Folk Mythology Eight Immortals

The Eight Immortals, that is, the eight attained immortal truths widely circulated in folklore. *** Seven men and one woman, namely, Han Zhongli (Zhongli Quan), Zhang Guolao, Han Xiangzi, Tie Qiao Li, Cao Guoyu, Lu Dongbin, Lan Caihe and He Xianfu. The legend of the Eight Immortals is very early, and in the Tang Dynasty, there were already "The Eight Immortals" and "The Eight Immortals", but the names of the people in them were not yet fixed. To the Ming Dynasty, Wu Yuantai's novel "Journey to the East", only identified as the above eight people.

Legend has it that the Eight Immortals represent the eight aspects of Chinese people: male, female, old, young, rich, noble, poor and lowly. The weapons used by the Eight Immortals, collectively known as the "Dark Eight Immortals", all have a certain meaning. The fish drum held by Zhang Guolao can divine life; Lu Dongbin's sword can quell evil and drive away demons; Han Xiangzi's flute can nourish everything; He Xiangu's lotus can cultivate the body and nourish the spirit; Li Tiekou's gourd can bring relief to all living beings; Zhong Liquan's fan can bring back life to the dead; Cao Guoyu's jade board can calm the environment; and Lan Caihe's basket of flowers can communicate with the Gods and God's light.

The Eight Immortals are all scattered immortals among the immortals. They are also the immortals who punish evil and help the poor. There are many stories about them in folklore, and "The Eight Immortals punishing the evil old man" is one of them. However, the stories of "The Eight Immortals Celebrating Longevity" and "The Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea" are the most widely spread. According to Taoist books and folklore, the eight immortals "deeds" are as follows:

Tiekou Li, also known as Li Tiekou. Li Tiekou, rumor has it that his name is Li Ninyang, or Hongshui, small word abductor, self-proclaimed Li Kongmu. He was once encountered by the Supreme Lord Laojun to achieve Taoism. When he traveled to the gods, his body was cremated by mistake for his disciples, and his soul had nothing to return to, so he attached himself to the corpse of a starving person and rose up. He had a dirty face, an open stomach and a limp, and turned the bamboo staff he leaned on into an iron staff by spraying it with water, so he was called "Iron Knuckle Li". Yuan Yue Bochuan miscellaneous drama script "Lu Dongbin degree iron crutch Li Yue" has recorded its events, and later was adopted into the "Journey to the East", but the plot is different.

Han Zhongli, the original compound surname Zhongli, name right, later changed his name to Jue, Yantai people, the word Silent Road, the number and the Valley, and the number of Zhengyangzi. Legend has it that when he was born, he had a strange light of several feet, and his appearance was like a blazing fire. Because of the enlightenment of Tie Qiao Li, he went to the mountain to learn Taoism. After descending from the mountain, he flew a sword to kill a tiger, ordered gold to help the masses, and finally ascended to heaven on the same day with his brother, Jane, and went to Lu Dongbin. See Journey to the East. Legends about his immortality began in the Five Dynasties and the Northern Song Dynasty. Xuanhe Shuguang, Volume 19: "The immortal Mr. Zhongli, whose name is Quan, does not know when he was born. Mr. Zhong Li's name was Quan, and he was born in Han Dynasty. Lu Dongbin was a disciple of Mr. Zhongli." Later, he was called "Han Zhongli" without his name. Zhong Li Quan escape from the double dress bun to preach, hand waving fan, bare belly, a style of scattered immortal .

Zhang Guolao, also known as Zhang Guo. Originally a Taoist priest in the Tang Dynasty, rumor has it that he lived in seclusion in Hengzhou Mountain, Tang Wu Zetian claimed to be hundreds of years old. When Empress Wu Zetian called him to come out of the mountain, he pretended to be dead and refused to go. He often rode a white donkey upside down and traveled 10,000 miles a day. When Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty sent a messenger to invite him to join the court, and awarded him the title of Doctor of Silver and Green Guanglu, giving him the name of Mr. Tongxuan. The story of Mr. Tongxuan was first published in Minghuang Miscellany. Both the old and the new Tang Shusu have the biography of Zhang Guo, which is listed in the category of square skills.

He Xiangu, named Qiong, was a native of Zuling, Yongzhou. When she was thirteen years old, she went into the mountains to pick tea and met Lu Dongbin. Later, she dreamed of a god who taught her to bait mica powder, so she vowed not to marry, and traveled to and from the valleys, flying lightly. She flew to and from the valleys, and went out every day in the morning and returned in the evening with mountain fruits to serve her mother. He then went to his mother's house and died in a cave.

Lan Caihe (蓝采和), a recluse of the Tang Dynasty. The story was first published in Shen Fen's "Biography of an Immortal" in the Southern Tang Dynasty. He was often dressed in a torn blue shirt, with one foot in boots and the other barefooted, in summer he wore flannel, in winter he lay in the snow, and his breath came out like steam. Blue Caihe often singing in the city begging, holding a large clapboard more than three feet long, seemingly drunk, non-drunken, singing clouds, "singing blue Caihe, the world can be geometric. The red face of a spring tree, a throw shuttle years", all for the meaning of the gods and goddesses out of the world. Afterwards, he was transformed by Zhong Li Quan and went away in the clouds.

Lv Dongbin, that is, Lu Yan, the word Dongbin, the number of pure Yangzi. Legend has it that Lv Dongbin met Zhong Li Quan after failing to pass the entrance examination, Zhong Li cooked sorghum rice on the stove, awarded the pillow to Dongbin to sleep, dreaming that he won the entrance examination, when the official, rose to the minister, married, for the prime minister, was falsely accused, convicted, the family broke the people, poor and downtrodden ...... suddenly woke up, the sorghum is not yet ripe, and know that the noble is not enough to be happy, the lowly is not enough to worry about, the world is just a dream. So he abandoned his home, worshipped Zhong Li Quan as a teacher, into the Terminal South Mountain monasticism. Legend has it that he once beheaded a jiao in Jianghuai, made a crane in Yueyang, and got drunk in a guest house, etc. The myths and legends about him are probably the same as those about him. The first myths and legends about him probably started in the Yuezhou area of the Northern Song Dynasty. There are many stories about him in novels and operas.

Han Xiangzi (韩湘子), known as Xiang (湘), was the nephew and grandson of Han Yu (韩愈). According to legend, Han Xiang studied Taoism since childhood and followed Lv Chunyang, then climbed a peach tree and fell to his death while his body was disintegrated and ascended to immortality. When Han Yu was appointed as the minister of the Ministry of Justice, he had a lot of guests and friends. Han Xiangzi urged Han Yu to give up his official position and learn Taoism, while Han Yu encouraged Han Xiangzi to give up Taoism and start learning. Han Xiangzi used a gourd with a diameter of one inch to drink wine to the guests, and the wine was not exhausted for several buckets. He also covered the soil with a pot, and two flowers blossomed, on which there was a couplet in gold characters: "Where is the family in the clouds across the Qinling Mountains, and where is the horse in the snowy Blue Pass". Later, Han Yu to advise to welcome the Buddha's bones, relegated to Chaozhou, another family to go to the appointment, passing through the blue pass, the value of the snow, the horse tired in the road. Han Xiangzi braved the snow and came to him. Han Yu asked him about his place, i.e. the Blue Pass, and sighed in admiration at the fulfillment of Han Xiangzi's prophecy. Afterwards, Han Xiangzi escorted him to his post, and then moved to Yuanzhou with him, and eventually helped his uncle, Han Yu, to enter the Tao.

Cao Guoyu (曹国舅), surnamed Cao (曹), first name Jingxiu (景休), was a native of Xuzhou. He was the brother of Empress Cao of Emperor Renzong of the Song Dynasty, so he was called Cao Guoyu (国舅). Because his brother Jingzhi was convicted of unlawful murder, Cao Jingxiu was ashamed to be seen by people and lived in seclusion, with a katydid and a wild costume, determined to cultivate the truth. Through the guidance of Zhong Li Quan and Lu Dongbin, Cao Guoyu obtained the secret of returning the truth and became a monk, and was introduced to the Immortal Class by Zhong Li Quan and Lu Dongbin. Among the Eight Immortals, he is the least known and the most recent.

The Eight Immortals Wish for a Happy Birthday

The Eight Immortals are the immortals who punish the evil and promote the good, and help the rich and the poor. They regularly go to the Peach Festival of the Queen Mother of the West to celebrate their birthdays, so they are widely used by the folk as material for birthday celebrations.

The magic weapons used by the Eight Immortals, collectively known as the "Dark Eight Immortals", all have a certain meaning.

The fish drum, held by Zhang Guolao, can divine life;

The sword, held by Lu Dongbin, can suppress evils and drive away demons;

The flute, held by Han Xiangzi, can bring life to all living things by blowing on the purple flute;

The lotus flower, held by He Xianfu, can cultivate the body and cultivate the mind;

The lotus flower can cultivate the body and cultivate the mind;

The lotus flower can cultivate the body and cultivate the mind;

The lotus flower can cultivate the body and cultivate the mind, and can cultivate the mind, and can cultivate the body and cultivate the mind, and can cultivate the body.

The gourd, held by Li Tiekou, can bring relief to all living beings;

The fan, held by Zhong Liquan, can bring the dead back to life;

The jade board, held by Cao Guoyu, can calm the environment;

The basket, held by Lan Caihe, can contain no ordinary products;

The basket can be used as an umbrella. The flower basket, held by Lan Caihe, "contains no ordinary products", which can widely communicate with the gods.