Introduction on Spiritual Animal Suan Ni (神獸狻猊簡介)

Suan Ni (狻猊) aka Jin Ni (金猊) or Ling Ni (靈猊), one of the 10 Spiritual Animals in the Ancient Era (上古十大神獸) and also the Ancient addressing term for Lion.

According to Records, Suan Ni is the 8th Son of First Dragon in the Universe (狻猊為龍之八子). Even though Suan Ni is the son of Dragon, but Suan Ni don’t really have the look of a Dragon, instead, having a look of more to like a Lion.

According to the decription, Suan Ni has a look of big head (生有大頭), with long nose (長鼻) & a big mouth (大嘴). Very long and some said curly hair around the big head (頭繞長卷毛), a long body (as compare to the Lion that we see today 身長), four powerful paws with long sharp pointed nails (強足利甲) and a long bushy tail (溜長羽尾).

Due to Suan Ni is the son of the Dragon, since young, Suan Ni is already being enhanced with Spiritual Power. And so, whenever there are Religious Events going on, Suan Ni will appeared to do protection or guarding, till today, folks still believed in that.

And because of having this type of behaviour, in later part of the Chinese History, after Urn is being invented, Suan Ni is being imported into the art of making of Urn.

Those Masters who make Urn will tend to create 3 Suan Ni at the bottom of the Urn, making the 3 Suan Ni to hold-on to the Urn.

Besides that, the 2 Lion heads that we usually see on the Urn are actually Suan Ni (but due to some external influences and not having enough information of how a Suan Ni looks like, in modern days Urn, usually Qi Lin or Lion head is being replaced with the Suan Ni head).

According to Spiritual Records, once the Urn gets enough incenses-offering from the folks, the Spirits of Suan Ni will be enhanced onto the Urn to do other minor necessary blessing for the folks & area.

Today, in modern World, Suan Ni is being used by Geomancy Masters to represent Spiritual Power (靈氣), Braveness (勇猛) & Strong (堅強). For those who wished to have better luck in whatever one self does, Suan Ni will be used to do the enhancing.

And also, for blessing of Bearing-children.