Yiqinglong
There are many legends about dragons, and there are also many stories about the origin of dragons. Some said it was imported from India, while others said it was transformed from China. India itself is said by the dragon god, but the status of dragons in India is not high, and there is a real thing-python.
Among the four gods, according to Shan Hai Jing,' Southern Zhurong is a beast with a face and rides two dragons.' ; In the west of Ru Shou, there is a snake in the left ear. You can ride two dragons. ; In the East, there is Ju Mang, who is a bird and a man, riding two dragons. ; In the north, Yu Jiang, with black hands and feet, rode two dragons. Interestingly, the dragons in Shan Hai Jing are all riding, while the snakes of the same kind with him are all being led or held or held or wrapped around their necks, which shows the difference between them. However, the five gods are different from the four gods, so I won't elaborate here. Suzaku, Xuanwu (black tortoise snake, martial arts means tortoise snake), Qinglong and Baihu represent the twenty-eight lodges in four directions respectively. The dragon is the seven lodges in the East-horn, clang, car, room, heart, tail and dustpan. These seven lodges are all dragon-shaped. As can be seen from their meanings, horns are the horns of dragons, and clanging is dragons.
In China after ancient times, the male dragon had horns on his head; Double horns are called dragons, and single horns are called dumplings; Those with horns are poisonous snakes. In ancient times, there were often large and small Ssangyong in Yu Pei, and it was still called mother and son poisonous snakes. The status of dragons is much higher than that of India. Because it is sacred and supreme in the dragon, it is also a symbol of the emperor. It is also the representative of the east, and the five elements belong to wood. Because cyan belongs to wood, there is the saying of Zuo Qinglong and you Bai Hu.
Among the 28 stars, seven stars in the East-Jiao, Kang, Bian, Fang, Xin, Wei and Ji-are used among the stars. The ancients imagined them as Jackie Chan. Because it is located in the east, the five parties are colored according to the theory that the east is blue, so it is named' Qinglong'.
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In Four Holy Beasts, China, another dragon is often compared with the "white tiger"; The tiger is the leader of all animals. Its strength and legendary ability to subdue ghosts make it a beast belonging to Yang, and it often goes out with dragons. The cloud follows the dragon and the wind follows the tiger' to become the best partner for subduing ghosts.
And the white tiger is also the god of war and war. The white tiger has many magical powers, such as avoiding evil, avoiding disasters, praying and punishing evil, promoting good, making a fortune, and tying the knot. And it is one of the four spirits, and of course it is also changed from the stars. Among these 28 stars, there are 7 in the west: osmium, building, stomach, ang, bi, Gou and Shen. Therefore, it is the representative of the west, and its whiteness is due to the west. The five elements belong to gold and the color is white. So it is called white tiger not because it is white, but because it comes from five elements.
"Ancient History of Tiangong" records, "Black Dragon in the East Palace, Zhu Bird in the South Palace, Fairy Pool in the West Palace, Gong Bei Xuanwu." This is not a white tiger, but a salty pool. Salty pond is the star of staple food. Mainly in autumn, because the grain is harvested in autumn, it is released in autumn. But it's not an animal. How can it be combined with dragons, birds and turtles into four spirits? In "Justice": "The three stars in Xianchi are among the five cars, and the sky hits the south, and the fish and birds also scream." Therefore, the song dynasty questioned:' black dragon, Zhu bird, Xuanwu, seven nights are considered together. As for Xianchi, don't be a star and stay away from 28 nights. There is another explanation for the salty pool, which is where the sun bathes. In Huai Nan Zi. Astronomy:' The sun rises in the valley, bathes in the salty pool and blows on the hibiscus, which is called morning light'. It can be seen that Xianchi was originally regarded as the sunrise place by Qiang people. Xianchi is also an alkali lake, which should be Minshan area or Shantou Lake in Qinghai. It can be proved that the astrology worshipped by primitive people does not have the concept of dragon and white tiger. The Book of Rites says:' Returning to the dragon in the face of the wind is called the Four Spirits.' Replace the salty pool that does not belong to animals with Kirin. Later generations have the habit of four spirits, four elephants and four tigers.
And because the White Tiger is a god of war and an axe, many brave generals are said to be famous white tigers, such as Luo Cheng and Xue and his son in the Tang Dynasty. In addition, the white tiger was absorbed and released by Taoism, deified and became the keeper of various temples.
Sanzhuque
Suzaku can also be said to be a phoenix or a mysterious bird. Suzaku is one of the four spirits, and like the other three spirits, it comes from the star, which is the general name of the seven southern nights: well, ghost, willow, star, Zhang, wing and bird. Think of it as Suzaku. Scarlet, like fire, the south belongs to fire, hence the name Phoenix. It also has the characteristics of being far from fire, also called fire phoenix, just like the immortal birds in the west.
According to ancient books, Phoenix is a beautiful bird, and its singing and manners are the king of birds. It can bring auspicious feelings to the world, and at the same time it has the special spirituality of' don't be an unripe phoenix tree, don't eat bamboo, and don't drink water from a spring'. Because it is the length of feather worm, it gradually becomes a pair with the legendary dragon with the length of scale worm.
There are many prototypes of Phoenix. Such as golden pheasants, peacocks, vultures, mandarin ducks, blackbirds (swallows), etc ... Some people say it is a Buddhist Dapeng golden winged bird. According to the phoenix myth, the phoenix has a chicken's head, a swallow's chin, a snake's neck, a fish's tail and five-color stripes. There are five kinds of phoenixes, divided by color: red for phoenixes, green for phoenixes, white for swans, and yellow for purples.
Four kinds of basalt
Xuanwu is a spiritual thing composed of turtles and snakes. Xuanwu originally meant Xuanming, and the ancient sounds of Wu and Ming are interlinked. Wu means black; Ghost means yin. At first, Xuan Ming described the turtle divination as follows: the turtle's back is black, and the turtle divination first invited the turtle to ask questions in the underworld, brought back the answers and showed them to the world in the form of divination. Therefore, the earliest Xuanwu is the tortoise. Since then, the meaning of Xuanming has been expanding. Turtles live in rivers, lakes and seas (including turtles), so Xuan Ming became a water god; The tortoise lives long, and Xuan Ming has become a symbol of immortality; It turned out that the underworld was in the north, and the divination of Oracle Bone Inscriptions in Shang Dynasty was' its divination will be in the north', so Xuan Ming became a northern god again.
Xuanwu, like other three spirits, is also derived from the 28 stars on earth: bucket, ox, female, air, danger, house and wall. However, people after ancient times have the following explanations for Xuanwu. Xuanwu' is a tortoise. "Book of Rites. "Quli Shang" says:' Zhu bird before departure, then Xuanwu ...'' Xuanwu' is a tortoise and snake. Supplementary Notes on Hong Xingzu's Songs of the South. Travel far:' Xuanwu is called tortoise and snake. Located in the north, it is called Xuan. With a scale, it is called martial arts. Xuanwu is a combination of snakes, turtles and snakes.
However, Xuanwu was upgraded to the "Zhenwu Emperor" in the north by later Taoist priests. Different from the other three spirits. Other green dragons and white tigers only became the gatekeepers of the mountain temple, and Zhu Bird became the Xuan Nv of another day.
It is often said by later generations that during the reign of Yang Di, the Jade Emperor became one of his three souls, Empress Lezheng, tired of the world, abandoned Wudang Mountain for practice, and successfully ascended to heaven, defended the north and lived in Xuanwu, posthumous title.
Another one:
Kirin, also known as Kirin, is an animal in ancient legends in China. Together with phoenix, turtle and dragon, it is also called "four spirits", ranking first among the four spirits.
Kirin, an animal, was created by mixing thoughts according to the way of thinking of China people. Judging from its external shape, it is characterized by moose body, oxtail, horseshoe shape (called "wolf's hoof" in history books), fish scale skin, horns with meat at the corners and yellow. This model is a new combination after dismembering many real animals. It concentrates all the advantages of these precious animals on Kirin, a fictional beast, which fully embodies the concept of "Jimei" of China people.
Kirin is an auspicious animal. It is peaceful and long-lived. Deer itself is an animal trainer, strong and good at running, which is of great benefit to people. The legendary special god of Bailuyuan. There is a folk saying that Kirin sends children. Kirin is mainly deer, which has the characteristics of cattle, sheep and horses. Its comprehensive aspects are not as extensive as those of Longfeng, but its reputation is not small. The study of Kirin is not as popular as that of Longfeng culture. It is not clear who its original author is and where it came from. Some scholars speculate that it may be the ancestor of Zhou people, because Zhou people originally lived in the northwest, when the northwest was rich in aquatic plants and suitable for the growth of deer.
In slave society and feudal society, the dragon and phoenix were seized by the supreme ruler, losing the original meaning of totem synthesis and becoming the symbol of the emperor and queen of the supreme ruler. Kirin, with good nature, has been squeezed into the people in the power competition, and the people expect it to bring good years, good fortune, long life and beauty.
One-legged dragon monster in ancient China legend
Legend has it that there is a "Liubo Mountain" in the East China Sea of China, and Wei Xiao lives in Shan Ye. Kui's body and head are like cows, but she has no horns, only one leg, and she is black and blue. It is said that Wei Xiao emits the light of the sun and the moon and thunderous cries. As long as it goes in and out of the water, it will definitely cause storms. In the war between the Yellow Emperor and Chiyou, the Yellow Emperor captured Chiyou, made snare drum out of his skin, and made drumsticks out of his bones. As a result, the sound of playing this drum can spread all over Fiona Fang for 500 miles, which greatly improved the morale of the Yellow Emperor's army and made Chiyou's army terrible.
Wei Xiao was born with heaven and earth. There are only three or more drums in the world. The first and second drums were killed by Qin Shihuang, but Qin Shihuang did not have the achievements of the Yellow Emperor, so this drum made of Wei Xiao skin is not so magical.
Candle dragon
God beast in China ancient mythology. Also known as Yin Candle, he also wrote talon. A man with a dragon face and a candle in his mouth lit up the shadow of a dark place in the northwest. Legend has it that he has boundless magic. When he opens his eyes, the whole world lights up, that is, during the day; When you close your eyes, it will be dark, that is, at night. Today's cultural historians believe that Candle dragon is the myth of the northern dragon totem clan, and its true colors should be male roots, which evolved from male genitals. It came into being later than the era of female worship. Chu Ci Tian Wen: "Why is the northwest open?" What about Candle dragon if the weather is bad? Another "big move": "There is a cold mountain in the north, and the dragon is forgiven. Shan Hai Jing Huang Da Jing: "Beyond the Northwest Sea, to the north of Chishui, there is Zhang Wei. There is a god, the snake's face is red, and his straight eyes are riding a horse, gloomy and bright. No food, no sleep, no rain. This is a nine-shade candle, which means Candle dragon. "Overseas Classics": "The God of Zhongshan, named Yin Candle, regards it as day, sleeps as night, blows it as winter, calls it summer, does not drink or eat, and rests it as wind; It is 1000 miles long, in the east of the cave. It is a thing, a human face, a snake's body, and a red color. It lives at the foot of Zhongshan Mountain. " See Gong's Outline of Primitive Worship.
Candle dragon is a snake-faced monster with red skin and lives in extremely cold places in the north. It has great power. As long as you open your eyes, night becomes day. As soon as its eyes are closed, the day turns back to night. When it blows, it is covered with dark clouds and heavy snow, and it becomes winter; Breathing, the sun immediately becomes hot, and the flowing gold and stones become summer. It always crouches there, not eating or drinking, not sleeping or breathing-because once it breathes, it becomes Changfeng Wan Li. Its divine power can shine under the grave. It is said that it often contains a candle that shines in the gloomy Tianmen in the north, so people call it "Yin Candle".
A person who loves ...
Chinese pinyin: tāo tiè
Gluttony (pinyin: Tāotiè) is a legendary fierce and gluttonous beast. Ancient bronzes are often decorated with head shapes, which are called gluttony. Legend has it that the dragon gave birth to nine sons.
"Gluttony" is a mythical beast in ancient legends in China, and its greatest feature is that it can eat. Gluttony is a fictional mysterious monster. This monster has no body, only a big head and a big mouth. It is very greedy and eats everything it sees. Because it ate too much, it finally choked to death. This is a symbol of greed.
According to Ci Hai, gluttony is a legendary gluttonous beast. In ancient Zhong Ding, the shape of its head was carved into a decoration. "
When the word gluttony is explained in Ci Hai, it is said that gluttony is "greed, the book of rites and music in the Han Dynasty"; The Danger of Gluttony Yan Shigu notes: "Greed is more gluttonous." Especially gluttony. "
"Lu's Spring and Autumn Annals": "Gluttony is the body."
There are three issues to be noted in the above paragraphs:
First, gluttony is a kind of "evil beast", not a fish, snake, python or crocodile, not a fish or reptile. There are also gluttonous patterns in Shang and Ci Hai. As long as you look at it, you can recognize who that fierce beast looks like, very much like the front of a wolf, with round eyes and fierce eyes.
Second, gluttony is very greedy. This characteristic clearly points out the characteristics of wolves. "Extreme gluttony" is one of the most prominent characteristics of coyotes. We have raised wolves, and we know this nature of wolves too well. We can cite countless examples of wolfing down food. There is no animal more greedy than a wolf. If you don't believe me, you can ask the old herdsmen who is the most "gluttonous beast" in the world. The answer must be a wolf. As we all know, "greed" is synonymous with wolf nature. Dong Zhongshu said that greed for wolves was a common custom in Qin dynasty, and he also juxtaposed greed with wolves. People in China always describe gluttony as "gorging" and put wolves in front of tigers. Wolves are more greedy than tigers. When describing greed, they all say "wolf ambition", not "tiger ambition"
Because gluttony has the characteristics of "evil beast" and "very gluttonous wolf", and the gluttonous mode is very similar to a wolf. Therefore, the legendary gluttony is probably a wolf, or a beast evolved from a wolf.
Third, gluttony has become the main decoration of business and harmony, which involves a series of problems. Baoding was an important weapon of the Chinese nation in the Bronze Age. In the Zhou Dynasty, "Ding" was a symbol of the supreme kingship and a ritual vessel, as well as a ritual vessel for offering sacrifices to heaven and ancestors. In the eyes of Chinese ancestors, Ding was in the position of national "totem pole". Therefore, only the totem belonging to the nation is qualified to climb such a lofty position, and it is carved on the Baoding. This phenomenon also reflects two problems: First, in the Shang and Zhou Dynasties, Huaxia people may still worship the wolf totem, at least the animal totem, and the totem worship legacy of the ancestors of Huangdi people in Yan Di may still exist, while Huaxia people in the Zhou Dynasty were deeply influenced by the wolf totem, because the Zhou Dynasty originated in Xirong, and Xirong was mostly a nomadic people who worshipped the wolf totem. Secondly, the "dragon" at that time may not have been generally accepted, and it has not really become the national totem of the Chinese nation. Otherwise, Baoding, a symbol of imperial power, will be decorated mainly with dragons. Moreover, at that time, Zhou had not yet sat on the throne of the dragon. At that time, he continued the nomadic legacy of Yanhuang and sat on the floor.
The decorative patterns on the Zhou Ding are mainly composed of gluttonous patterns and moire patterns, with gluttony as the center and moire patterns around. Obviously, the gluttonous beast is in the sky, sticking its head out of the clouds and looking down at the world. Its body is hidden in the clouds. I don't know whether there is a snake body or a dragon body, but if the dragon body is attached to the back of the gluttonous head, it is not far from the later standard dragon. So I think there may be a transitional stage between the wolf totem and the dragon totem. Gluttony not only has the character of a wolf, but also has the ferocious face of the context.
The real name and prototype of the beast referred to in the animal face pattern have long been buried in an era that cannot be reproduced. Later generations were named gluttonous because of their ferocious, mysterious and horrible faces, and some of them still had heads in their mouths. Gluttony was originally used in Zuo Zhuan to describe those heartless people who are greedy for money and food. Some scholars in modern times pointed out that naming the animal face pattern gluttonous is purely far-fetched and contrary to the social and cultural conditions in Shang and Zhou Dynasties.
Because of its fierce and horrible face and notorious gluttony, the trace of this beast in the cultural and artistic evolution of China is almost impossible to find. In the mid-Western Zhou Dynasty, animal ornamentation, which had prevailed for hundreds of years, suddenly withdrew from the main pattern of bronze decoration. However, several animal patterns, such as dragon, tiger, phoenix and turtle, which appeared on bronzes at the same time, appeared in official and folk cultures in the later cultural evolution, and became the most famous mascot and endless theme of artistic expression in China culture. Dragons, in particular, in the bronze age, mostly had the same ferocious face as gluttonous patterns. As far as mystery, power and status are concerned, dragons were far less than gluttony in the Bronze Age. However, the dragon later ascended the highest throne of China's cultural and political symbol, but "gluttony", the supreme of the Bronze Age, was hard to find.
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The ancient legend of the motherland is very profound!