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Description
  Amongst the many design motifs used by the 11th Legion is the animal mask or taotie 饕餮. These "beast-face designs"—later called the taotie motif—dominated the ritual bronze art of the Cathay sector's second and third dynasties, which flourished over one thousand years before the Imperium. Often, these faces were rendered using a multiple-perspective approach, combining profile views of other animals to form a central zoomorphic image. The style is defined by its two round bulging eyes, a gaping mouth with no lower jaw, heavy brows, ears, and sometimes horns.

  It has perplexed Imperial archaeologists and scholars over this design’s meaning (if any), and there is still no clear answer. All agree that the taotie design is ancient, dating back to Cathay’s pre-dynastic past and being found across multiple art forms, including jade objects.

  What might the taotie have represented? Experts present several theories, many of which revolve around Cathay’s long tradition of ancestor veneration. Some argue that the taotie design depicts the animal helpers of shamans, who aided communication between the living and dead. Others assert that they are a depiction of masks that were worn to symbolize ancestors or nature spirits and used to dispel bad luck.

  Still, other scholars argue that since the taotie designs found on bronze vessels were used by the rich and powerful, they might have served as a status symbol. Thus, the taotie motif's prominence on the ritual vessels used to worship ancestors dispelled misfortune that might interfere with the effectiveness of the ritual. Additionally, since the word translated into Imperial Gothic means "glutton," it may have been a warning against wastefulness.

Description
  Amongst the many design motifs used by the 11th Legion is the animal mask or taotie 饕餮. These "beast-face designs"—later called the taotie motif—dominated the ritual bronze art of the Cathay sector's second and third dynasties, which flourished over one thousand years before the Imperium. Often, these faces were rendered using a multiple-perspective approach, combining profile views of other animals to form a central zoomorphic image. The style is defined by its two round bulging eyes, a gaping mouth with no lower jaw, heavy brows, ears, and sometimes horns.

  It has perplexed Imperial archaeologists and scholars over this design’s meaning (if any), and there is still no clear answer. All agree that the taotie design is ancient, dating back to Cathay’s pre-dynastic past and being found across multiple art forms, including jade objects.

  What might the taotie have represented? Experts present several theories, many of which revolve around Cathay’s long tradition of ancestor veneration. Some argue that the taotie design depicts the animal helpers of shamans, who aided communication between the living and dead. Others assert that they are a depiction of masks that were worn to symbolize ancestors or nature spirits and used to dispel bad luck.

  Still, other scholars argue that since the taotie designs found on bronze vessels were used by the rich and powerful, they might have served as a status symbol. Thus, the taotie motif's prominence on the ritual vessels used to worship ancestors dispelled misfortune that might interfere with the effectiveness of the ritual. Additionally, since the word translated into Imperial Gothic means "glutton," it may have been a warning against wastefulness.