Qilin: Information and Much More from Answers.com

A qilin of the Qing dynasty in Beijing's Summer Palace

A painting by the court artist depicting one of Zheng He's giraffes in 1414. The painting was titled "Qilin Brings Serenity (rui) Ode"

The Qilin (Chinese: 麒麟; pinyin: qílín; Wade-Giles: ch'ilin), also spelled Kylin, or Kirin (Japanese and Korean) is a mythical hooved Chinese chimerical creature known throughout various East Asian cultures, and is said to appear in conjunction with the arrival of a sage. It is a good omen that brings rui (Chinese: 瑞; pinyin: ruì; roughly translated as "serenity" or "prosperity"). It is often depicted with what looks like fire all over its body. The Qilin is sometimes misidentified as an Asian Unicorn.

Name in other languages

The Qilin is known in other languages as: Sabitun Sabintu (in Manchu), Hariharipo Hariharimo (in Tibetan), Билигтэй Бэлэгтэй Гөрөөс (in Mongolian), Kỳ lân (in Vietnamese), Ki len (in Thai), Girin (in Korean), and Keilun (Cantonese).

Origins

The earliest references to the Qilin are in the 5th century BC book Zuo Zhuan.^[1]^[2] The Qilin made appearances in a variety of subsequent Chinese works of history and fiction. At one point, however, it became identified with the giraffe.

The Qilin became a stylised representation of the giraffe in Ming dynasty. It is known that on Zheng He's voyage to East Africa (landing, among other places, in modern-day Kenya), the fleet brought back two giraffes to Beijing. It is also known that these two giraffes were referred to as "Qilins". The Emperor proclaimed the giraffes magical creatures, whose capture signalled the greatness of his power.

The identification between the Qilin and the giraffe is supported by some attributes of the Qilin, including its vegetarian and quiet nature. Its reputed ability to "walk on grass without disturbing it" may be related to the giraffe's long legs.

It is unlikely that giraffes and qilins were regarded as the same creature in pre-modern times however. For example, typical depictions of the qilin have much shorter necks than giraffes. However, the Chinese word 麒 and 麟 both carry Chinese radical 鹿, suggesting that it was originally a type of deer, or perhaps even antelope.

The nature of the beast

Although it looks fearsome, the Qilin only punishes the wicked. It can walk on grass yet not trample the blades and it can also walk on water. Being a peaceful creature, its diet does not include flesh. It takes great care when it walks never to tread on any living thing, and it is said to appear only in areas ruled by a wise and benevolent leader (some say even if this area is only a house). It is normally gentle but can become fierce if a pure person is threatened by a sinner, spouting flames from its mouth and exercising other fearsome powers that vary from story to story.

Some stories state that the Qilin is a sacred pet (or familiar) of the deities. Therefore, in the hierarchy of dances performed by the Chinese (Lion Dance, Dragon Dance, Phoenix Dance, etc), the Qilin ranks highly; second only to the Dragon and Phoenix whom are the highest.

In the Qilin Dance, movements are characterised by fast, powerful strokes of the head. Qilin Dance is often regarded as the hardest dance to perform due to the weight of the head, stances and the emphasis on "fǎ jìng" (Traditional Chinese - 法勁) - outbursts of strength/power/energy

Variations

There are variations in the appearance of the qilin, even as seen in a single country such as China, owing to cultural differences between dynasties and regions.

Ming dynasty example

A Qilin in the dragon, fish, and ox style of the Ming Dynasty. Note the pair of horns.

In the Ming dynasty of China (1368–1644) the Qilin is represented as an oxen-hooved animal with a dragon-like head surmounted by a pair of horns and flame-like head ornaments.

A Qing dynasty example

The Qilin of China's subsequent Manchurian dominated Qing dynasty (1644–1911) is a much more fanciful animal. Manchurian depictions of the Qilin depict a creature with the head of a dragon, the antlers of a deer, the skin and scales of a fish, the hooves of an ox and tail of a lion.

In Japan

In Japanese, the Qilin is called Kirin. Japanese art tends to depict the Qilin as more deer-like than in Chinese art. Kirin Brewery Company, Ltd. is named after the animal, and the word Kirin has also come to be used in modern Japanese for a giraffe. It's depicted as a dragon shaped like a European-style unicorn, only with a horse's tail instead of a lion's.

In the Chinese hierarchy of mythological animals, the Qilin is ranked as the third most powerful creature (after the dragon and phoenix), but in Japan, the Kirin occupies the top spot.

Turko-Mongol Iran

In Ilkhanid and Timurid Mongol-Persian mythological miniatures, the buraq was portrayed in a style reminiscent of the Chinese qilin, reflecting the Chinese background of painters who introduced watercolor techniques to Iran and initiated several medieval schools of Persian miniature painting.

Contemporary media references

See also: Kirin

A contemporary take on the Qilin, as featured in the video game Guild Wars: Factions.

In the anime Prince of Tennis, one of the character's (Fuji Shusuke) special counters was called Qilin Drop, obviously named after the Qilin.
In the Twelve Kingdoms anime series, based on the fantasy novels by Fuyumi Ono, the monarch of each kingdom is chosen by a kirin, who then becomes his (or her) principal counselor. The kirin's name is derived from the name of the kingdom plus either "ki" (male) or "rin" (female).
The kirin appears in the video game series Final Fantasy. Kirin is one of the Espers, or summoned monsters in Final Fantasy VI. Kirin also makes an appearance as the strongest of the "gods" in Final Fantasy XI.
In Digimon, Kudamon's Ultimate form, Qilinmon, is named after and based on the Qilin.
In the computer game Guild Wars Factions, players encounter both helpful Kirin charged with safeguarding certain areas, as well as several tainted Kirin as enemies.
In the Magic: The Gathering set Saviors of Kamigawa, there are five Kirin, one for each color of Magic. They are, Infernal Kirin, Skyfire Kirin, Cloudhoof Kirin, Celestial Kirin, and Bounteous Kirin.
A kirin whose name is transliterated as "Kylin" is the master of Space Magic and offers to join your party in the PS1 game Saga Frontier.
In the computer roguelike game NetHack The Ki-rin appears as strong angelic being which can be tamed and used as a steed
In the video game series Monster Hunter the Kirin is a mysterious creature that can be hunted on certain special event quests. Its horn can be used to make powerful Thunder Element weapons.
The Kirin is one of the mythical beasts that passes through Count D's mythical petshop in Pet Shop of Horrors. It is said to have changed the fate of the world several times by choosing a worthy leader for a country. Interestingly, the Kirin's inability to walk on living beings is compared to the ancient, crippling Chinese practice of footbinding.
The Legendary Pokémon Arceus is believed to be based on the qilin.
In the MMORPG Ultima Online the KiRin is a powerful magical beast, classified as a "good" creature on OSI shards, that can be tamed and used as a steed

References

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