ORIGIN Taoist (Chinese). Guardian god.
KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP circa AD 300 until present.
SYNONYMS Li No Cha.
CENTER(S) OF CULT throughout Chinese culture.
ART REFERENCES paintings and sculptures.
LITERARY SOURCES various philosophical and religious texts, mostly inadequately researched and untranslated.
Continue reading “NA CHA (here is a loud cry)”God of passage. Chinese.
One of a pair of deities, armed with bow and arrows, who guard doorways and gates. Paper images are pinned to entrances of homes during the New Year celebrations to ward off evil spirits.
Continue reading “Men Shen”Astral god. Chinese. Allegedly a deified emperor, the so-called “yellow emperor,” who rules the moving as distinct from dark heavens, the latter being presided over by the god PAK TAI. He is attributed with giving mankind the wheel.
Immortal being. Taoist (Chinese). One of the “eight immortals” of Taoist mythology. Once mortal beings, they achieved immortality through their lifestyle. Attributes include a basket of flowers and a flute.
God of luck. Chinese. He is often linked in iconography with TSAI SHEN, god of wealth, and SHOU LAO, god of longevity. Usually depicted with his son, and wearing blue robes, which signify his official position.
ORIGIN Taoist (Chinese). Goddess of longevity.
KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP from prehistoric times until present.
SYNONYMS Xi Wang Mu.
CENTER(S) OF CULT throughout Chinese culture.
Continue reading “HSI WANG MU (queen of the western heaven)”
River god. Taoist (Chinese). The so-called “Count of the River,” the deity who controls all rivers but particularly the Yellow River, and who is the subject of an official cult and sacrifice.
Immortal being. Taoist (Chinese). One of the “eight immortals” of Taoist mythology, she was once a mortal being who achieved immortality through her lifestyle. The tutelary goddess of housewives and the only female deity among the group. Attributes include a ladle, lotus and peach fruit.
Sky god. Chinese. Described as the “Count of the Wind,” which he releases from a sack, he has strong links with the sea. He was originally regarded as malevolent and the antagonist of the god Shen Yi. Feng Po may be depicted in human form as an old man with a white beard, or in the guise of a dragon with the head of a bird or a deer. Also Fei Lian; Fei Lien; Feng Bo.
God of the afterlife. Taoist (Chinese). The head of the heavenly Ministry of Exorcism, and allegedly the first head of the Taoist church. By tradition he vanquished the five poisonous animals— the centipede, scorpion, snake, spider and toad—placing their venom in a flask in which he concocted the elixir of life. Having drunk the contents at the age of 123, he ascended to heaven. He is depicted riding upon a tiger and brandishing a sword. Before the communist takeover of China, the gods of exorcism lived in a sanctuary on the Dragon Tiger mountain in Kiangsi province. Exorcised spirits were trapped in jars which were stored in the cellars.
Witch's Well 