The common funerary objects in Chu tombs are also one of the unique objects in Chu lacquerware. This kind of artifacts are abstract in appearance, strange in conception, horrible and grotesque in image, with strong mystery and strong witchcraft myth color. At present, most of the tomb animals unearthed are cultural relics from the Warring States period, mostly in the middle of the Warring States period.
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Tomb beast is a common monster in ancient tombs in China. It has an animal face, a human face and antlers. It is a kind of funerary object, which aims to catch ghosts and protect the souls of the dead from being disturbed. Zhou Li records a monster named elephant, which is delicious. There is also a god beast called Fang Shixiang, which has the ability to expel elephants, so family members often let Fang Shixiang stand by the grave to prevent monsters from invading.
It was also said that Fang Shixiang had four gold clothes, covered with bearskin, red clothes and black trousers, and rode a horse to play four corners in the tomb to drive Liang Fang and Xiangxiang away. Liang Fang is also a demon who hurts the dead, and people use the power of Fang to drive them away. Therefore, some scholars believe that the custom of using tomb animals evolved from Fang's legend. According to the double horns on the head of the early tomb beast, it is also speculated that the tomb beast should be related to "exorcism", "spirit" and "scholar"
According to archaeological findings, the town tomb beast was first seen in the Chu tombs of the Warring States, and it was popular from Wei, Jin to Sui and Tang Dynasties, and gradually disappeared after the Five Dynasties. The production of tomb animals in the town was mainly made of wood, bone and pottery at first, and then mainly made of pottery and Tang tricolor. Metal and stone products are extremely rare.
Refer to the above content: Baidu Encyclopedia-Tomb Beast (a funerary object)