Cirrus@Austlit

This Learning Trail brings together a number of texts from the Asian-Australian Children's Literature and Publishing (AACLAP) subset which feature mythical creatures. For instance, traditionally, the Chinese have four benevolent animals which represent the four points of the compass; they are the dragon, phoenix, tortoise, and unicorn. The dragon is considered the most powerful and important of these. Along with the mermaid, these creatures also play an important symbolic role in a number of other Asian cultures. This Trail, while focused on a mythical creatures of Asian folklore, includes reference to, and resources on, mythical creatures from other traditions such as Aboriginal and European beliefs and legends so that similarities and differences can be noted and influences traced.