Four Holy Beasts
Four sacred animals in Chinese mythology
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Four Holy Beasts (Chinese: 四靈、四聖獸、or 四大神獸) are Chinese astronomical and cultural Four Benevolent Animals that are spread in the East Asian cultural sphere. They are mentioned in the Chinese classic Book of Rites[1] and includes the Dragon (龍) in the East, the Qilin (麟) in the West, the Turtle (龜) in the North, and the Fenghuang (鳳) in the South.
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Differences
The Four Holy Beasts differs from Four Symbols in that Qilin replaces the White Tiger. The Four Symbols are the Azure Dragon (青龍) in the East, White Tiger (白虎) in the West, Vermilion Bird (朱雀) in the South, and the Black Turtle-Snake (玄武) in the North.
Regional examples
Vietnam
In Ho Chi Minh City, there are four areas named after the beasts in Suối Tiên Park. They are the Thủy Long (水龍) Palace, the Kỳ Lân (麒麟) Palace, the Kim Quy (金龜) Lake, and the Phượng Hoàng (鳳凰) Palace.
China
Summer Palace has statues of the four Beasts.
Korea
Patterns of the four holy beasts are found in Bronze mirrors of the Goryeo dynasty and Pottery.[2]
Gallery
Phoenix
(鳳凰)
Turtle
(龜)
Dragon
(龍)
The altar drawing the Four Holy Beasts at Giác Hải Temple
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