Today, the Xiaobian of China story network brings you the legend of the Yellow Emperor. Interested readers can follow the Xiaobian to have a look.
According to the development of human mythology, the earliest gods should be the natural gods of primitive society, mainly including the earth God, the God of heaven, the sun god and the moon god. The book of mountains and seas records the sun god Xihe, the heaven God Dijun and the moon god Changxi, but the earth God can not be found. It seems that the earth God, who is of a humble position and short stature in Taoist mythology, can hardly relate to the ancient gods in the book of mountains and seas. So, who is the first earth God in Chinese mythology? Some scholars believe that this ancient great God is second only to the Jade Emperor in Taoist mythology.
Jade Emperor
When it comes to the earth God, readers who have some knowledge of Taoist mythology will immediately think of the earth God, which is commonly known as the “Empress of the earth”. She is one of the “four emperors” of Taoism, and the mother of the earth that dominates the Yin and Yang worlds and all natural things. However, it was only in the Song Dynasty that the imperial court granted the post of empress dowager, requiring the people to worship her in the same standard as the Jade Emperor. Houtu is a real person in history, but it is not a goddess. In the ancient myths recorded in the book of mountains and seas, Houtu was a male, who was the descendant of Emperor Yan.
The land of the late emperor
The book of mountains and seas introduces the pedigree of Yan Emperor’s family. It is recorded in the book that Houtu is the direct descendant of Emperor Yan, the fourth son of water god Gonggong, and the grandfather of giant Kuafu. According to the northern classic of the great wilderness, Houtu was the servant of the Yellow Emperor, helping him manage land and agriculture. In the songs of Chu, Houtu is the ancient god of the underworld. He lives in the mountain of Youdu with the strange beast Tubo. After people die, their souls gather here. According to the relevant records in the book of mountains and seas, the earth is indeed like the earth God.
Backland in the book of mountains and seas
So, who is this ancient great God? In fact, Houtu is the Houji recorded in the records of history. He is the ancestor recognized by the people of Zhou Dynasty. In the Shang Dynasty, Emperor Jun, the God of heaven, was the main god of sacrifice, while in the Zhou Dynasty, Hou Ji, the God of earth, was the main god of sacrifice. The so-called “state” originated from here. In addition, the word “Hou” is a honorific name. In the oracle bone inscriptions, the pictographic meaning is mound, symbolizing the earth God or the supreme ruler of the world. Therefore, the monarch of the Xia Dynasty was called “Hou”, and the family of Dayu was also called “Xia Hou”.
The Yellow Emperor in the book of mountains and seas
So, is the earth the first earth God? Of course not. The book of mountains and seas has already told us the answer: the first earth God is the great God of ancient times – the Yellow Emperor Xuanyuan. In the book of mountains and seas, Emperor Jun, the God of heaven, dominates everything, and Emperor Xuanyuan, the Yellow Emperor, dominates the world. According to the Zhongshan Sutra, “the Yellow Emperor is surrounded by four sides”. This is not to say that the Yellow Emperor has four faces, but that the Yellow Emperor dominates the land of China. In ancient times, the four gods Jumang, zhurong, pushou and Yuqiang were all earth gods appointed by the Yellow Emperor. In addition, the original meaning of the title of Yellow Emperor is the earth God, because the land is yellow.
Ziwei emperor in Taoist mythology
Later, with the rise of Taoist mythology, the earth God Huangdi was included in the Taoist immortal system. After the Yellow Emperor rode the Yellow Dragon to become an immortal, he became the great emperor of Zhongtian Ziwei Arctic. Ziwei emperor is the first of the “four emperors” of Taoism, second only to the Jade Emperor. From the Qin and Han Dynasties to the Song Dynasty, the status of the earth God declined step by step, and finally evolved into a small earth God. There is an important reason for this: the earth God was actually held concurrently by the rulers of all dynasties. Because all the emperors of the past dynasties called themselves “the son of heaven”. Under the whole world, there is no royal land. The monarch no longer needs a God who dominates the earth, and the function of the land lord is limited.
It can be seen that the Ziwei emperor in Taoist mythology and the earth God recorded in the book of mountains and seas are actually the same person. He is the ancestor of Chinese culture – the Yellow Emperor. Disclaimer: the above content is from the Internet, and the copyright belongs to the original author. If your original copyright is infringed, please inform us, and we will delete the relevant content as soon as possible.