According to Chinese mythology, a Nian is a beast that lives under the sea or in the mountains. The character Nian more usually means "year" or "new year". The earliest written sources that refer to the Nian as a creature date only to the early Republic of China era (i.e. early 20th century). As a result, it is unclear whether the Nian creature is an authentic part of traditional folk mythology, or a part of a local oral tradition which was recorded in the early 20th century, or the invention of modern writers attempting to create a myth to explain various cultural traditions related to the Chinese New Year.