tulou, named historic Shan hai jing illustration
Named traditional creature plate from the illustrated Shan hai jing corpus. Artist/edition attribution copied from the original file record; historical artistic interpretation, not a photograph of a real animal.
Overview
Tulou inhabits Kunlun in the third western itinerary of the Shanhaijing. Its body resembles a sheep, but it has four horns. The short account directly states that it eats people. It does not describe the method of attack, the size of the horns, or the creature’s colour, so those details cannot be derived from the name alone.
The Kunlun passage includes the tiger-bodied guardian Luwu and the deadly bee-like Qinyuan, among many plants and rivers. Tulou is a distinct beast in that setting, rather than another name for either neighbour. Its predation is explicit, but no named hero hunts it and no battle sequence is narrated. The modest scope of the passage should remain visible even when an illustrated edition gives the creature a more elaborate visual body.
Origins & earliest records
China; Shanhaijing, Western Mountains
Records & interpretation
Directly read Chinese primary-text transcription; exact section and geographical passage retained. No matched scan or illustration verified.
Selected bibliography
Documented works and useful reading. This is not a list of every appearance.
- 01
Shanhaijing: Western Mountains
Third western sequence; Mount Kunlun 昆侖之丘; bracketed commentary distinguished from base text.
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
Shan hai jing: er shi san juan (Smithsonian digitized edition)
Physical volume2; Shan hai jing tu illustration sequence. IIIF canvas index22 (zero based), labelled 土螻; no printed page number asserted
Actual 1000-pixel page directly inspected and complete labelled anatomy compared with textual profile. A sheep-like quadruped has four conspicuous horns; its caption explicitly says it eats humans and belongs to Kunlun. Smithsonian catalog dates physical volume 1667 and public domain. Text witness retained separately.
References
Sources supporting this profile. Linked pages have their own scope and editorial standards.
- Primary-text transcriptionShanhaijing, Western Mountains: Third western sequence; Mount Kunlun 昆侖之丘Research access: 2026-10-05
- Primary illustrated bookSmithsonian digitized Shan hai jing v.2, canvas22: 土螻Research access: 2026-10-05
Image credits
Historical illustrationtulou, named historic Shan hai jing illustration
Named traditional creature plate from the illustrated Shan hai jing corpus. Artist/edition attribution copied from the original file record; historical artistic interpretation, not a photograph of a real animal.
