The ''tiangou'' () is a

legendary creature A legendary creature is a type of extraordinary or supernatural being that is described in folklore (including myths and legends), and may be featured in historical accounts before modernity, but has not been scientifically shown to exist. In t ...

from

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

. The ''tiangou'' resembles a black dog or meteor, and is thought to eat the Sun or Moon during an

eclipse An eclipse is an astronomical event which occurs when an astronomical object or spacecraft is temporarily obscured, by passing into the shadow of another body or by having another body pass between it and the viewer. This alignment of three ...

Tiangou eating the Sun

As a good spirit, it has the appearance of a white-headed

fox Foxes are small-to-medium-sized omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull; upright, triangular ears; a pointed, slightly upturned snout; and a long, bushy tail ("brush"). Twelve species ...

. It brings peace and tranquility, and gives protection from all sorts of troubles and robbers. It is referred to by astrologers as a constellation guardian of welfare. This constellation consists of seven stars. In ancient China it was called "Dog" (in the constellation

Ship A ship is a large watercraft, vessel that travels the world's oceans and other Waterway, navigable waterways, carrying cargo or passengers, or in support of specialized missions, such as defense, research and fishing. Ships are generally disti ...

). As a bad spirit, it is a black dog that eats the Moon. According to the legends, as an interpretation of a lunar eclipse, after

Houyi Hou Yi () is a mythological Chinese archer. He was also known as Shen Yi and simply as Yi (). He is also typically given the title of "Lord Archer". He is sometimes portrayed as a god of archery or a '' xian'' descended from heaven to aid manki ...

shot down the nine Suns in the sky, he was awarded with an immortality-granting pill by the

Queen Mother of the West The Queen Mother of the West, known by #Names, various local names, is a mother goddess in Chinese folk religion, Chinese religion and Chinese mythology, mythology, also worshipped later in neighbouring countries. She is attested from ancient ...

. Before he could eat it, his wife

Chang'e Chang'e ( ; ), originally known as Heng'e (), is the goddess of the Moon and wife of Hou Yi, the great archer. Renowned for her beauty, Chang'e is also known for her ascending to the Moon with her pet Yu Tu, the Moon Rabbit and living in the Mo ...

ate it, hoping she could maintain her youth. Chang'e felt her body getting lighter and flew away. Seeing this, a black dog that Hou Yi was rearing went inside her room and licked the remains of the pill. He then chased after Chang'e, getting bigger and bigger. Chang'e, terrified, hid on the Moon. The black dog then ate the Moon, along with Chang'e. After being informed of this, the Queen Mother of the West captured the dog. Surprised to see that the dog was actually Hou Yi's, she assigned him to guard the gates of heavens and bestowed upon him the title of Tiangou. Tiangou spat the Moon and Chang'e back out, and Chang'e continued living on the Moon.

Battle with Zhang Xian

Zhang Xian () is the enemy of the ''tiangou''. It is said that he protects his children from the dog god with his bow and arrows. He is often depicted aiming at the sky, waiting for the beast to appear. He is the god of birth and the protector of male children. Many sought for him to give them male offspring and to protect their living sons.

Meaning in Japan

The term ''

tengu ''Tengu'' ( ; , , ) are a type of legendary creature found in Shinto belief. They are considered a type of ''yōkai'' (supernatural beings) or Shinto ''kami'' (gods or spirits). The ''Tengu'' were originally thought to take the forms of bird of ...

'' and the characters used to write it may be borrowed from the name of tiangou, though this is still to be confirmed. Despite the characters, both creatures are independent mythological creatures with no common ancestor or origin. A ''tengu'' is usually depicted as a bird or man with a long nose and other bird-like characteristics, while the ''tiangou'' is a dog.

References

*de Visser, M. W. (1908). "The Tengu". Transactions of the Asiatic Society of Japan 34 (2): pp. 25–99. Z. P. Maruya & Co. Yaoguai Black dogs (folklore) Eclipses Dogs in Chinese mythology {{China-myth-stub

Tiangou eating the Sun

Battle with Zhang Xian

Meaning in Japan

See also

References