Sons of Dragon 龙的儿子(1)

Being different with other chinese zodiac, the dragon is one of the totems of ancient China and symbolizes good fortune in Chinese culture and folklore. It is an animal that lives only in people's imaginations, and according to legend, it has the head of a bull, the horns of a deer, the eyes of a lobster, the body of a snake, the claws of a hawk, and the tail of a lion.

The dragon has nine sons. Each of them has his own duty, and each has his own likes and dislikes. Designs of the nine sons of the dragon were often used to decorate the eaves, ridges, balustrades, and terrace bases of ancient Chinese buildings and ancient Chinese weapons and vessels.

What are the names of the nine sons of the dragon? The answers differ according to different records, and each record gives each of them a different character and different habit. The question is, Did the ancient Chinese people give the nine sons of the dragon different characters according to their different decorative uses or give them different decorative uses according to their different characters? No one knows, but it is interesting to compare their different names and characters with their different decorative functions.

Qiu Niu

Qiu Niu loves music, he likes to crouch on the head of stringed instruments and listens to music. So his figure became a common decoration on the bridge of stringed musical instruments.

Ya Zi

Ya Zi is bad-tempered, fractious, and inclined to fight, so he often appears on ancient weapons. He can be seen on sword-hilts, knife hilts and battle axe. It is said that his figure can add power to these weapons.

Chao Feng

Chao Feng is fearless, loves to take risks and watch from high places, so he decorates the corners of palace roofs in ancient China.

Pu Lao

Pulao is fond of roaring and his figure is put on bell handles. He lives near the sea, though he is one son of the dragon, but he fears to meet the big whale. When the whale attacts, he fears to roar loudly.