Inscribed next to the figures are their curious and descriptive names, such as "Long-Tongue," "Lightning-Flash" and "Gnaw-Rocks," many now only partly intelligible to modern Chinese.
元氏墓志畫像採古代鬼神畫一貫的飛走線條，畫上的怪物旁刻有攫天、長舌、掣電、霹雷、烏擭、拓仰、螭、齧石、推遠、迴光等字樣，有些我們可以從文獻得之，如烏擭為戰國時之力士，有的無法得知原由。