Qilin

Template:Short description Template:About Template:Use dmy dates Template:Infobox mythical creature Template:Infobox Chinese

The qilin (Template:IPAc-en Template:Respell; Template:Zh) is a legendary hooved chimerical creature that appears in Chinese mythology, and is said to appear with the imminent arrival or death of a sage or illustrious ruler.<ref name=britannica1>Template:Cite web</ref> Qilin are a specific type of the Template:Lang mythological family of one-horned beasts. The qilin also appears in the mythologies of other Chinese-influenced cultures.

Origins

The earliest mention of the mythical qilin is in the poem Template:Zh included in the Classic of Poetry (11th – 7th c. BCE).<ref>Classic of Poetry "Airs of Zhou and the South – Lin's Feet" translated by James Legge</ref><ref>Durrant, Li, & Schaberg (translators) (2016). Zuo tradition: Commentary on the Spring and Autumn Annals. Seattle & London: University of Washington Press. p. 1920, n. 292. quote: "It is significant that the earliest source known to mention the lin itself is “Lin zhi zhi” Template:Lang, or “The Foot of the Lin"</ref>

Template:Verse translation

Spring and Autumn Annals mentioned that a lin (Template:Lang) was captured in the 14th year of Duke Ai of Lu (Template:Lang) (481 CE); Zuo Zhuan credited Confucius with identifying the lin as such.<ref>Template:Lang Template:Webarchive</ref><ref>Zuozhuan "Duke Ai – 14th year – jing & zhuan"'</ref><ref>Durrant, Li, & Schaberg (translators) (2016). Zuo tradition: Commentary on the Spring and Autumn Annals. pp. 1919–1921</ref>

The bisyllabic form qilin (Template:Lang ~ Template:Lang), which carries the same generic meaning as lin alone, is attested in works dated to the Warring States period (475–221 BCE).Template:Cn Qi denotes the male and lin denotes the female<ref>ChinaKnowledge.de</ref> according to Shuowen Jiezi.<ref name="shuowen">SWJZ Radical 鹿" quote: "Template:Lang" translation: "Lín (Template:Lang): a large female deer. Template:Bracket Qí (Template:Lang): a humane beast. With elaphure's body, ox's tail, and one horn. Template:Bracket Lín (Template:Lang): female qí."</ref><ref>Parker, Jeannie Thomas (2018) The Mythic Chinese unicorn. Victoria: Friesen Press. p. 44</ref>

The legendary image of the qilin became associated with the image of the giraffe in the Ming dynasty.<ref>Template:Lang</ref><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> The identification of the qilin with giraffes began after Zheng He's 15th-century voyage to East Africa (landing, among other places, in modern-day Somalia). The Ming Dynasty bought giraffes from the Somali merchants along with zebras, incense, and various other exotic animals.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Zheng He's fleet brought back two giraffes to Nanjing and they were mistaken by the emperor for the mythical creature. The identification of qilin with giraffes has had a lasting influence: even today, the same word is used for the mythical animal and the giraffe in both Korean and Japanese.<ref name=Parker>Parker, J. T.: "The Mythic Chinese Unicorn"</ref>

Axel Schuessler reconstructs Old Chinese pronunciation of Template:Linktext as Template:Tlit. Finnish linguist Juha Janhunen tentatively compares Template:Tlit to an etymon reconstructed as Template:Tlit,<ref name="Janhunen">Janhunen, J. (2011). "Unicorn, Mammoth, Whale: mythological and etymological connections of zoonyms in North and East Asia". Linguistics, Archaeology and the Human Past, Occasional Paper, 12, 189–222.</ref> denoting "whale"; and represented in the language isolate Nivkh and four different language families Tungusic, Mongolic, Turkic and Samoyedic, wherein *kalay(ә)ng means "whale" (in Nenets) and *kalVyǝ "mammoth" (in Enets and Nganasan). As even aborigines "vaguely familiar with the underlying real animals" often confuse the whale, mammoth, and unicorn: they conceptualized the mammoth and whale as aquatic, as well as the mammoth and unicorn possessing a single horn; for inland populations, the extant whale "remainsTemplate:Nbsp... an abstraction, in this respect being no different from the extinct mammoth or the truly mythical unicorn." However, Janhunen cautiously remarks that "[t]he formal and semantic similarity between *kilin < *gilin ~ *gïlin 'unicorn' and *kalimV 'whale' (but also Samoyedic *kalay- 'mammoth') is sufficient to support, though perhaps not confirm, the hypothesis of an etymological connection", and also notes a possible connection between Old Chinese and Mongolian (*)kers ~ (*)keris ~ (*)kiris "rhinoceros" (Khalkha: Template:Lang).<ref name="Bolor">Template:Cite web</ref>

Description

A Qing dynasty statue of a qilin in Beijing's Summer Palace

Qilin generally have Chinese dragon-like features: similar heads with antlers, eyes with thick eyelashes, manes that always flow upward, and beards. The body is fully or partially scaled and often shaped like an ox, deer, or horse, or more commonly a goat.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=":0">Template:Cite book</ref> They are always shown with cloven hooves.<ref name=":1">Template:Cite book</ref> While dragons in China (and thus qilin) are also most commonly depicted as golden, qilin may be of any color or even various colors, and can be depicted as bejeweled or exhibiting a jewel-like brilliance.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>

The qilin is depicted throughout a wide range of Chinese art, sometimes with parts of their bodies on fire.<ref name=":1" />

Legends tell that qilin have appeared in the garden of the legendary Yellow Emperor and in the capital of Emperor Yao; both events bore testimony to the benevolent nature of the rulers.<ref name=":0" /> It has also been told that the birth of the great sage Confucius was foretold by the arrival of a qilin.<ref name=britannica1/>

Qilin as unicorns

In modern times, the depictions of qilin have often fused with the Western concept of unicorns,Template:Citation needed and qilin (Template:Lang) is often translated into English as "unicorn". The Han dynasty dictionary Shuowen Jiezi describes qi as single-horned,<ref name="shuowen"/> and it can sometimes be depicted as having a single horn. The translation, however, may be misleading, as qilin can also be depicted as having two horns. In modern Chinese, "one-horned beast" (Template:Lang-zh) is used for "unicorns". A number of different Chinese mythical creatures can be depicted with a single horn, and a qilin depicted with one horn may be called a "one-horned qilin" in Chinese.Template:Citation needed

Nevertheless, the mythical and etymological connections between the creatures have been noted by various cultural studies<ref name=Parker/><ref name=Janhunen/><ref name=Bolor/> and even the Chinese government, which has minted silver, gold, and platinum commemorative coins depicting both archetypal creatures.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Other cultural representations

Japan

Kirin, which has also come to be used as the modern Japanese word for a giraffe, are similar to qilin. Japanese art tends to depict the kirin as more deer-like than in Chinese art. Alternatively, it is depicted as a dragon shaped like a deer, but with an ox's tail<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> instead of a lion's tail. They are also often portrayed as partially unicorn-like in appearance, but with a backwards curving horn.

Korea

Girin or kirin (Template:Lang) is the Korean form of qilin. It is described as a maned creature with the torso of a deer, an ox tail with the hooves of a horse. The girin were initially depicted as more deer-like, however over time they have transformed into more horse-like.<ref>Template:Lang</ref> They were one of the four divine creatures along with the dragon, phoenix, and turtle. Girin were extensively used in Korean royal and Buddhist arts.

In modern Korean, the term "girin" is used for "giraffe".

Thailand

In Thailand, the qilin is known as "Template:Lang" (Template:Langx), and is a member of the pantheon of Thai Himapant forest mythical animals. It is most probable that the Gilen was introduced into the pantheon under the influence of the Tai Yai who came down from Southern China to settle in Siam in ancient times, and the legend was probably incorporated into the Himapant legends of Siam in this manner. The Gilen is a mixture of various animals which come from differing elemental environments, representing elemental magical forces present within each personified creature. Many of the Himapant animals actually represent gods and devas of the Celestial Realms, and bodhisattvas, who manifest as personifications which represent the true nature of each creature deity through the symbolism of the various body parts amalgamated into the design of the Mythical creature.<ref name="Paetch Payatorn riding Gilen Himapant Lion">Template:Cite web</ref>

In Phra Aphai Mani, the masterpiece epic poem of Sunthorn Phu, a renowned poet of the 18th century, there is a monster that is Sudsakorn's steed, one of the main characters in the epic. This creature was called "Ma Nin Mangkorn" (Template:Langx, "ceylonite dragon horse") and is depicted as having diamond fangs, ceylonite scales, and a birthmark on the tongue. It was a mixture of horse, dragon, deer antlers, fish scales, and Phaya Nak tail, and has black sequins all over. Its appearance resembles a qilin.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Qilin Dance

The Qilin dance is traditionally performed by the Hakka people.<ref name="wufu2">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="wailing2">Template:Cite journal</ref> The Qilin is a mythical creature believed to symbolize good fortune, prosperity, and harmony,<ref name="qilin2">Template:Cite web</ref> and performers wear ornate Qilin costumes with vibrant colors and intricate details to resemble the mythical creature.<ref name="qilin2" />

The Qilin costume features a single horn in the middle, with finned ridges lined with fur.<ref name="wufu2" /> The dance involves graceful and synchronized movements that mimic cats and tigers.<ref name="qilin2" /> The performance routine typically tells of a Qilin exiting its lair, playfully move round, and looking for vegetable to eat. After eating from the vegetable, it spits it out, and it also spits a jade book, before moving around and returning back to its lair.<ref name="wufu2" />

The dance is accompanied by music played on traditional Chinese instruments, including drums, flutes, and cymbals.<ref name="wailing2" /> Today, similar to the Chinese Lion and Dragon dances, the Qilin dance is commonly performed during important Chinese celebrations and festivals, such as Chinese New Year and weddings, it is also performed to preserve cultural traditions and enhance community cohesion.<ref name="wufu2" /><ref name="wailing2" />

Gallery

Porcelain qilin with the head and scaly body of a dragon, tail of a lion and cloven hoofs like a deer, its body enveloped in sacred flames (Qing dynasty, Template:Circa)
Qilin with rider (Qing dynasty, Template:Circa)
Plate with a qilin in the center (Yuan dynasty, Template:Circa)
Embroidered qilin buzi (Qing dynasty, 19th century)
Ceramic Kỳ lân statue (Later Lê or Nguyen dynasty, Template:Circa)
Qilin, dragon and lion set in floral sprays (Ottoman empire, mid-16th century)
An illustration of qilin and simurgh in Gulistan (1582)
Bronze qilin paperweight (Ming dynasty, Template:Circa)
Qilin depicted in the Gujin Tushu Jicheng (Qing dynasty, Template:Circa)
Tai Si encountering a qilin, depicted in Jiao Bingzhen's Virtuous Empresses and Empresses Dowager in Successive Dynasties (Qing dynasty, 18th century)
Queen Mother of the West Riding a Kirin, Kanō Kyūseki (Edo period, early 18th century)
A qilin at the Ming tombs in the dragon, fish, and ox style (Ming dynasty, Template:Circa)