Possible (corrected) origin: the Qionqi
Ting-Lu is actually probably NOT based on the Taotie, but rather the Qionqi. It's another of the Four Perils of Chinese myth, an is specifically ox-like. Additionally, the Taotie lines up better as inspiration for Wo-Chien, as its design includes "a pair of raised eyes and typically no lower jaw area" as described by Wikipedia, which sounds a lot more like the snail than the bull. While Ting-Lu most certainly was created from a cursed ding, it is not itself the Taotie represented on dings, but rather the Qionqi. This especially makes sense when you consider that each of the four Treasures of Ruin has a counterpart it appears to take some degree of inspiration from out of the Four Perils. ACDragonMaster (talk) 03:30, 19 December 2022 (UTC)