Xiao

Connections

• It was deep in the long lost Library of the Seventh Empire that she freed her family’s ancestral guardian, the dragon Xiao

Context

"Xiao" could refer to a lot of things. Most likely, though, the name is being invoked for its connection to Chinese mythology or geography (a region, a mountain range, or a river). Either way, I couldn't find any clear connection between any form of Xiao and a dragon. Regardless, it seems that xiao is the Chinese word for small.

In any case, Xiao is described as the ancestral guardian for the Lin family. The veneration or worship of ancestors is part of Chinese folk religion. Worshiping the spirits of one's ancestors was considered to be a way to connect with more divine powers. I struggled to find references to creatures that act as family or ancestral guardians, like what Xiao seems to be. The only reference I've found is Disney's Mulan, a film that—while it was certainly created with careful consideration and research—it is, in the end, an American-made film about Chinese culture.