Why does the stone lion have a ball in his mouth?

The stone lion with a ball in its mouth comes from myths and legends: according to legend, in ancient times, there were many monsters in the world, who ran amok and made waves and disturbed civilians.

When a person sees this situation, he wants to relieve the people's suffering, so he seeks eternal life and learns the skills of reducing demons. The immortal was very moved and gave him a treasure bead. As long as it is contained in the mouth, it will become a lion with the ability to subdue demons.

Shishi not only has different characteristics of the times, but also has obvious regional characteristics. Generally speaking, the stone lions in the north are atmospheric in appearance and simple in carving; The stone lions in the south are more aura, lively in shape and diverse in carving. The cubs are lively and lovely, not only under the lioness's palm, but also on the lion's back.

Extended data

The lion is known as the "King of Animals", but its origin is not in China. In the Eastern Han Dynasty, the king of the Western Regions laid the first lion for China. Since then, lions have appeared on the land of China. At this time, the lion began to be known by people, and it was carved into a mighty architectural ornament.

Now the earliest stone lion is the stone lion in front of Gaoyi Tomb in the Eastern Han Dynasty, in Ya 'an, Sichuan. The stone lion in front of Liang Tomb in Jurong County, Jiangsu Province has a history of 1400 years. The Shishi of Tangshunling in Xianyang City, Shaanxi Province was built by Wu Zetian for the tomb of his mother Yangling, and it is the masterpiece of the existing Shishi.

After the Ming Dynasty, many palaces, palaces, monasteries and even houses of rich people were guarded by stone lions. Later, stone lions with different postures were carved on doorpillows, stone lintels, cornices, railings and other building parts, which became an indispensable decoration of ancient buildings. There are many stone lions in Beijing during the Ming and Qing Dynasties. The shapes of these stone lions are no longer dignified, but tend to be loving and happy. I will not get tired of watching them for a long time.

There are 140 carved fences on both sides of Lugou Bridge in Jin Dynasty, which is famous at home and abroad. Exquisite and lively stone lions are carved on each stigma, and each stone lion hides nine cubs, the smallest of which is only a few centimeters, which is extremely difficult to count, so there is a saying that there are countless lions in Lugouqiao. 196 1 year, archaeologists specially numbered and counted the stone lions in Lugouqiao, and finally counted them clearly: * * there were 485.