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Description

Here’s my take on the Xiezhi (pronounced “she-eh-jir”, called Haetae in Korea, and Kaichi in Japan), a mythical animal native to China, seen as a symbol of justice Indeed, in addition to its great intelligence allowing it to perfectly understand human language, it is known for its innate capacity of determining who is wrong and who is right in a debate or a dispute. In addition, it tends to ram with its horn (or even devour) corrupt people it comes across, even if they are state officials

In its early days, the Xiezhi was described as a ram (or sometimes a cattle) with a single long horn and glowing eyes. According to the Lunheng ("Critical Discussions") of the Chinese philosopher and writer Wang Chong (born in AD 27, and died in AD 97, supposedly), the animal was employed by the Minister of justice of the mythical Emperor Shun (who is said to have lived between 2294 and 2184 BC), during trials ; if it spared the innocent, it was ordered to ram the guilty. The same source also indicated that Xiezhi paintings were visible in official buildings where justice was administered. The creature even gave its name to a judicial hat dating back to the Qin (221-206 BC) and Han (206 BC-220 AD) dynasties ; it was also crossed laterally by a large pin, perhaps in reference to the horn of the animal. However, over the centuries, the appearance of the Xiezhi changed to become more and more similar to that of a wingless quadruped dragon. Sometimes, even its large horn – despite its importance – completely disappeared from certain representations, notably on statues in the Forbidden City, built in the 13th century.

The Korean equivalent of the Xiezhi, the Haetae (pronounced "hayt-tay"), rather looks like a creature halfway between a lion and a dog, with both fur and scales, and wearing a bell around its neck. And here again, paradoxically, the famous horn is often absent from the many representations of the animal. The Haetae has the same powers as its Chinese "relative", but can also protect against natural disasters and fires ; it is also said that it feeds on fire. Hence the abundance of statues of the animal around palaces and official buildings. The city of Seoul also has a Haetae as its official symbol since 2008.

As for the Japanese version, the Kaichi, it is also called Shin’yo, which means “divine sheep”. It must therefore resemble the original Xiezhi more than the later dragon-like version and the leonine Korean version, even if typically Japanese representations of the creature seem very rare.

According to linguists who have looked into the origins of its name, such as Axel Schuessler, it is possible that the Xiezhi was inspired by a kind of small deer, once hunted by the kings of the Shang dynasty (1570- 1045 BC). And even, it would not be impossible that it and the Qilin (very close to a deer, physically) could have been considered as one and the same creature, with their horn, their hooves, and the fact that they are both seen as symbols of justice.

Description

Here’s my take on the Xiezhi (pronounced “she-eh-jir”, called Haetae in Korea, and Kaichi in Japan), a mythical animal native to China, seen as a symbol of justice Indeed, in addition to its great intelligence allowing it to perfectly understand human language, it is known for its innate capacity of determining who is wrong and who is right in a debate or a dispute. In addition, it tends to ram with its horn (or even devour) corrupt people it comes across, even if they are state officials

In its early days, the Xiezhi was described as a ram (or sometimes a cattle) with a single long horn and glowing eyes. According to the Lunheng ("Critical Discussions") of the Chinese philosopher and writer Wang Chong (born in AD 27, and died in AD 97, supposedly), the animal was employed by the Minister of justice of the mythical Emperor Shun (who is said to have lived between 2294 and 2184 BC), during trials ; if it spared the innocent, it was ordered to ram the guilty. The same source also indicated that Xiezhi paintings were visible in official buildings where justice was administered. The creature even gave its name to a judicial hat dating back to the Qin (221-206 BC) and Han (206 BC-220 AD) dynasties ; it was also crossed laterally by a large pin, perhaps in reference to the horn of the animal. However, over the centuries, the appearance of the Xiezhi changed to become more and more similar to that of a wingless quadruped dragon. Sometimes, even its large horn – despite its importance – completely disappeared from certain representations, notably on statues in the Forbidden City, built in the 13th century.

The Korean equivalent of the Xiezhi, the Haetae (pronounced "hayt-tay"), rather looks like a creature halfway between a lion and a dog, with both fur and scales, and wearing a bell around its neck. And here again, paradoxically, the famous horn is often absent from the many representations of the animal. The Haetae has the same powers as its Chinese "relative", but can also protect against natural disasters and fires ; it is also said that it feeds on fire. Hence the abundance of statues of the animal around palaces and official buildings. The city of Seoul also has a Haetae as its official symbol since 2008.

As for the Japanese version, the Kaichi, it is also called Shin’yo, which means “divine sheep”. It must therefore resemble the original Xiezhi more than the later dragon-like version and the leonine Korean version, even if typically Japanese representations of the creature seem very rare.

According to linguists who have looked into the origins of its name, such as Axel Schuessler, it is possible that the Xiezhi was inspired by a kind of small deer, once hunted by the kings of the Shang dynasty (1570- 1045 BC). And even, it would not be impossible that it and the Qilin (very close to a deer, physically) could have been considered as one and the same creature, with their horn, their hooves, and the fact that they are both seen as symbols of justice.