Tao Tie


 

Tao Tie is a monster from Chinese mythology

It is one of the four perils, four evil beings who represent the worst qualities and greatest threats to civilization. Tao Tie specifically represents greed and overconsumption. Even as the representation of greed and gluttony Tao Tie is sometimes listed among more beneficial beings, such as the Nine Sons of the Dragon. There his ravenous hunger is shown in a more benevolent light, as something that will consume anything, even the bad luck and aspects of life that are holding you back, so that better aspects have room to be fulfilled. Although 90% of the time Tao Tie is seen as a malevolent force.


Tao Tie has several different origins. According to the classic Chunqui Tao Tie started out as the son of Jinyun, an officer of the Yellow Emperor. This son of Jinyun was so overcome by greed and hunger that he had no limitations. He would steal from orphans, the elderly, and respected officials. He had no decency or morals of any kind. No one elicited any sympathy from him, no matter how in need they were, or how respectable they were. For this behavior he was transformed into a horned and tusked beast. Another origin story was that Tao Tie was originally Chi You, a mythical warrior enemy of the Yellow Emperor.



In the Official Dynasty History Houhanshu Tao Tie is mentioned as a goat monster who lived among barbarians from the south west. It was so ravenous that it devoured its own body, leaving only its head. This lines up with designs found on cooking pots of the Liangzhu and Erlitou cultures, which depict a horned beast on the pots. Exactly what these designs meant to these people, if it was their own version of Tao Tie or something completely different, is unknown.


Some time in the 4th century Tao Tie became conflated with another monster, the paoxiao, as it was also

described as ravenous and greedy. The paoxiao was described as a monster with an eyeless human-like

face (or a masked human face) on a goat-like body, with human hands, tiger teeth, and eyes on its shoulders.

This interpretation led to the two monsters being confused or interpreted as each other, much like in the

west how basilisks are often confused for cockatrices. 




While Tao Tie has been depicted as many different animals in the past, a goat, ram, wolf, ‘tusked beast’ and so on, its modern interpretations are either that of a wildly monstrous beast, often with massive horns on its shoulders, or as a paoxiao. In the movie “The Great Wall” Tao Tie was depicted as an entire species of reptilian paoxiao. 

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