The Green Dragon is one of the Four Symbols in the traditional culture of the Celestial Dynasty. According to the theory of the Five Elements, it is the Green Dragon of the Four Divine Beasts, which represents the spirit of the East.
The beast was a green dragon. The green dragon's position was east and left, representing spring. The white tiger's position was west and right, representing autumn. The Vermilion Bird's position was south and forward, representing summer. Black Tortoise's position was north and back, representing winter. Among the twenty-eight constellations of the celestial dynasty, the green dragon was the general name for the seven eastern stars (Jiao, Kang, Di, Fang, Xin, Wei, Ji). The Seven Constellations of the East were also known as the Cang Dragon. The seven constellations of the Cang Dragon were Jiao, Kang, Di, Fang, Xin, Wei, and Ji. The shape of these seven constellations was very similar to the shape of a dragon. From the meaning of their words, it could be seen that Jiao was the horn of the dragon, Kang was the neck, Di was the root of the neck, Fang was the shoulder and rib, Xin was the heart, Wei was the tail, and Ji was the end of the tail. There was also a related saying about the dragon's heart. Some people called it a 'big fire', which was related to Qingyu. Because the green dragon was a wood, it was also Jupiter's year. Among the many dynasties, there were also some emperors who took the green dragon as their year title. For example, Emperor Ming of the Wei Dynasty of the Three Kingdoms was an example. The historical records also stated that the Xia Dynasty was a dynasty of wood virtue, so he had records of the auspicious omen of the green dragon being born in the suburbs.
The Story of the Green Dragon
In the era when the theory of the five elements was popular, stories about the Azure Dragon slowly began to spread. The five experts assigned five colors to the north, south, east, west, and center according to the five elements of Yin and Yang, and each color was matched with a divine beast and a god. Green dragon, white tiger, rosefinch, Xuanwu, are the four spirits of heaven, used to regulate the four directions, the king built palaces and halls to imitate.”。"Baopuzi·Zaying" quoted the image of Taishang Laojun in the Immortal Sutra as saying: There were twelve green dragons on the left, twenty-six white tigers on the right, twenty-four vermilion birds in front and seventy-two black tortoises behind. It was very imposing and truly awe-inspiring. Later on, the Four Symbols were gradually personified and given titles. According to the Secret of the Northern Seven Elements Purple Yan, Azure Dragon was known as the Divine Lord Meng Zhang, White Tiger as the Divine Lord Soldier Supervisor, Vermilion Bird as the Divine Lord Ling Guang, and Black Tortoise as the Divine Lord Zhi Ming. Soon, the belief of Xuanwu (Zhenwu) gradually expanded, and it stood out from the four symbols and leaped to the position of "Great Emperor". The Green Dragon and White Tiger were listed as the door gods, specifically guarding the mountain gate of the Taoist temple. In the Song Dynasty, Fan Zhineng's "Yueyang Fengtu Ji" said: "There are two statues in Laozi Temple, namely the Azure Dragon and the White Tiger.”Ming Yao Zongyi's "Changshu Private Annals·Shu Temple View Chapter" said: "The two great gods of the Daoist temple's mountain gate, on the left is God Lord Azure Dragon Meng Zhang, and on the right is God Lord White Tiger Soldier Supervisor.
relevant records
In the 44th volume of the Taishang Huanglu Zhaiyi, the name of the Green Dragon East Dou Xingjun was: "Spica Heavenly Gate Star Sovereign, Proud Night Court Star Sovereign, Di Night Sky Mansion Star Sovereign, Fang Night Sky Si Star Sovereign, Heart Night Sky Star Sovereign, Tail Night Sky Chicken Star Sovereign, Ji Night Sky Law Star Sovereign.”As for his image,"Taoist Tongjiao Biyong Collection" volume seven said: "The essence of the Eastern Dragon Horn, breathing clouds, shouting thunder, flying in the eight poles, traveling around the four netherworld, standing on my left. In addition, Taoism also used it in alchemy terms, such as the seventy-two volumes of Yunji Qiyao quoted the name of the pill of the four gods in the ancient scriptures: Green dragon is the east A, B, wood and mercury. It is clear and impure, stirred and not turbid. It cannot be taken near, and cannot be abandoned far away. It hides and changes endlessly, so it is called dragon.
Spirit Beast-White Tiger of the Four Divine Beasts
The White Tiger was also the God of War and the God of Slaughter. The white tiger had many divine powers, such as evading evil, praying for good fortune, punishing evil, and so on. It was one of the four spirits, so it was naturally formed by the stars. Among the twenty-eight constellations, the seven constellations in the west: Kui, Lou, Wei, Ang, Bi, Wei and Shen. Therefore, it was the representative of the West. The reason why it was white was because it was the West. The West belonged to the gold element in the five elements, so it was white. Therefore, it was called the White Tiger not because it was white, but because of the five elements. The White Tiger was a western god in ancient mythology. Its body was like a tiger, white and extremely ferocious, thus becoming a symbol of nobility. At the same time, the white tiger also symbolized might and the army. Therefore, many places named after the white tiger in ancient times were related to military affairs, such as the white tiger flag in the ancient army and the white tiger image on the commander's seal.
Spirit Beast-Vermilion Bird, one of the Four Divine Beasts
The Vermilion Bird could also be said to be a Xuan Bird. The Vermilion Bird was one of the four spirits, and was the general name of the seven constellations in the south. Well, ghost, willow, star, Zhang, wing, Zhen, connected into the shape of birds, also known as black birds. Vermilion is red, the south belongs to fire, so it is called Rosefinch. In modern times, due to the influence of the myth of the Phoenix rising from the ashes in the West and Japanese pop culture, the Chinese also translated and recognized the Phoenix as the Vermilion Bird. In fact, there was no such thing as the Vermilion Bird rising from the ashes in ancient Chinese myths and legends. The Nirvana of the Phoenix was just a poem written by Mr. Guo Moruo, who borrowed the legend of the Western Undying Bird. Similarly, the Vermilion Bird was not a phoenix. Xuanniao's statement was from the Book of Songs. Shang Song. Xuan Niao says: 'The destiny of Xuan Niao, descended to give birth to Shang, it is Yin soil Mang Mang. The ancient emperor ordered Wu Tang and Zheng to govern the four directions.'In the middle, the descendants of the Shang Dynasty said that their ancestors were born from the Xuan Bird and established the powerful Shang Dynasty. Therefore, the black bird became the first bird for merchants. The Records of the Historian. The Book of Yin also recorded this history: Yin Qi's mother was Jian Di. She had a daughter of Rong Di. She was bathing with Emperor Ku's concubine and saw a black bird with its eggs. Jian Di took it and swallowed it, so she gave birth to Yin Qi.'In addition to the Shang Dynasty, the Qin Dynasty during the Warring States Period, the Manchu Qing Dynasty's Shiyi, and the Silla of North Korea's Shiyi were also related to the fairies swallowing the eggs of the black birds. Whether it was a black bird or a phoenix, it was a bird, a peacock, a pheasant, and so on that followed the development of Taoism... First, she became a half-human, half-bird fairy who inherited the art of war. Then, she became a completely human fairy. All of this happened with the development of Taoism. In the past, there were three temples dedicated to the Mystic Fairy in Beijing. They were called the Temple of the Nine Heavenly Niangniang and the Temple of the Mystic Fairy. There were also Xuan Nu Temples in the north and south.
Spirit Beast-Black Tortoise, one of the Four Divine Beasts
The Black Tortoise was a spiritual creature formed from a turtle and a snake. The original intention of the Black Tortoise was Xuanming. Martial and Ancient Netherworld sounds were interlinked. Wu meant black, and Ming meant yin. Xuan Ming initially described the turtle as "The turtle's back was black, and the turtle divination was to ask the turtle to go to the underworld to ask the ancestors, bring back the answer, and show it to the world in the form of divination. Therefore, the earliest Black Tortoise was a tortoise. In the future, the meaning of Xuanming would continue to expand. Tortoises lived in rivers, lakes, and seas (including sea turtles), so Xuan Ming became the Water God. The tortoise lived a long life, and Xuanming became the symbol of immortality. At first, the underworld was in the north. The oracle bone divination of the Shang Dynasty said that "the divination must be in the north", so Xuanming became the god of the north. Xuanwu, also known as Zhenwu, was a god worshiped by Taoism. It was said that the crown prince of King Jingle was born fierce. He traveled across the East China Sea and met a god who gave him a sword. He went to Wudang Mountain in Hubei Province to cultivate. After forty-two years, he succeeded and ascended in broad daylight. He dominated the north and was called Lord Xuanwu. However, the Song Dynasty taboo Xuan word, so renamed Zhenwu. It was also said that the Black Tortoise was a big turtle in the North Sea. This turtle was once used as a pillar to support the entire Penglai Celestial Mountain. Because of its deep spirituality, after many years of listening to the Dao, it finally cultivated to the right fruit. Therefore, there are many tortoises in the tombs of emperors, which are used to hide Xuanwu. In addition, Xuanwu was also known as Xuanming, so it was also known as the North Deep. When many readers heard this name, they would probably think of the North Deep Sea Return and the North Deep Divine Skill of the character Xiaoyao Zi written by Mr. Jin Yong. Like the other three spirits, the Black Tortoise was also transformed from the twenty-eight Lunar Mansions: Dou, Niu, Nu, Xu, Wei, Shi, Bi. After ancient times, people had several explanations for the Black Tortoise."Black Tortoise" was a turtle. Book of Rites. "Song Li Shang" said: "Go, before the vermilion bird and after the black tortoise.。。」Xuanwu was a turtle and snake. "Chu Ci·Distant Travel" Hong Xingzu added notes: [Black Tortoise is a turtle and snake.] Its position is in the north, so it is called Xuan. There are scales on the body, so it is called Wu. "Black Tortoise" is a combination of snakes, turtles and snakes.
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