Taotie is a mysterious creature in Chinese mythology. Its name translates to “gluttonous ogre” and is often associated with insatiable greed. Taotie’s depiction is primarily found on ritual bronze vessels from the Shang and Zhou dynasties, where it is characterized by a symmetrical, zoomorphic face, often without a lower jaw.
Origin and Evolution: The origins of Taotie remain unclear, but it is thought to have evolved from earlier totemic symbols.
In the mountains, there is a beast called 猙(Zheng). It looks like a red leopard, with five tails and one horn. It makes a sound like the sound of striking stones.
《山海經·西次三經》
又西二百八十裏，曰章莪之山，無草木，多瑤、碧。所為甚怪。有獸焉，其狀如赤豹，五尾一角，其音如擊石，其名如猙。
In Chinese mythology, in the Lei Ze(The lake of thunder), there lived a thunder god. This god of thunder had a dragon-like body and a human head. If he slapped his abdomen, he would make a thunderclap.
雷澤中有雷神，龍身而人頭，鼓其腹。在吳西。
《山海經 海內東經》
天馬(Tianma/Sky Horse) is a beast there whose shape is like a white dog with a black head. When it sees a person, it flies away.
又東北二百裏，曰馬成之山，其上多文石，其陰多金玉，有獸焉，其狀如白犬而黑頭，見人則飛，其名曰天馬
《山海經·北山經》
