The Dragon Kings of the Four Seas: Ao Guang, the Dragon King of the East Sea, Ao Qin, the Dragon King of the South Sea, Ao Shun, the Dragon King of the West Sea, and Ao Run, the Dragon King of the North Sea.
Those with green faces and red beards are in the east, those with white hair and beards are in the west, those with orange hair and beards are in the south, and those with black hair and beards are in the north.
Dragon, with green face and red beard, is the east: The green dragon is one of the four images in traditional Chinese culture. According to the Five Elements theory, the eastern spiritual beast is a blue dragon.
Dragon is not unique to China. Many ethnic groups have myths and legends about dragons. But China is the only country where dragons are proud and respected, and all kinds of things are somewhat related to dragons. In China, there are thousands of places with dragon names, some of which are named after numbers, such as Erlong in Jilin Province, Sanlong in Jiangxi Province, and Silong in Liaoning Province; some are named after the dragon's body. Such as the dragon head in Jiangxi Province, the dragon horn in Sichuan Province, the dragon forehead in Guizhou Province, and the dragon claw in Heilongjiang Province; some are themed after dragon groups, which can be composed of dragon king, dragon mother, big dragon, small dragon, golden dragon, wooden dragon, water dragon, etc. Earth dragon and so on. There are more than 40 rivers with the word "dragon" in China that can be found. The yellow, green, red, white and black dragons we are familiar with are found in Sichuan Province (Huanglong River) and Hebei Province (Qinglong River and Chilong River) respectively. There are rivers named after them in Tianjin (Qinglongwan River and Heilonggang River), Gansu Province (Bailongjiang River), Shanghai (Bailonggang River) and Heilongjiang Province (Heilongjiang River). Almost every province has Longjiang, Longhu, Longshan, Longdong, Longquan, Longtan, and countless Dragon King temples.
There are also traces of dragons in daily life. The clothes include dragon robes and dragon crowns; the food includes lobster, longan, and dragon beard noodles; the buildings include dragon palaces and dragon pavilions; and there are dragon boats and dragon chariots in the streets. The furniture has dragon chairs and dragon beds. There is a dragon lantern dance on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, and a dragon boat race on the Dragon Boat Festival in May. Animals include dragon horses and dragon fleas; plants include nightshade, agave, asparagus, asparagus, cypress, and Sophora japonica. The geomantic treasure is called Dragon Cave, the waterwheel that pumps water is called keel waterwheel, and the big crane is called gantry crane. There are dragon stars in the sky and dragon veins underground. There are no less than hundreds of nouns related to dragons in ancient books. There are eighty-one dragon mythological novels collected in "Taiping Guangji" edited a thousand years ago. In China, dragons are almost everywhere. Dragon culture has a long history.
The ancients regarded the dragon as a divine and spiritual creature, and it was very changeable. It could be thin or huge, short or long, it could go deep into the water or soar into the sky. Legends about dragons can be found in almost every book in ancient Chinese classics, and there are countless legends and myths about dragons. Classics such as the "Book of Changes" give a complete and systematic discussion of dragons and give them philosophical meanings. In the Bagua, the overall dragon is used to illustrate the Qian hexagram, which is also the first hexagram in the "Book of Changes".
In addition, dragon legends and myths have appeared throughout the ages, and many places named after the word "dragon" also have dragon legends. As far back as the time of the Yellow Emperor, there are legends about the Yellow Emperor ascending to heaven on a dragon, and Yinglong helped the Yellow Emperor defeat Chiyou; when Xia Yu controlled floods, legend has it that a divine dragon drew the ground with its tail to form a river to divert floods; the legend of Liu Bang, the emperor of the Han Dynasty, was his mother's dream Seen mating with a red dragon and getting pregnant and born. From many stories and legends, we can see that people often focus all kinds of virtues and excellent qualities on dragons. Legend has it that the tradition of frying corn on the second day of February every year is to commemorate Yilong's efforts to relieve the suffering of drought in the world, even at the expense of offending the laws of heaven. Legend has it that the Jade Dragon was imprisoned by the Jade Emperor because he could not bear the suffering of the people from drought and helped the people with rain. He made a rule that he would be released only when the golden beans bloomed. The people gathered together to fry corn because they were grateful for Jade Dragon's righteous deeds. Because it looked like golden beans blooming, Taibai Jinxing, who was in charge of it, misunderstood it and released Jade Dragon. The tradition of frying corn on the second day of February every year has also been preserved.
Of course, in legends, there are righteous dragons that do good, but naturally there are also evil dragons that do disaster. As one of the Taoist traditions, the Dragon King also began to appear as a villain. Many places in China named after the word "dragon" also have dragon legends, including stories of evil dragons wreaking havoc. Just like Heilongjiang, it is said that white dragons have caused trouble in the past. Later, in a village by the river, a family went into labor and gave birth to a black dragon. It turns out that the Black Dragon came to help get rid of the White Dragon, and the villagers followed his instructions and supported him. Finally, the White Dragon was eliminated, and people named the river Heilongjiang in memory of the Black Dragon. There is Wolong Lake in Jiuzhaigou Valley in Sichuan Province. There is a creamy yellow stone beam at the bottom of the lake, which is said to be the incarnation of the white dragon. There are two big rivers near Jiuzhaigou, one is called Heishui River, where legend has it that a big black dragon once lived there; the other is Bailong River, where a small white dragon lives. Legend has it that the black dragon was jealous of the scenery of Jiuzhaigou and sucked up the water there. When the little white dragon found out, he sprayed water from the Bailong River into Jiuzhaigou to restore its beauty.
When Black Dragon found out, he started a fierce fight with White Dragon. When Black Dragon was defeated, he used a trick to poison the little White Dragon, and Little White Dragon was forced to flee to one of the lakes in Jiuzhaigou Valley. In order to find out the whereabouts of Bailong, Black Dragon alerted the Tibetan God of Ten Thousand Mountains, and was finally imprisoned by the mountain god and could no longer do evil. In recognition of the white dragon, the God of Ten Thousand Mountains gave it a set of golden armor. This is the origin of the legend of Wolong Lake. Dragon is also the totem of primitive people. It is an illusory creature that only exists in totems and does not exist in the biological world. The image of the dragon known today combines the characteristics of various creatures: snake body, animal legs, eagle claws, horse head, snake tail, antlers, and fish scales. Some studies have pointed out that the image of the dragon has undergone constant development and change. In the long historical process, through wars and alliances, the people who believe in the dragon totem have gradually become leaders, and the dragon totem has gradually become the banner believed by the entire Chinese nation. The images of totems originally believed by other ethnic groups were gradually absorbed and enriched into the image of the dragon. Therefore, the dragon has more and more characteristics, and its image becomes increasingly complex and mighty.
People also focus all kinds of virtues and excellent qualities on dragons. We have seen from many stories and legends: the dragon is brave and good at fighting, it is not afraid of any violence; the dragon is smart and wise, it can even foresee the future; the dragon has great abilities, it can be big or small, changeable, interesting Clouds make rain, thunder and lightning, open rivers and move mountains, and their power is boundless; the dragon is rich, and the dragon palace has become a concentration of treasures; the dragon is upright and can think about the people. In order to relieve the suffering of drought in the world, it even does not hesitate to do so. Offend the rules of heaven. People's good wishes are concentrated on dragons, and outstanding figures in the world are often called dragons among people. Zhuge Liang's so-called Mr. Wolong is a familiar example. The Dragon Emperor, also known as the Heavenly Emperor, is also called the Jade Emperor. Legend has it that he is the incarnation of the Yellow Emperor, the ancestor of the Chinese nation. It is recorded in "Historical Records: Book of Fengchan" that the Yellow Emperor and the people mined copper mines in Shoushan Mountain, cast the mined copper into a large copper tripod, and placed it at the foot of Jingshan Mountain. When the bronze tripod was cast, a dragon hung down from its beard to welcome the Yellow Emperor as he ascended to heaven. Huangdi rode on the dragon's back, and his ministers, wives and children all climbed up one after another, and more than seventy people climbed up at once. At this time, the dragon ascended to the sky, and the remaining ministers could not squeeze in, and all of them were holding on to the dragon's beard. The dragon's beard couldn't bear the weight and broke. The bow Huang Di was carrying was also pulled down. The officials could only hold the dragon's beard and bow and cry. After the Yellow Emperor ascended to heaven, he became the Emperor of Heaven. (According to "Historical Records·Fengchan Book": "The Yellow Emperor collected copper from the first mountain and cast the tripod at the foot of Jingshan Mountain. When the tripod was completed, a dragon hung down from its beard to welcome the Yellow Emperor. The Yellow Emperor rode up, and more than seventy people from the harem followed, The dragon went up. The rest of the ministers were not allowed to go up, so they all held the dragon's beard. The dragon's beard was pulled out, and it fell down into the Yellow Emperor's bow. The people looked up to the Yellow Emperor and held his bow with his beard in his arms, so later generations named the place Ding Lake. Its bow is called Wuhao.")
It is also said in "Historical Records: Tianguan Shu": "Xuanyuan (the name of the Yellow Emperor is Xuanyuan), the body of the Yellow Dragon." To put it simply, the Yellow Emperor is the incarnation of the Yellow Dragon. . Huanglong is the Dragon Emperor. The five elements belong to earth and are located in the center. He is the head of the dragon clan and the ruler of heaven in Taoist religious views. It is also mentioned in the classics of the Han Dynasty: "The yellow dragon is the length of the four directions, the correct color of the four directions, and the essence of the gods. It can be huge, thin, quiet, bright, short, or long. It can exist and die. . The king fishes without filtering the pond, and when he reaches the abyss, he swims in the marsh with harmony." This illustrates the image of Huanglong. Dragons are personified in folk literature and art. Some sea dragon kings benefit the people, while others do harm to them. In the mythological novels "Feng Shen Bang" and "Journey to the West", as well as the operas and dramas "Liu Yi Zhuan Shu" and "Zhang Yu Boiled the Sea", there are dragon kings with different good and evil qualities and human-like personalities.
In "Journey to the West", there are many descriptions of dragons and dragon stories. Before that, the impression of the Dragon King was generally positive. However, after Buddhism began to flourish, the status of the Dragon King began to decline. In "Journey to the West", it has become a supporting role or even a buffoon. In "Journey to the West", the Dragon Palace where Sun Wukong makes a big fuss is known to everyone as the Green Dragon King Ao Guang of the East China Sea. When the Dragon King of the Four Seas faced Sun Wukong, he was unable to resist. He could only tremble and offer treasures such as the diamond rod and golden armor, and he had very little screen time. Countless; and because he set fire to the Dragon Palace, he was almost executed by the Jade Emperor. Fortunately, he was saved by Guanyin Bodhisattva and became the White Horse Dragon King of Tang Sanzang. He was the third prince of Ao Run, another familiar White Dragon King of the West Sea.
The Dragon King in "The Romance of the Gods"
In addition to the Dragon King of the Four Seas being mentioned in "Journey to the West", there is also a dragon king in another chapter novel "The Romance of the Gods" The appearance of the Dragon King.
"Feng Shen Yan Yi", also known as "Feng Shen Bang", was compiled by Xu Zhonglin during the middle to late Ming Dynasty. There is also a theory that it was adapted by Yangzhou Taoist thinker Lu Xixing.
"The Romance of the Gods" is based on the story of King Wu of Zhou's crusade against King Zhou of Shang and describes the story of Jiang Ziya's canonization of the gods. In "The Legend of Creation of the Dragon", Yoshiki Tanaka mentioned many times that the Dragon King of the Four Seas assisted the Zhou Dynasty in conquering Shang Zhou under the orders of the Emperor of Heaven, and the Dragon King also and indeed appeared in "The Romance of the Gods". But in "The Romance of the Gods", the Dragon King of the Four Seas did not play any important role in Zhou Wu's war against Zhou. In fact, as Long Tangshi said in "The Legend of Chuanglong", there is no mention in any literary works and classics that the Dragon King of the Four Seas participated in Zhou Wu's revolutionary war. The role of the Dragon King in "Fengshen Yanyi" is almost the same as in "Journey to the West", becoming a supporting role and a buffoon.
In "The Legend of the Gods", Nezha plays the role of Sun Wukong in "Journey to the West". The naughty Nezha didn't know that the bellyband and wrist bracelet he was wearing were the treasures of the immortal. When he was taking a bath in Jiuhe Bay, he put his bellyband in the water, causing a vibration in the East China Sea, which even shook the Crystal Palace. Ao Guang, the Dragon King of the East China Sea (also known as Ao Guang in one theory) sent people to investigate, but the men he sent were beaten to death by the naughty Nezha with his treasure. Ao Guang sent his third prince to investigate again, but the third prince was also killed by Nezha, and was even skinned and cramped by Nezha. Finally, Ao Guang asked Li Jingdaxing, Nezha's father, to accuse him and promised to report to the Emperor of Heaven. Nezha was unconvinced and chased Ao Guang back on the road and beat him up. Finally, the Dragon King of the Four Seas reported the matter to the Emperor of Heaven, and arrested Li Jing's family for trial in the Heavenly Court. At this time, Nezha took the blame alone, had a dissection, removed the intestines, removed the bones and returned the meat to his parents, which settled the matter. In the end, Nezha was resurrected with the help of his master Taiyi Zhenren, and served as the vanguard in King Wu's war against Zhou. After that, the Dragon King was not mentioned again in "The Romance of the Gods". It can be seen from this that the statement that the Dragon King of the Four Seas assisted the Zhou Dynasty in conquering Shang Zhou is indeed purely the creation of Tanaka Yoshiki and has no precise background support in myths and legends. "The Legend of Chuanglong" mentioned that Longquan Township is somewhere in Qinghai Province. In fact, is there a Longquan Township in Qinghai Province? As mentioned in the previous paragraph, almost every province has a place named after "dragon", and there are also several places named after Longquan. Where is Longquan? It is generally believed to be Longquan County in present-day Zhejiang Province. Before the Tang Dynasty, this place was called Longquan Township, and the Tang Dynasty began to establish counties here. The name of Longquan comes from a "Longquan Sword". According to the "Yue Jueshu", a history book of the Yue State in the Spring and Autumn Period, there is this record: The King of Chu heard that there was a general in the Wu State and an Ou Yezi in the Yue State, both of whom were famous swordsmiths. So he sent people to spend a lot of money to hire two famous masters to forge some iron swords for the Chu State. After the two applied for the job, they dug through Mount Ci, drained the streams in the mountain, found the essence of iron ore, and cast it into three swords, one called Longyuan, one called Tai'a, and one called Gongbu. Later, to avoid the taboo of Tang Emperor Li Yuan, Longyuan Sword was renamed Longquan Sword. In the Longquan County of Zhejiang Province that I just mentioned, there is a Jianchi Lake to the south of the county. According to legend, it is the place where Ou Yezi forged swords. It is also called Longyuan, so this place is called Longquan.
But there are several places also called Longquan. In addition to Longquan County just now, Zhejiang Province also has a Longquan County in Yongjia County. According to the "Shui Jing Zhu", the water pattern in the spring became the shape of a dragon, and livestock did not dare to drink here. There is also a Longquan in Xiping County, Henan Province. Ancient books say that this spring water can sharpen swords and make them sharp. There is a Longquan farm in Jiangxi. It was established as Longquan County in the Southern Tang Dynasty and is now called Suizhou. There is a place in Guizhou called Longquanping. It was also called Longquan County in the Ming and Qing Dynasties, and later changed to Fengquan County and Fenggang County. So, is there Longquan Township in Qinghai Province? In the available data, there are none. Maybe there are small villages and townships called this, but whether it can really lead to Kunlun is unknown. Dragon is one of the four spirits in ancient Chinese mythology. The "Taishang Dongyuan Divine Curse Sutra" contains the "Dragon King Grade", which lists the "Five Emperors and Dragon Kings" distinguished by their directions, the "Four Sea Dragon Kings" distinguished by the ocean, 54 dragon kings' names and 62 dragon kings distinguished by the heaven and earth. The name of the famous dragon king. During the reign of Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty, a temple was built in the Dragon Pond and an altar official was set up to offer sacrifices to the Dragon King in the manner of the Rain Master. Taizu of the Song Dynasty followed the Tang Dynasty's system of worshiping five dragons. In the second year of Emperor Huizong's reign (1108), all five dragons in the world were granted the title of king. The Green Dragon God was named King Guangren, the Red Dragon God was King Jiaze, the Yellow Dragon God was King Fuying, the White Dragon God was King Yiji, and the Black Dragon God was King Lingze. In the second year of Tongzhi in the Qing Dynasty (1863), the Dragon God of the Canal was also named the "God of the Dragon King of Yanxiu Xianying Divider", and the governor of the river was ordered to offer sacrifices at the right time. In "Journey to the West", the dragon kings are: Ao Guang of the East China Sea, Ao Qin of the South China Sea, Ao Run of the West Sea, and Ao Shun of the North Sea. They are called the Dragon Kings of the Four Seas.
Thus, the Dragon King’s job is to stir up clouds and provide rain, and eliminate heat and troubles for people. The Dragon King’s control of water has become a common belief among the people. The "Dragon King Pin" in the Taoist "Tai Shang Dong Yuan Shen Mantra Sutra" says, "The land is hot and dry, and the five grains cannot be harvested. I don't know how to time it in twos and threes." Yuanshi Tianzun came to the land on five-color clouds and preached to the dragon kings of the heavens and others. The righteous Dharma saves all sentient beings, and the heavy rains and torrents are sweet and moist at the right time.
On the birthday of the Dragon King God, there are differences in various literature records and folklore in various places. In the old days, temples dedicated to the Dragon King were almost as common as temples to the City God and the Earth God. Whenever there is an imbalance between wind and rain, a prolonged drought without rain, or a prolonged rain that does not stop, people go to the Dragon King Temple to burn incense and pray, hoping that the Dragon King will control the water and bring good weather.
The dragon is a miraculous animal in Chinese legends that is good at change, can make clouds and rain, and benefit all things. It is the leader of all scale insects and the leader of the four spirits (dragon, phoenix, unicorn, and turtle). Ancient books describe its image in many different ways. One theory is that it is slender and has four legs, with the head of a horse and the tail of a snake. One theory is that it is covered in scales, has beards, horns, and five claws on its head. "Compendium of Materia Medica" states that "dragons have nine similarities", which are heterogeneous animals that have the strengths of various animals. It has many names. The one with scales is called Jiaolong, the one with wings is called Yinglong, the one with horns is called Duotalong, and the one without horns is called Qiu. The small one is called Jiao, and the big one is called Dragon. Most of the legends say that it can appear or hide, can be thin or large, can be short or long. The spring equinox ascends to the sky, the autumnal equinox dives into the abyss, it can call the wind and rain, and it is omnipotent. In mythology, it is the ruler of the underwater world (Dragon King), in folk it is a symbol of auspiciousness, and in ancient times it was the incarnation of imperial rule. 1. Bixi: also called turtle. Shaped like a turtle, it is easy to carry loads. The stone tablet has been carried for many years. People can see this hardworking strong man everywhere in temples and ancestral halls. Touching it is said to bring blessings.
2. Biuan: also called charter. It looks like a tiger, is powerful, and is prone to prison litigation, so people carved it on the prison door. The tiger is a powerful beast, so it can be seen that the purpose of the tiger is to enhance the majesty of the prison and make the criminals intimidated.
3. Chiki: Also called Chiki, Chiwei, Haowang, etc. Shaped like a four-legged snake with its tail cut off, this dragon son is good at looking around in dangerous places and also likes to eat fire. According to legend, when Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty built the Bailiang Palace, someone wrote that there was a fish in the sea with a tail like an owl, that is, a falcon. It could spray water and rain, and could be used to ward off fires, so his image was sculpted on the corners, ridges, and corners of the palace. On the roof.
4. Pepper picture: shaped like a snail and clam, withdrawn in nature, always closing the mouth of the shell tightly when intruded by foreign objects, so people often carve the image of its ring on the pavement of the door. On the head, or carved on the door panel, it means it is tightly closed.
5. Prisoner Cow: A small yellow dragon with scaly horns, good music. This musical dragon son not only stands on the Huqin of the Han people, but also on the dragon-headed Yueqin of the Yi people, the Sanxianqin of the Bai people, and some Tibetan musical instruments with his head raised and his mouth open.
6. Pulao: Shaped like a dragon but smaller than a dragon, it sings easily. It is said that Pulao lives by the sea and is most afraid of whales. Whenever he encounters a whale attack, Pulao screams incessantly. So, people put his image on the bell and carved the long piece of wood that struck the bell into the shape of a whale, using it to strike the bell in order to make the sound louder and louder.
7. Taotie: looks like a wolf and is good at eating. Ancient bronzes were often decorated with the shape of their heads, called the Taotie pattern. Legend has it that he is one of the nine sons of the dragon. With only a big head and a big mouth, it ate whatever it saw. Because it ate too much, it was eventually stuffed to death.
8. Suanni: also known as Jinni and Lingni. Suanni is originally an alias for lion, so it is shaped like a lion, good for fireworks and easy to sit on. His style can be seen on the Buddha's seat and incense burner in the temple. Lions, an animal that dares to eat even tigers and leopards and has a majestic appearance, were introduced to China along with Buddhism. Since the Buddha Sakyamuni has the metaphor of a fearless lion, people naturally arrange it as a seat for the Buddha, or carve it on an incense burner so that he can enjoy the incense.
9. Yazui: looks like a jackal, and is easy to kill. Often carved on the hilt and scabbard. The original meaning of Yaizhen is to stare angrily, as the saying goes, "The virtue of a meal must be repaid, and the resentment of Yaizhu must be repaid." Retribution will inevitably lead to death, so it is natural for this jackal-like dragon to appear on the handle of the sword and the scabbard.
There are several versions of the Nine Sons of Dragons
One theory is: prisoner ox | 睚禦 | mocking the wind | Pulao | suanni | 豑屃 |狴犴 | volting rhinoceros | chikiss
Also said: 豑屃|Chi Kiss|Pulao|狴犴|祕餮|蚆螛|睚禦|狻犊|靚图
Others: Chi|Qilin|犼|Pixiu