West Palace White Tiger: Kui, Lou, Stomach, Ang, Bi, Gou, Shen;
Nangong Suzaku: Well, ghosts, willows, stars, Zhang, wings and birds;
Gong Bei Xuanwu: War, Cow, Female, Air, Danger, House, Wall.
The "Four Gods" represent the four directions of east, west, north and south, and provide scientific reference for dividing the sky and making calendars. Later, with the popularity of the theory of yin-yang and five elements, people paid more attention to the role of the patron saint of the four gods and were endowed with higher divinity. 28 huts have also become objects of worship. During the Qin and Han Dynasties, the four gods matched the four seasons of spring, summer, autumn and winter, and the four colors of blue, white, red and black were systematically recorded in Huai Nan Zi, Historical Records and other documents at that time, which became a generally accepted ideological system.
The "four gods" in the pre-Qin and Han dynasties also have a wide range of uses: astronomers use four seasons; Land users use it to distinguish Kyushu; Military strategists use it to set the direction. When talking about the entry and exit of the three armies, Woods Ice said: "The line must be left green dragon, right white tiger, former Suzaku, later Xuanwu, shaking up and down." Because people were very familiar with the position of the "Four Gods" at that time, they used it as a sign on the flag to command the troops to advance and retreat. Of course, the widespread application of the "Four Gods" is directly related to people's religious concepts. Ancient palaces were often named after the four gods, and there were bricks with four gods in the Western Han Dynasty. The north gate is often named after Xuanwu, and there are many examples of the Han, Wei and Six Dynasties in the Forbidden Monument written by Wang Shidian in the Yuan Dynasty. In the tombs of the Han, Wei and Six Dynasties, dragons and tigers, tortoise snakes, suzaku, etc. are often portrayed or written on coffins to protect the soul of the tomb owner from ascending to the ground. 194 1 year, the sarcophagus of Henry Hui Wang's tomb in the late Han Dynasty was discovered in Lushan County, Sichuan Province (made in 2005). There is a winged dragon on the left wall and a winged tiger on the right wall. The foot of the sarcophagus is in the shape of a snake wrapped around the turtle body, with exquisite composition and beautiful shape. During the Northern and Southern Dynasties, the clothes in Gaochang Tomb often appeared such sentences as "See you at that time: Zuo Qing (Qing) Dragon, Right White Tiger, Suzaku in front, Xuanwu in the back". In addition, the bronze mirror with the pattern of Eight Diagrams and Four Spirits was popular in the Han Dynasty, with inscriptions such as "Four Gods" and "Left Dragon and Right Tiger are ominous, Suzaku Xuanwu follows Yin and Yang", which also has religious significance: that is, the mirror reflects a person's image and the soul is attached to it, so it is protected by the four gods to ward off evil spirits.
In this way, the four ancient gods kept their own side, and their ranks and status should be the same. However, in Wudang Mountain, their status has completely changed. After the personification process of birth and cultivation, Xuanwu finally became the main god of Wudang Taoism, and was honored as a mysterious god, enjoying human incense in a prominent position. Therefore, in Wudang Mountain, the most conspicuous position of the main hall is dedicated to Tian Xuan the Great. Although Qinglong and Baihu have their own anthropomorphic processes, they are both "gatekeepers" guarding the gate of Wudang Mountain. People can see that there are green dragons and white tigers guarding the mountain gate around the temple (commonly known as the Dragon and Tiger Hall).
There are many reasons why Xuanwu God evolved into Taoist God. In folk beliefs, Xuanwu has the following divine characteristics:
(A) the God of the North
"Journey to the Songs of the South" notes: "Xuanwu, the name of the North God". Historical Records Biography of Celestial Officials: "Gong Bei is a martial artist, empty and dangerous". Rebuilding the Six Rivers Map of the Weft Book Integration Volume: "North Hei Di, famous for Ye Guangji, is good at Xuanwu".
(2) Water God
According to the theory of yin-yang and five elements, the north belongs to water, so the northern god is the water god. Wuyi's "Nine Sentences of Zhang Huai" said: "Turtles are water gods". Wang Liangchuan in the later Han Dynasty: "Xuanwu is the name of the water god". "Rebuilding the Integration of Weft Books" Volume 6 "River Map": "The residence of the seven gods in the north actually started from fighting, and the town in the north dominated the storm". Everything needs rain to grow, and water can put out fires, so Xuanwu's water god attribute is quite valued and believed by the people.
(3) The God of Reproduction
In ancient China, great divine power was always compared with the phenomenon of the sympathetic evolution of all things, and the reproductive divine power was worshipped. The snake itself is a symbol of reproduction. Xuanwu appeared in the shape of tortoise and snake, which was regarded by the ancients as a symbol of male and female mating and reproduction. Wei Boyang in the Eastern Han Dynasty (who lived around 12 1 year) also used the example of tortoise and snake to explain that Yin and Yang must cooperate: "Guan Guan Sui dove, in Jiangzhou, is a gentle and graceful lady, the husband is not lonely, and the mother is not lonely. Xuanwu tortoise and snake help each other.
(4) God of life
In ancient times, the tortoise was a symbol of longevity and immortality, which could guide the dying breath. "Biography of Tortoise in Historical Records" said: "Old people in the south used turtles to support their beds. When they were in their twenties, the old man died and moved to the bed, but the turtle did not die. Turtles can guide qi. " "Bao Puzi" contains: Chengyang hunted when he was frugal, fell into an empty tomb, and was hungry and cold. I saw a chinemys reevesii in the tomb, counted it, turned around, swerved, swallowed, squatted or leaned back. Thrift is also called the tortoise can guide, but it tries to do what the tortoise does, so it is no longer hungry. "In addition, the first night of Gong Bei's seven nights of Xuanwu is also called Nandou." The Star Classic says: "There are six stars in the south, and the emperor's life span is also the prime minister's position. "Gambao of Jin Dynasty (born around 3 16) quoted Guan Ju as saying:" Nandou is reborn, Beidou is dead again ". Fighting in the south can prolong life. This is very attractive to emperors, bureaucrats and ordinary people who pursue immortality.
These divine characteristics of Xuanwu not only won the belief of all social strata, but also laid the foundation for Xuanwu to evolve into a Taoist god after the Tang and Song Dynasties.
But in Wudang Mountain, Suzaku, one of the four southern gods, is rarely seen. According to ancient records, "... a bird and a Zhu, a family of heavenly feathers flying, a set of wood attached, like fire ...". Because Suzaku is the essence of fire and red. In ancient temples in China, most of them were built of wood, so it was really taboo to let Suzaku appear. So Suzaku can only be invisible and symbolic. In these buildings, only the wall is not afraid of fire, and Suzaku can only be located on the surface of the wall. With its striking colors, people can see from a distance that the red wall and blue tiles hidden in the deep mountains and forests are a Taoist temple.