Legends about the land god and the earth behind him
Brief introduction of the land god and the earth behind him
Houtu is listed as one of the four emperors in Taoism. Contrary to the Jade Emperor who rules the sky, she is the god who rules the earth. She is a goddess and is called "Mother Earth", and the Jade Emperor is called "God".
The worship of Houtu actually comes from the worship of the earth in ancient times, and then it is personified and deified. According to the Taoist thought of Yin and Yang, male gods were transformed into goddesses at the beginning, especially after the Sui Dynasty (58 1-6 18).
In the temple built for her, people shaped her into a dignified woman, and the general public called her "the queen of the earth". People think that this god is the protector of agricultural harvest, the god of fertility and the god of the earth. Because China has been a country with agriculture as its mainstay since ancient times, people from the emperor down to ordinary people worship this god very much. In the history of China, every year, a large-scale sacrificial ceremony was held for this god, and in many cases, the emperor personally presided over it.
Second, the legend of the land god passing through the earth
At the junction of Pinglu and Ruicheng counties, there is a Houtu Temple. The temple is dedicated to two true gods, the daughter of Emperor Yao and his two concubines. Two miles east of Houtu Temple, there is a temple called Longtouguan, which is dedicated to the ancestor God. Speaking of these two temples, there is another story:
Besides Houtu Temple, there are pillow mountains in the north and rivers in the south. It has a strong vein and a wide Sichuan Plateau. Temple site in Fiona Fang more than 10 acres, the temple is magnificent. It is two counties.
A scenic spot on the border. Two queens, one each, E Huang is Pinglu, and Nv Ying is Ruicheng. Legend has it that March 18th of the lunar calendar is the birthday of two sisters. On this day every year, people from ten villages and nine clubs near two counties will greet Shensai Club with great fanfare. In addition to singing against Taiwan, there will be gongs and drums to meet the deacons. In particular, many mules and horses are dressed in red, bells and tassels. The statues of the two queens were carried to the palace outside the temple for temporary residence, and then carried back to the temple, which was a sensation. This day is also the dividing line of farming activities. It used to be off-season, and I only ate two meals a day. From this day on, it entered a busy season and began to eat three meals. Therefore, the local people attach no less importance to this day than to the twenty-four solar terms. There are two towering cypresses in the temple, which is also one of the two counties. Standing on the top of Xieling Mountain in Zhongtiao Mountain, you can see it clearly. People are full of praise for the superior terrain of Niangniang Temple.
Legend has it that this place was originally chosen by the ancestor God, but was cheated away by the queen. In order to choose a place to build a temple, the ancestors used to look everywhere. When swimming over Zhongtiao Mountain, he took a fancy to the vein here at a glance, pulled out his sword and inserted it here to make a mark. Empress and sisters also went to many places to choose the temple site, and they also took a fancy to this treasure. However, I was named by the ancestor's sword, but I gave up and was unwilling, so I began to fight for it and played a trick. Before the ancestor started, he quietly pulled out his sword, buried one of his embroidered shoes in the ground, and then inserted the sword out of the shoe. Ancestor God wanted to start work here, but both queens stopped him, saying that they were the first and ancestor God was the last, so they had to bury their shoes as a reminder. Ancestor God is straightforward, frank and aboveboard. I didn't expect the queen to play tricks on herself. When she saw the sword really stuck in her shoes, she stopped fighting and went to another place. In this way, the queen took the treasure land for herself. The ancestor God chose the "dragon head view" about two miles east of here. Although it is not comparable to the terrain of Niangniang Temple, it is also quite large, with buildings such as the mountain gate, the main hall, the back building and the Buddhist temple. Surrounded by high walls, there is another atmosphere. Whenever the local people tell the story that the queen lied to her ancestors, they always say, "It's really strange that the world is full of intrigue and contradictions, and even the gods sometimes feel at ease!"
Third, the record of the earth god passing through the earth
There are many records about Houtu, most of which are concentrated in Zuo Zhuan, Book of Rites, Shan Hai Jing and Huai Nan Zi. In the text, Houtu is roughly called the son of Gong's family and the God of the Central Committee. For example:
"Twenty-nine Years of Zuo Gong": "Therefore, the official has five elements, which refer to five senses, namely, wood is for Zhu Rong, fire is for Admiralty, water is for Xuanming, and soil is for thick soil. Zhuan Xu's son, Li, is Zhu Rong. * * * There is a saying in the Gong family that "dragon" means "changed". After that, it is the soil of society.
"The Book of Rites Sacrifice Law": "The * * * government is the master of Kyushu, and its son Hou Tu is able to ping Kyushu, so it is worshipped as a society.
"Book of Rites and Moon Order": "The central soil, its emperor Huangdi, its god is behind the soil." (Zheng Note: King Yuzhu, the god of local officials, is also the son of Zhuan Xu and a local official. )
Shan Hai Jing Hai Nei Jing: "* * * workers were born in the afterlife, the afterlife was born in choking, and choking was born in ten years." Guo Pu's Note: Twelve sons are born in the name of "year old", so they are called clouds. Yuan Ke's full translation of Shan Hai Jing: In ancient mythology, it was said that choke was born at the age of twelve or at the age of one in December.
Shan Hai Jing Xi Jing: "Li (Houtu) choked on the ground, and in the west pole, he could travel to the sun, the moon and the stars." This choke is the god of time. )
Shan Hai Jing Hai Nei Jing: "* * * workers are born later." Yuan Ke's Complete Translation of Shan Hai Jing: Guoyu Luyu said: "* * * Gong's overlord has nine, and his son named Houtu can equal nine." That is, this is the history of "* * * workers were born in the past".
"Evocation of Chu Ci": "Yuan Jun is more secluded here." Wang Yi's Note: Especially all of them are underground soil governance. Underground ghost, so it's called moderation.
"Huainanzi Astronomical Training": "China is also its emperor Huangdi, and its auxiliary soil is also."
Historical Records of the Five Emperors: "As for Yao, Yao failed to raise it. Give me eight kais, let me be a master, be a master, and let me fan everything. "
The above records about Hou Di, some appear as immortals, some as ordinary people, and some record official names, all of which are men. However, in the ancient tradition of China, the sky is sunny and the ground is cloudy. In Oracle Bone Inscriptions and Jin Wen, the word "Hou" is the shape of a woman. As for "earth", the explanation of the name and Heaven said: "Earth, spit it, can spit everything.
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