Magical Objects Series - Part Six: Chinese Mythology
The monk, Xuanzang, and companions riding a mythological turtle across a river, a mural in the Long Corridor of the Summer Palace, Beijing - photo by Shizhao (WCommons)
Despite the considerable number of gods and demons found in Chinese mythology, there are surprisingly few magical objects mentioned that are tied to actual religious beliefs.
The names given to the objects and weapons wielded by the deities were assigned by scholars and storytellers and are mainly from two classic Chinese sagas published in the 16th century during the Ming dynasty, ‘Journey to the West’, and ‘The Investiture of the Gods’.
‘Journey to the West’, regarded as one of the greatest classic Chinese novels, tells of the pilgrimage of the 7th century Buddhist monk, Xuanzang, who travelled to what was known as the ‘Western Regions’ – Central Asia and India – to obtain Buddhist sacred texts, or ‘sūtras’, and of the many trials and suffering he endured before his return.
The Chinese monk Xuanzang on his journey to India (WCommons)
In the novel, the author has renamed the monk Tang Sanzang, and woven elements of Chinese folk religion, mythology, and theology into Xuanzang’s personal account while framing the story around the Buddha himself assigning the task to the monk.
The Monkey King, Tang Sanzang (on the White Dragon Horse), Zhu Bajie, and Sha Wujing, painting in the Long Corridor of the Summer Palace, Beijing (WCommons)
The Buddha also provides the monk with 3 protectors, one of whom is the Monkey King, who agree to help him as a way of atoning for their sins, and a dragon prince in the shape of a white horse who acts as Tang Sanzang’s steed.
Investiture of the Gods or ‘Fengshen Yanyi’ (WCommons)
‘The Investiture of the Gods’, also known as ‘Fengshen Yanyi’, combines elements of history, mythology, folklore, legends, and fantasy, and is set during the decline of the Shang dynasty (1600BC-1046BC) and the rise of the Zhou dynasty (1046BC-256BC).
The novel revolves around the overthrow of the last ruler of the Shang dynasty, King Zhou, by Ji Fa (King Wu of Zhou) who would establish the Zhou dynasty.
Being a romanticised retelling, the story features immortals and various spirits as well as human heroes.
King Zhou, bewitched by his favourite concubine, Daji, who is actually a vixen spirit disguised as a beautiful woman, begins oppressing and persecuting his people and any who oppose him.
Daji, Investiture of the Gods, at Ping Sien Si, Perak, Malaysia - Dharma (WCommons)
Ji Fa, aided by his strategist, Jiang Ziya, rallies an army to overthrow the tyrannical ruler and restore peace and order.
Both kingdoms – Shang and Zhou – are aided by deities, demons, and spirits in their battle.
The Primeval Lord of Heaven gives Jiang Ziya the ‘Fengshen Bang’, a list that authorises him to invest the gods of Heaven.
The heroes of the kingdom of Zhou and some of their fallen enemies are eventually granted heavenly ranking and elevated as gods, which explains the title of the novel.
Now, onto the objects…
First, the symbolic weapons of the Four Heavenly Kings, Buddhist gods, each one watching over one cardinal direction of the world.
Statues of the Four Heavenly Kings, Beihai Park, Beijing - photo by Rolf Muller (WCommons) From left to right, North, South, East, and West.
The Hall of Four Heavenly Kings is found in every Chinese Buddhist temple.
The Northern King, the chief of the 4 kings and protector of the north, is the ruler of rain and his symbolic weapon is the umbrella.
The Western King, protector of the west sees all, and his symbolic weapon is a snake or red cord that represents a dragon.
The Jade Pipa of the Eastern King.
The protector of the east and all beings, he is the god of music.
His symbolic weapon, a jade pipa, a traditional Chinese musical instrument, controls the weather and elements.
The Qingfeng Sword of the Southern King.
The protector of the south and the ruler of the wind.
His symbolic weapon, the Qingfeng Sword, is a blade with inscriptions that can summon winds and a fire-breathing serpent.
The spear of Erlang Shen.
Erlang Shen, Investiture of the Gods, at Ping Sien Si, Perak, Malaysia - Dharma (WCommons)
Erlang Shen is a Chinese god with a 3rd eye, said to be the truth-seeing eye, in the middle of his forehead. In ‘Journey to the West’, he is known as the greatest warrior god of heaven.
His 3-pointed, double-edged spear with 2 cutting edges is powerful enough to cut through steel and stone.
Flaming pearl or wish-granting pearl.
'A fisherboy dived into the water and brought up a pearl from beneath the chin of a black dragon' by George W Hood (WCommons)
These are the pearls depicted either under the chin or in the claws of oriental dragons.
The pearl is associated with wisdom, power, immortality, prosperity, or spiritual energy, and sometimes thunder or the moon.
‘Huntian Ling’ or the Red Armillary Sash.
Nezha, Investiture of the Gods, at Ping Sien Si, Perak, Malaysia - photo by Dharma (WCommons)
The red sash is one of the most well-known of the armaments of Nezha, a god of protection.
Shaped like a dragon, the sash is able to regenerate when cut, binds enemies by itself, and, when swirled in the sea, can create tempests.
‘Yinyang Jin’ or the Mirror of Yin and Yang.
The ‘yang’ side of the mirror was said to revive the dead while the ‘yin’ side was capable of instantly killing any being.
The Five Flavoured Tea of Forgetfulness or Meng Po Soup.
Meng Po at Pavilion of Forgetfulness, Haw Par Villa - photo by Jnzl (WCommons)
In Chinese mythology, there are several realms beneath the Earth, and Meng Po, the goddess of oblivion, serves in the tenth court, ‘Diyu’, the realm of the dead.
Her task is to ensure that souls ready for reincarnation do not remember their previous life or their time in ‘Diyu’.
She makes her tea of forgetfulness, or soup of oblivion, for each soul to drink before they leave.
The drink produces instant and permanent amnesia, and the spirit is then able to be reborn in a new earthly incarnation.
There are stories of those who, somehow, have been able to avoid drinking the tea/soup, and their past life memories then resurface in their new lives.
The Coloured Stones of Nüwa.
Nuwa, Investiture of the Gods, at Ping Sien Si, Perak, Malaysia - photo by Dharma (WCommons)
Nüwa, sometimes called Nügua, is a mother goddess who is credited with creating humanity.
Some stories say she moulded each individual human with yellow clay; others say she only created nobles out of yellow soil while commoners were created from brown mud.
She is also credited with repairing the Pillar of Heaven.
The ‘Huainanzi’, a collection of essays from a series of scholarly debates held sometime before 139BC, describes a great battle between the deities that broke the pillars supporting Heaven, resulting in a terrible flood and devastation.
It was Nüwa who patched the holes in Heaven using 5 coloured stones, and the legs of a tortoise to mend the pillars.
The Banana Leaf Fan of Princess Iron Fan.
Princess Iron Fan and Sun Wukong, the Monkey King. Painting in the Long Corridor of the Summer Palace in Beijing (WCommons)
An extremely large and magical fan, the Banana Leaf Fan is made from banana leaves and can summon cyclones and storms.
It can also create giant whirlwinds capable of extinguishing the fire on the Flaming Mountains.
Princess Iron Fan uses the fan to wrest favours from those living near the mountains; she fans the fan once, extinguishing the fire which then starts up again after a year.
The Green Dragon Crescent Blade.
Representation of the Green Dragon Crescent Moon Blade - photo by Candyji (WCommons)
This legendary weapon was wielded by the Chinese military general Guan Yu in the 14th century historical novel ‘Romance of the Three Kingdoms’, set in the tumultuous years near the end of the Han dynasty, starting in 184AD, and ending in 280 with the reunification of the land.
The Green Dragon Crescent Blade, a type of Chinese pole weapon called a ‘guandao’, is sometimes referred to as the Frost Fair Blade; during a battle in the snow, the amount of blood on the blade froze, creating a layer of frost on it.