Every year, many natural disasters occur around the world, including earthquakes. I was born in a country that frequently experiences earthquakes: Taiwan. There are around 2000 earthquakes each year, most of which are minor and imperceptible, but strong earthquakes also occur quite often. As a result, we have had a legend about animals and earthquakes since ancient times.
Coincidentally, in other earthquake-prone countries such as Japan, Chile, Mongolia, and Siberia, there are also legends related to animals and earthquakes. These legends inspired me to create this series of works.
● Taiwan
Legend has it that there’s a buffalo living underground, and when it turns over, it causes an earthquake.
● Mongolia
Mongolians once believed that the world sat on the back of an enormous frog.
When this huge frog moved, it would stumble, and the Earth would move directly above the part of the frog that had shifted.
● Japan
A giant catfish, or namazu, lies curled up under the sea, with the islands of Japan resting on his back.
A daimyojin holds a heavy stone over his head to keep him from moving. Once in a while, when the daimyojin is distracted, the namazu moves and the Earth trembles.
● Siberia
The Earth rests on a sledge driven by a god. The dogs who pull the sledge have fleas.
When they stop to scratch, the Earth shakes.
● Chile
People in southern Chile think the earthquake is made by a fierce battle between two mythical snakes.
The process 2D > 3D
Thank you Behance and Adobe for sharing my Mythical Animals of Earthquake.
