According to ancient Chinese legends, Taotie was one of the
nine boys of the Dragon. He spent all the time in the kitchen, making delicious
soups. Taotie once had a body, but the gods took the body of Taotie as a
punishment for his extreme bitterness.
Taotie's image warns against overload. Taotie symbolized
greed and sensuality, and his image was often written in groceries specifically
to remind people to avoid dragons of fame. The name of the taotie
("glutton"), which came into use from the 3rd century BC, was perhaps
inspired by the fact that the monster is usually portrayed as an increasingly
bitter animal.
The function of the taotie motif is interpreted differently:
it can be totemic, defensive, or an abstract, symbolic representation of the
forces of nature. The motif was most common during the Shang Dynasties
(XVII-XII century) and early Zhou (1111-900 BC). After the early Zhou period,
the motif of the taotie mask shifted from a monster that was similar but
described with diminished and more accurate power (Taotie).
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