Qiu Yu | The Classic Of Mountains and Seas

28th Illustration of 山海经 (The Classic of Mountains and Seas) - 犰狳 (Qiú Yú)
🐇Accourding to The Classic of The Eastern Mountains: Another three hundred and eighty miles to the south is 余峨山 (Yú'é Mountain). On its top are dense catalpa and camphor trees, on the below are many vitex/malayan teak and wolfberry trees. 杂余水 (Záyú River) originates from this mountain and flows eastward into the 黄水 (Yellow River). There is a wild beast in the mountains. It looks like an ordinary rabbit but has a bird's beak, a hawk's eyes and a snake's tail. When it sees people, it lies down and pretends to be dead, and being known name as Qiu Yu. Its sound like pronunciation of its own name. When it appears, katydids (bush crickets) and locusts (grasshoppers) will appear and harm the plants.
🐇犰狳 literally means Armadillo, and there is indeed an animal called "Armadillo" in English and Priodontes maximus in Latin on the continent today, it resembles as a pangolin. Their appearance is strikingly similar to that described in the Classic of Mountains and Seas: a long, pointed snout, long ears perched atop their heads, and a slender, snake-like tail. In my opinion, it can't be equated in terms of species, even though their names hold same, or more precisely the perception and assessment of creatures in ancient times. However, many artists have depicted the characteristics of an armadillo in Qiu Yu just to show that the meaning of word "Qiu Yu" itself.
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Speed Painting:
https://youtube.com/shorts/ZQEOJjXu3G0