Lei of Mount Danyuan, anonymous1667 Shanhaijing illustration
Printed類 caption names wildcatlike animal with mane, female/male self-reproduction and亶爰山. Stylized mammal pictured; not automatically a modern wildcat species. Physical Smithsonian edition1667; anonymous plate illustrator, GuoPu commentator and WuZhongheng editor; later image witness, not ancient composition date.
Overview
Lei lives on Mount Danyuan in the first southern sequence of the Shanhaijing. It resembles the animal named li, conventionally rendered as a wildcat or similar small mammal, and bears long hair or a crest. The text says that it is female and male for itself. This compact reproductive statement is one of the creature’s defining features in the passage.
The account places Lei on a watery, treeless mountain that cannot be climbed. It also claims that eating the animal removes jealousy, an emotional effect rather than a detailed adventure involving the creature. The hosted commentary cites other ancient writing alongside the reproductive phrase, but that citation is not a separate witness independently collated here. Lei remains a named literary animal, with neither a verified modern zoological identity nor an added human-transformation story.
Origins & earliest records
China; Shanhaijing, Southern Mountains
Records & interpretation
Directly read Chinese primary-text transcription; exact section and geographical passage retained. No matched scan or illustration verified.
Additional images
View larger lei-shanhaijing, named historical Shan hai jing woodcut
Exact named figure in the Southern Mountains section of a seventeenth-century illustrated Shan hai jing edition. Historical interpretation, not a biological photograph. Source file cites the Library of Congress digitized edition.
Selected bibliography
Documented works and useful reading. This is not a list of every appearance.
- 01
Shanhaijing: Southern Mountains
First southern sequence; Mount Danyuan 亶爰山; hosted text displays commentary separately in brackets.
Family & connections
A source-supported family tree or inspiration record has not yet been compiled for this profile. Related reading below indicates a connection in subject matter, not a proven lineage or creative influence.
Primary records and illustrations
Shanhaijing, Southern Mountains
南山經. First southern sequence; Mount Danyuan 亶爰山
Directly read transcription, not a collated historical scan. Identifying passage: 有獸焉，其狀如狸而有髦，其名曰類，自為牝牡。 Base text and bracketed commentary distinguished; no exact plate assigned.
References
Sources supporting this profile. Linked pages have their own scope and editorial standards.
- Primary-text transcriptionShanhaijing, Southern Mountains: First southern sequence; Mount Danyuan 亶爰山Research access: 2026-10-05
Image credits
Historical illustrationLei of Mount Danyuan, anonymous1667 Shanhaijing illustration
Printed類 caption names wildcatlike animal with mane, female/male self-reproduction and亶爰山. Stylized mammal pictured; not automatically a modern wildcat species. Physical Smithsonian edition1667; anonymous plate illustrator, GuoPu commentator and WuZhongheng editor; later image witness, not ancient composition date.
Further credits appear with each additional image.
