Tulou, the Man-Eating Four-Horned Ram of Kunlun
Tulou is a ram with four horns that eats people, and it lives on Kunlun Hill, the Heavenly Emperor's capital on earth.
- Chinese name
- 土蝼 (tǔlóu)
- Oldest source
- Shan Hai Jing, Western Mountains, Book 3
- Where it lives
- Kunlun Hill
- In the game
- Earth beast · 1 Gold · Spike Back
What the Shan Hai Jing says
Tulou lives on Kunlun Hill, described in the third book of the Western Mountains. The entry is one of the shortest in the book: a beast like a ram, with four horns, that eats people. What makes it remarkable is where it lives. The text calls Kunlun the Heavenly Emperor's capital on earth, the place where heaven touches the ground, and says it is governed by the god Luwu, who has a tiger's body and nine tails. Tulou is the first creature the book lists after Luwu.
有兽焉，其状如羊而四角，名曰土蝼，是食人。
A beast lives here, like a ram with four horns, called the Tulou. It eats people.
The other creatures of Kunlun
Kunlun Hill is crowded with wonders. Right after Tulou comes the Qinyuan, a bird shaped like a bee but as large as a mandarin duck, whose sting kills animals and withers trees. Another bird looks after the Lord's clothing and belongings. A tree called the shatang has yellow flowers and red fruit that tastes like a plum with no stone; eating it keeps you from drowning. Great rivers, including the Yellow River and the Red River, are said to rise from this mountain and flow out to the rest of the world.
A man-eater at heaven's gate
Why would a man-eating ram live in the capital of heaven? The Shan Hai Jing does not explain, but the pattern around it is clear. Kunlun is guarded: its god has a tiger's body, its bird has a deadly sting, and its beast eats people. Read together, these creatures make the mountain dangerous for any ordinary person who tries to climb it. That is how we treated Tulou in Beasts of Shanhai: a stubborn, horned defender that hurts whatever attacks it.
Not the Fujian earth buildings
In English, tulou usually means the round earthen houses of Fujian province. The beast is a different word. The houses are written with the characters for earth and building, while the beast's name pairs earth with a character from the word for mole cricket, an insect that burrows in soil. The two only sound the same, so a search for tulou can lead to either.
Four-Horn Ram in Beasts of Shanhai
In our free browser game Beasts of Shanhai, Four-Horn Ram is a Earth beast that costs 1 Gold. Its skill is Spike Back. Whenever it is hit, it deals 1 extra thorns damage back to the attacker. At two stars the thorns deal 2, and at three stars 3.
Questions
Where does Tulou live?
On Kunlun Hill, which the Shan Hai Jing calls the Heavenly Emperor's capital on earth, in the third book of the Western Mountains.
Does Tulou eat people?
Yes. The whole entry says it looks like a ram with four horns, is called Tulou, and eats people.
Is the Tulou beast related to Fujian tulou houses?
No. The names sound alike in Chinese but are written with different characters; the houses are earthen buildings, the beast is a creature of Kunlun.
More creatures
Lu Wu 陆吾A god with a tiger's body, nine tails, a human face and tiger claws, who guards Kunlun for the Heavenly Emperor.
Qinyuan 钦原A bird shaped like a bee and as big as a mandarin duck. Its sting kills birds and beasts and withers trees.
Hundun 混沌A faceless god like a red sack, with six legs and four wings. It has no eyes, yet it knows song and dance.
Bifang 毕方A one-legged crane with red markings on blue and a white beak. Where it appears, strange fires break out.
Jufu 举父An ape-like beast with striped arms, as fierce as a leopard or tiger, famous for throwing things with great skill.
Tiangou 天狗A wildcat-like beast with a white head and a cry of "liu-liu". Keeping it near wards off evil.