Research source

Ferences to an antiquity which had preceded it--a bygone civilization, perhaps--as follows, in the book called…

Date of account: Published 1886
Source: Mythical Monsters
Reference: Mythical Monsters · selected passage 96
Rights: public_domain
Language: English
Record updated: 2026-08-24

Record summary

ferences to an antiquity which had preceded it--a bygone civilization, perhaps--as follows, in the book called Yih and Ts‘ih.[235] The emperor (Shun, B.C

Published source text

Read the available text below. Archive transcriptions may contain OCR errors; later context is labelled separately. A recorded claim is not a finding that it happened.

Source passage

Source text · mention only

ferences to an antiquity which had preceded it--a bygone civilization, perhaps--as follows, in the book called _Yih and Ts‘ih_.[235] The emperor (Shun, B.C. 2255 to 2205) says, "I wish to see the emblematic figures of the ancients--the sun, the moon, the stars, the mountain, the dragon, and the flowery fowl, which are depicted _on the upper garment_; the temple cup, the aquatic grass, the flames, the grains of rice, the hatchet, and the symbol of distinction, which are embroidered _on the lower garment_. _I wish to see_ all these displayed with the five colours, so as to form the official robes; it is yours to adjust them clearly." Here the dragon is chosen as an emblematic figure, in association with eleven others, which are objects of every-day knowledge, and this, I think, establishes a presumption that it itself was not at that date considered an object of doubtful credibility.

Historical context

Contextual commentary · mention only

This is a historical compilation of unusual-animal reports and argument. Witness testimony, repetition between publications and the author's zoological assumptions all affect independence and reliability.

Modern context

Contextual commentary · mention only

Lattice compares morphology, behaviour and setting while keeping misidentification, folklore, exaggeration, error and known animals available as alternatives.

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