The Denglong or Wangtianhou, Chaotiānhou or simply Hou is a Chinese legendary creature.
The Denglong has ten characteristics that resembles animals: horns like a deer, head like a camel, ears like a cat, eyes like a shrimp, mouth like a donkey, hair like a lion, neck like a snake, belly like a Shen, scales like a koi, front paws like an eagle, and rear paws like a tiger.
There are many descriptions of this creature's origin:
Legend has it that Denglong is one of the sons of the Dragon King, a kind of dragon. It has a habit of keeping watch. The dragon on the top of the Huabiao pillar roared at the sky, and it was regarded as uploading the will of the heavens and issuing the sentiments of the people (supervising the emperor).
It is also documented that the mount of Guanyin Bodhisattva is "Denglong".
There is also a saying that Denglong is the ancestor of Qilins. It can fly and is very fierce. The whole body was wrapped in fire. Dragons are also afraid of its fire. Its favorite food is the brains of dragons. Qilins generally believe that they are lower than dragons, while Denglong feeds on dragons and belongs to the top of the food chain.When it is in a fight with a dragon, it spews flames for few dozens of feet, and defeats the dragon.
In the 25th year of Kangxi, during the summer, 3 Jiaolong and 2 dragons were sighted fighting one Denglong, and after killing a dragon and two Jiaolong, the Denglong was killed and fell to a valley. It was ten or twenty feet long, resembled a horse, and had scales. After it died, the scales went up in flames, and thus was a Denglong.
📚 Explore more of the Mystical Creatures series here: Dive into the Enchanted Realms of Mythology
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