Xiezhi

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"Haetae" redirects here. For the South Korean company, see Haitai.
A picture of a haetae taken at a Korean palace

Xiezhi (Chinese: 獬豸)or Haetae ( Haetae, often spelled Haitai or Haechi) is a legendary creature in Chinese and Korean mythology.

China

Mentions of the xiezhi in Chinese literature can be traced back to the Han Dynasty, where it is described by the scholar Yang Fu as a "righteous beast, which rams the wrong party when it sees a fight, and bites the wrong party when it hears an argument". It is also described in the Shuowen Jiezi as being "a cattle-like beast with one horn; in ancient times, it settled disputes by ramming the party at fault".

As an inherently just beast, the xiezhi was used as a symbol of justice and law. The Censorate of the Ming and Qing eras, who were responsible for the monitoring of the civil service, wore the xiezhi as a badge of office. Similarly, military policemen of the Republic of China wear badges bearing the xiezhi, and it is engraved on the gavels in the law courts of the People's Republic of China.

Korea

According to Korean records, Haetae's body is shaped like a lion and it has a horn on its forehead. It has a bell in its neck,and its body is covered with scales.It lives in the frontier areas of Manchuria.[1]

In ancient Korea, Haetae sculptures were used in architecture during the early Joseon dynasty, as their image was trusted to be able to protect Hanyang (now Seoul) from natural disasters and to give law and order among the populace. Seoul city has officially used Haechi (origin of Haetae) as the symbol of Seoul since 2009.

In English, it is called "the Unicorn-lion"or "an omniscient mythical beast."

References

  1. ↑ An Illustrated Guide to Korean Culture - 233 traditional key words by The National Academy of the Korean Language

External links

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