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In many mythologies across the world, confluences may arise from cultures that both have similar explanations for natural phenomena, to cultural exports that navigate across whole continents to be assimilated over time, such as the Indo-European cultural pipeline or the paths religions like Buddhism took to influence countries like Japan or China.
The myth of Fenrir is not the only one of its kind, as an example.
Tiangou is a creature — depicted as a dog or meteor — in Chinese folklore that ate the moon or sun during an eclipse. Its name translates directly to “Heavenly Dog” and, in addition to eating celestial bodies, Tiangou was assigned the task of guarding the gates of heaven. Tiangou’s enormous size made him an obvious choice for the task; however, that same characteristic struck fear in the heart of humanity.
Ashveil's heavy motifs, such as the Myth of Fenrir (of how its many moving parts inform his character/design), have a surprising foothold in Chinese mythos, too. Tiangou is described not only as a black dog that can devour the sun and moon, but also as the bringer of eclipses (like Fenrir or Skoll/Hati). More than that, the Tiangou is also said to be the guardian of the gates of heaven, a function that mirrors the Gnostic leviathan, upon which HSR's leviathans are modeled upon, as the mythology of the leviathan ties heavily with Ashveil's connection to the Voracity and the "shadow." As both are the guardians of the gates of heaven.
As a bad spirit, it is a black dog that eats the Moon. According to the legends, as an interpretation of a lunar eclipse, after Houyi shot down the nine Suns in the sky, he was awarded with an immortality-granting pill by the Queen Mother of the West. Before he could eat it, his wife Chang'e ate it, hoping she could maintain her youth. Chang'e felt her body getting lighter and flew away. Seeing this, a black dog that Hou Yi was rearing went inside her room and licked the remains of the pill. He then chased after Chang'e, getting bigger and bigger. Chang'e, terrified, hid on the Moon. The black dog then ate the Moon, along with Chang'e.
After being informed of this, the Queen Mother of the West captured the dog. Surprised to see that the dog was actually Hou Yi's, she assigned him to guard the gates of heavens and bestowed upon him the title of Tiangou. Tiangou spat the Moon and Chang'e back out, and Chang'e continued living on the Moon.
- Tiangou, Wikipedia
Tiangou, surprisingly enough, also has ties with the myth of Chang'e and Houyi, the mythological inspirations behind Dan Heng, Ren, and their karmic struggle that has transcended literal lifetimes. (As this video by Lalody's Lore explains in full.)
The mythological implication of Tiangou in the legend of Houyi and Chang'e is damning when one considers the fact that:
- The Tiangou's existence mirrors Ashveil's relationship with Lan exactly because, as Lalody's video states, Houyi was a heavy inspiration for Lan's design and concept, while the Tiangou was Lan's heavenly hound that licked the powder of the immortality tonic that granted Chang'e her immortality, mirroring Ashveil's unusually long life and his position of one of Lan's Galaxy Rangers with unwavering faith in the Reignbow.
- Tiangou's involvement in the legend of Chang'e and Houyi has heavy implications when one considers the fact that, in the myth of Chang'e, Ren/YX is meant to be Houyi while DF/DH are Chang'e. Not only does Houyi and Tiangou's relationship inform Ren/YX and Ashveil's friendship, but it also nods to Ashveil's involvement in the Shuhu Upheaval Period.
Simply put, Ashveil's mythic counterpart in Chinese mythology solidly connects him to the stories of YX and DF, and to their current lives. To the Shuhu Upheaval Period, and even outside that still.