Cultural depictions of tigers
[3][4] In Korean mythology and culture, the tiger is regarded as a guardian that drives away evil spirits and a sacred creature that brings good luck – the symbol of courage and absolute power.
[citation needed] A man killed by a tiger would turn into a spiteful ghost, called "Changgwi" (Korean: 창귀), and must seek out the next victim to exchange fates in order to die in peace.
[5] In Buddhism, the tiger is one of the Three Senseless Creatures, symbolising anger, with the monkey representing greed and the deer lovesickness.
[9] In Bhutan, the tiger is venerated as one of the four powerful animals called the "four dignities", and a tigress is believed to have carried Padmasambhava from Singye Dzong to the Paro Taktsang monastery in the late 8th century.
The Warli believe that shrines and sacrifices to the deity will lead to better coexistence with the local big cats, both tigers and leopards, and that Waghoba will protect them when they enter the forests.
[12] The weretiger replaces the werewolf in shapeshifting folklore in Asia;[13] in India they were evil sorcerers, while in Indonesia and Malaysia they were somewhat more benign.
[15] Representations of tigers have been discovered dating at least as far back as 5000 BC, during the neolithic cultures that preceded China proper.
The Four Symbols—the tiger, dragon, phoenix, and turtle—are extremely commonly depicted in Chinese art, even outside mythic and astrological contexts.
On a branch of a green pine tree sits a magpie and the tiger (or leopard), with a humorous expression, looks up at the bird.
Kkachi horangi, paintings depicting magpies and tigers, was a prominent motif in the minhwa folk art of the Joseon period.
The tiger is featured in the mediaeval Chinese novel Water Margin, where the cat battles and is slain by the bandit Wu Song,[20] Yann Martel's novel Life of Pi features the title character surviving shipwreck for months on a small boat with a large Bengal tiger while avoiding being eaten.
Gold coins found in Kavilayadavalli in the Nellore district of Andhra Pradesh have motifs of the tiger, bow and some indistinct marks.
[citation needed] The Tiger is featured on the logo of the Delhi Capitals Indian Premier League team.
This creature has several notable differences from real tigers, lacking stripes and having a leonine tufted tail and a head terminating in large, pointed jaws.
The Bengal tiger is not a common creature in heraldry, but is used as a supporter in the arms of Bombay and emblazoned on the shield of the University of Madras.
