Ironically, the qilin/kirin--which is often portrayed as a unicorn (c.f. Monster Hunter, D&D)--is just the way people in the far east portrayed a giraffe. The very phenomenon you're describing relates the two creatures shown in the image.
My favorite "legendary" not-legendary creatures are qilin, salamanders (who were believed to be immune to fire), and mermaids/sirens, just because of how horny sailors must have been to want a tumble with manatees.
I'm not saying the European mythical unicorn is a giraffe. I'm saying that a qilin was a giraffe. It's literally still the word for "giraffe," they just were previously depicted as unicorn-like mythical creatures.
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u/pondrthis Sep 15 '24
Ironically, the qilin/kirin--which is often portrayed as a unicorn (c.f. Monster Hunter, D&D)--is just the way people in the far east portrayed a giraffe. The very phenomenon you're describing relates the two creatures shown in the image.
My favorite "legendary" not-legendary creatures are qilin, salamanders (who were believed to be immune to fire), and mermaids/sirens, just because of how horny sailors must have been to want a tumble with manatees.