Qilin: The Omen of Peace
The Confucian Unicorn
The Qilin (or Kirin in Japan) is the gentlest beast in mythology. It is one of the Four Benevolent Animals (along with the Dragon, Phoenix, and Tortoise). While it looks terrifying—a chimera with the head of a dragon, antlers of a deer, scales of a carp, and the tail of an ox—its nature is pure peace. It is wreathed in holy fire (or multi-colored clouds), yet it burns nothing it touches.
The Walk of the Saint
The Qilin is a vegetarian. It is so gentle that it refuses to harm even the grass it walks on. It levitates slightly or walks on clouds to avoid crushing insects or plants. However, it is not weak. It has the power to judge virtue. It can incinerate wicked men with holy fire if they threaten the innocent.
The Harbinger
The Qilin does not live among humans. It lives in the heavens. It only descends to earth to signal a Golden Age. It appears for two reasons:
- The Sage Emperor: When a ruler is perfectly just and his reign is peaceful, the Qilin appears in the palace.
- The Birth of a Sage: Legend demands that a Qilin appeared to the mother of Confucius before his birth, coughing up a jade tablet that prophesied his future as a "king without a crown."
The Giraffe Incident
In the 15th century, the explorer Zheng He brought a giraffe back to China from East Africa. The Emperor Yongle proclaimed it to be a Qilin. It had hooves, a gentle nature, and a "horn" padded with flesh. For a brief moment, the myth became real in the imperial court.
The Final Warning
We do not see Qilins anymore, but that is not because they are extinct. It is because they are waiting. They cannot walk on a soil soaked in violence. The unicorn has not abandoned us; we have abandoned it. When the world lays down its sword, it will return, so be worthy.
