Tiger
The tiger denotes royal strength, courage, cruelty, and ambivalent solar or lunar power, serving as protector in some traditions and destroyer in others.
Our paraphrase of what the sources say it carries.
At a glance
- Type
- Symbol
- Borne by
- 4 figures (1 is this, 3 carry it)
- Traditions
- Japanese folklore (3)Chinese mythology (1)
- Borne with
- Legs (2 figures)
Figures that bear it
A model judged each figure against its own description, one term at a time. Is: the figure is, or is partly, this thing. Bears: it carries the thing or is marked by it. What a figure does is filed under motifs and powers. Open "why" for the sentence the judgement rests on.
- Zouyu is Chinese mythology
why
The Zouyu is a mythical creature from Chinese folklore, resembling a black and white tiger, but gentle and just in nature.
- Baku bears Japanese folklore
why
In Japanese mythology, Baku is a chimera with elements of a tiger, an elephant, and an ox.
- Nue bears Japanese folklore
why
In Japanese folklore, the nue is a chimeric yokai with the head of a monkey, the body of a tanuki (or raccoon dog), the limbs of a tiger, and a snake for a tail, whose eerie cry is said to portend misfortune or illness.
- Oni bears Japanese folklore
why
They are often depicted wearing tiger-skin loincloths and carrying bags of treasures or tools for torturing humans.