Pixiu

 

Tianlu Pixiu

The pixiu is a mythical beast from China. It first appeared in the Han dynasty (206 BC to 220 AD) and are still popular today, although both their appearance and role have changed greatly over the centuries. Today the pixiu are bringers of wealth and associated with the practice of feng shui.


Bixie Pixiu


There are two types of pixiu. The bixie, or female pixiu, has two horns or antlers. It was responsible for guarding its masters and protecting them from harm. The tianlu was the male and only had one horn or antler. The male was responsible for guarding and attracting wealth. Today the bixie pixiu has largely been forgotten about and pixius are almost always depicted with one horn. Likewise the pixiu has become more associated with wealth than protection. The pixiu comes in several colors. It is often gold, to represent its association with wealth. It can also be black to represent its protective aspects. The pixiu is often depicted as white or red as well.


Over time the appearance of the pixiu has changed greatly. In the past they were depicted with the head of a dragon, a body that was a mix of lion and hoofed animal, and a long tail. They could easily be confused for qilins if it were not for their wings. Over time pixiu became far more lion like, until they were a lion with wings and horns. Pixiu also gained a second tail, one that was held high in the air to show it was alter and on guard, and another one covering its butt, to show it was holding in everything it ate, which relates to the mythology surrounding the beast.


The most important story about the pixiu is how it became a gatherer of wealth. The pixiu was capable of flying between heavens and Earth, and was often present in the heavenly palace. One day the pixiu defecated on the carpet in the heavenly palace. The Jade Emperor spanked the pixiu so hard it’s anus closed up and it would forever hold in everything it ate. The Jade Emperor then commanded the pixiu to only eat gold, silver and gems, not messy things like food. This is how the pixiu became a gatherer of wealth. It was believed that the pixiu’s inability to rid itself of any of the gold it ate meant that it would always gather wealth for its master, and never cause any of its master’s money to be lost.


Another story was that a pixiu was playing around at the dragon king’s desk and spilled ink all over the papers. The dragon king sent the pixiu to earth and forced it to work for feng shui practitioners so it would learn responsibility.


The pixiu is a beast which can be called on to help and serve people. This is done through having images, statues and amulets of the monster. A statue of a pixiu placed in the home or office is supposed to bring in wealth. Amulets of pixiu warn on bracelets are used to protect a person from bad luck. The pixiu is also considered to be an exceptionally ferocious protector of people, and known for fighting off evil spirits. Because of this in the past it was depicted on the uniforms of Chinese soldiers. The pixiu is also considered a valuable aid to the practice of feng shui. The act of keeping statues and amulets of various mythical beings to bring about benefits to their owner is a practice of feng shui itself.


Sources


https://autumn-dragon.com/blogs/the-dragon-blog/pixiu-dragon?srsltid=AfmBOoq19cameQk9dXdaysb42n5M9WerlI82rPu1y6Fn19iJ3nzpHta-


https://buddha3bodhi.com/blogs/news/what-is-pixiu-in-chinese-culture?srsltid=AfmBOory4abja1Ef31lxTyFpwPvZoDRwcxykDSrNvyiuT43NjJP6IWob


https://www.chineseantiques.co.uk/the-pixiu-in-chinese-mythology/


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pixiu



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