can take attractive human forms by shedding their seal skin, can form relationships with actual humans. can only return to the sea if they have their seal skins.

will-o’-the-wisps (teine biorach): spirits that manifest as ghost flames that appear at night, they can be mischievous and like to lure travellers into the wrong direction with their blue flames

wulver: similar to a werewolf but doesn’t have a human form, it stalks the Shetland forests. isn’t too aggressive unless provoked but will leave fish on people’s windowsills if it notices people are starving.

men of the minch (na fir ghorma): mythical, blue-skinned men who live in the stretch of water between the outer hebrides and mainland scotland. they have the power to control storms, and when coming into contact with humans, will ask ship captains to finish a poem that they begin reciting. if the vessel master doesn’t complete the poem, their ship is capsized.

[the-bjd-community-confess]

I cannot believe resins0ul dropped the ball so hard on their 1/4 scale dragon doll, Yan. Their smaller sized one, Pixiu, is great, but Yan's 'ankle joint' goes THE WRONG WAY. The second joint on the shin should be bending like it would on Pixiu, but its bending like a second human knee. Drives me nuts.

~Anonymous