White Tiger (mythology)


The White Tiger is one of the Four Symbols of the Chinese constellations. It is sometimes called the White Tiger of the West, and is known as Baihu in Chinese, Byakko in Japanese, and Baekho in Korean. It represents the west in terms of direction and the autumn season.

Seven Mansions of the White Tiger

As with the other three Symbols, there are seven astrological "Mansions" within the White Tiger. The names and determinative stars are:
Mansion no.Name TranslationDeterminative star
15LegsEta Andromedae
16BondBeta Arietis
17Stomach35 Arietis
18Hairy HeadAlcyone
19NetAin
20Turtle BeakMeissa
21Three StarsAlnitak

Origin

In Chinese culture, the tiger is the king of the beasts and has been presented with a on his forehead for centuries. According to legend, the tiger's tail would turn white when it reached the age of 500 years. In this way, the white tiger became a kind of mythological creature. It was said that the white tiger would only appear when the emperor ruled with absolute virtue, or if there was peace throughout the world. Because the color white of the Wu Xing theory also represents the west, the White Tiger became a mythological guardian of the west.
, from his 2011 series Circle of Animals/Zodiac Heads |thumb|314x314px|The White Tiger as interpreted by contemporary Chinese artist Ai Weiwei, from his 2011 series Circle of Animals/Zodiac Heads

In fiction