Basic Information
Alternative names: P'i-han
Alternative spellings: Bi-an
Type/Species: Long
Origin: Taoist Mythology, Chinese Mythology
About Bian
Bian was one of the nine sons of the dragon. Unlike his siblings, there was no complaint lodged against him by his neighbors. [4] Some claim that his ferocity [1] earned him his position supervising doorways to great prisons. [5] Others claim that his love of litigation [3] and his wisdom and eloquence made him a good candidate for ensuring the guilty remained inside. [5]
When the dragon visited his son, he witnessed Bian settling a dispute between two merchants by weighing their goods carefully with the same scale. [4] Thus, his father ordered that his image be placed over prison gates to keep guard over the comings and goings. [3]
Physical Description
Bian was a traditional long dragon. [4]
As a motif, his image appeared rarely. Art featuring. Bian consisted largely of his head placed on the ends of projecting beams found under the eaves of palaces and temples. [2]
Quick Facts
- Bian was one of the nine sons of the dragon. [4]
- He had great wisdom [5] and loved litigation. [3]
- He settled a dispute between two merchants, which his father witnessed. [4]
Related Articles
- The Dragon Kings
- The Nine Dragon Scroll
- Beixi
- Baxia
- Haoxian
- Bixi
- Chaofeng
- Chiwen
- Jiaotu
- Pulao
- Qiuniu
- Suanmi
- Taotie
- Yazi
- Zhayu
Footnotes
For more information on footnotes and references, please see the bibliography.
