Qilin – One Of Four Noble Animals In Chinese Myths And Legends

A. Sutherland  – AncientPages.com – In Chinese mythology, Qilin is one of the “Four Benevolent Animals” that include the tortoise, the dragon, and the phoenix. All four noble ones ruled the Yellow Emperor’s gardens – the ancestor of all Chinese people and the father of Chinese civilization.

Qilin is one of four benevolent and sacred animals in Chinese mythology. Credit: tuayai – Adobe Stock

An ancient Chinese myth tells of the god Pangu, who created the heavens and the earth out of chaos. He was assisted by these four divine creatures. When the work was finished, the Qilin retreated into the dense forest, and since then, he was known as an animal of good omen. One Chinese legend tells of Emperor Fu Xi, who lived two thousand nine hundred years before our era. One day, he saw a magical qilin rising from the Yellow River.

His back was covered with magical markings that the emperor had tried to copy. These signs later became the basis of Chinese writing.

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