Week #5 - The Protector Qilin
The Qilin appears to be quite fierce and a terrifying sight to behold for humans. A creature that is depicted to be a mixture of many other animals in one. They could possess the body of a deer or ox, with a head that adorns a single horn or even antlers. They are also often depicted with flames around itself and sometimes even the scales of a fish may run across its body. However ferocious the Qilin might appear, they are actually quite gentle and peaceful towards the innocent. In some Buddhist depictions of the benevolent creature, they walk on top of the clouds to avoid harming the grass that live below them, but however kind they may be, they are definitely not considered weak creatures. They will always appear to dispel of the wicked and evil who tries to harm the innocent and weak. An appearance of a Qilin, in Ancient China, symbolized the birth or passing of a sage, and during an emperors rule, would signify that the emperor would bring about a prosperous age for the kingdom they ruled over. A popular story involving the legendary Qilin begins with Confucius, a Chinese philosopher and one of the greatest sages in Chinese history. When Confucius’s mother was pregnant, a Qilin appeared before her and coughed up a jade tablet. Inscribed upon it were a premonition of Confucius’s future success and greatness. Nowadays you can spot many Qilin statues across China as they are a symbol of luck and protection.
Word count: 251
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