The Nine Heavenly Maiden was originally a Xuan Bird, the mount of the Queen Mother of the West. Later, she was named the Nine Heavenly Maiden by the Jade Emperor. In Anxi, there were many cultural traditions related to the Nine Heavenly Maiden. It was the protector of the Zhan family in Anxi, and there were related cultural celebrations such as the "Zhan family's protector, the Nine Heavens Mystic Fairy, invited the fire to the incense ceremony". It was a thousand-year-old traditional folk culture for the Nine Heavenly Maidens to invite fire to the Shimen Hall in Xianghua Township, Anxi County. The three sisters of the Maidens (commonly known as the "Immortal Mother") were said to be the immortals in the sky who loved the wonders of the human world. They first stayed in the White Crane of Hua 'an and later went to Duoqing. Their residence was the Shimen Hall at the end of the water in Duoqing Xinzhai Village. This folk custom was entrusted with good weather, gratifying years, peace, unity, and a bright future. According to legend, the Nine Heavenly Maiden was the teacher of the Yellow Emperor. In the battle between the Yellow Emperor and Chiyou, the Yellow Emperor was at a disadvantage at first. After praying to Mount Tai, the Queen Mother of the West sent the Nine Heavenly Maiden to help. Under her guidance, the Yellow Emperor defeated Chiyou. She also helped the King of Yue to attack the State of Wu. In the Water Margins, she also taught Song Jiang the art of war. After Song Jiang was rescued in Jiangzhou, he was chased by soldiers and fled into the Xuan Nu Temple in Huandao Village. The Xuan Nu Goddess appeared to save him and gave him three volumes of the Tomes of Arcane. When Song Jiang led his troops to attack Liao and was trapped by the Liao army's array, he dreamed that the Xuan Nu taught him the method to break the array and defeated the Liao army. She was the disciple of the Holy Mother of the West and the emissary of the Queen Mother of the West. She was in charge of the mysterious book of the Heavenly Secrets. She was transformed from the Qi of Yin and Yang of heaven and earth. She was an innate god who could change thousands of things and knew everything in the world. The Yellow Emperor was revered as the ancestor of Taoism. As the teacher of the Yellow Emperor, the Nine Heavenly Maiden had a high status in Taoism. However, because she had a strong belief in the God of War, her importance in the hearts of the people was not as important as that of the Jade Emperor, the Zhenwu Emperor, and other immortals who protected the safety of all living beings. People believed that the Nine Heavenly Maiden would listen to the sufferings of the human world and save all living beings in places where there was incense. Many people worshipped her at home and offered sacrifices on September 9th.
The Nine Heavenly Maiden had a long history, and its origin could be traced back to the pre-Qin or ancient times. In the Shang Dynasty, she was called Xuan Niao, which was related to the ancestors of Shang Tang. In the Book of Songs, Ode to Shang, Xuan Niao, it was mentioned that " the Xuan Niao of destiny descended and gave birth to Shang." Legend has it that Emperor Ku's concubine, Jian Di, swallowed a black bird's egg and gave birth to a contract. She was the ancestor of the Shang Dynasty. The Han Dynasty's Wei Shu, Dragonfish River Map, first recorded that Xuan Nu helped the Yellow Emperor fight against Chiyou. She granted the Yellow Emperor a military talisman, which reflected her military function. The Yellow Emperor Asking the Mysterious Goddess about the Art of War, which was probably written during the Six Dynasties, mentioned that the Mysterious Goddess had a bird shape with a human head. With the emergence and rise of Taoism in the Tang Dynasty, the image of the Nine Heavenly Maiden was gradually unified into the religious system. She had a very high status in Taoism, and her holy names were "Nine Heavenly Xuanmu Shengmu Tianzun" and "Nine Heavenly Purple Mansion Xuanzu". Starting from the Complete Tang Poetry, the Mysterious Fairy was crowned with the honorific title of Nine Heavens. In the ancient vernacular novels, the Northern Song Dynasty's "The Legacy of Xuanhe" first wrote the Mystic Fairy into the novel, shaping it as the image of a hero protecting the justice of the world. Later, related legends continued to grow. In novels such as " Water Margins," the Nine Heavenly Maiden had helped Song Jiang many times, such as helping him avoid the pursuit of the government troops and teaching him the method to break the array. The image of the Nine Heavenly Maiden had different descriptions in myths and legends, ancient vernacular novels, and so on. From the early simple " bird shape with a human head ", it gradually evolved into the image of a female immortal with a beautiful face and dressed in luxurious clothes, and showed a secular tendency. Among the people, her influence was also very wide. During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the number of temples worshiping her increased. There were more than 110 temples in Taiwan. The people also gave her secular functions such as praying for children and protecting peace. At the same time, it also gave birth to many secular activities, such as the birthday of the Nine Heavenly Maiden in Zhamalong Taoist Temple in Qinghai and the Four Scenery Car Competition in Pingshun, Shanxi. In the academic world, there were different theories about its origin, such as the mysterious bird theory, the female demon theory, and the god theory.
From the reference materials, it could be seen that there were contents related to the Nine Heavenly Maiden in the Zhaoling Palace in Anxi. For example, there were activities related to the Nine Heavenly Maiden in the Zhaoling Palace at the Anxi Pier, and the tenth anniversary celebration of the Anxi Battle was related to the Nine Heavenly Maiden. However, there was no more detailed and comprehensive information about the Nine Heavenly Maiden Zhaoling Palace in Anxi. For example, its architectural features and historical origins were not mentioned.
The history of the Nine Heavenly Maiden was rather complicated and could be traced back to the pre-Qin or ancient times. She was originally a goddess who taught the art of war in ancient China mythology. Later, she was regarded as a high-level female immortal and a god of divination by Taoism. There were several theories about its origins in academia: 1. Xuan Niao said: It originated from the Book of Songs, Ode to Shang, Xuan Niao, which read,"Destiny Xuan Niao gave birth to Shang." Xuan Niao was the black bird (swallow). The ancestors of Shang Tang were related to Xuan Niao. It was said that Emperor Ku's second concubine, Jian Di, ate Xuan Niao's egg and gave birth to the ancestral contract of Yin Shang. Later generations derived many details about the Nine Heavens Mystic Fairy from this. 2. Some people think that Xuan Nu is the drought god in the sky, and her image is that of a human head and a bird body. 3. [God of Heaven says: Some people even think that she is a God of Heaven.] According to the historical records, the Han Dynasty Wei Shu Dragonfish River Map first recorded that Xuan Nu helped the Yellow Emperor fight against Chiyou and granted the Yellow Emperor a military talisman, reflecting her role in the military. With the rise of Taoism in the Tang Dynasty, her image was gradually unified into the religious system. Her status in Taoism was very high, and there were saint titles such as "Nine Heavens Xuanmu Shengmu Tianzun" and "Nine Heavens Purple Mansion Xuanzu". In ancient times, her status was not high at first, but in all kinds of classical novels, she became a female immortal who helped heroes to eliminate evil and violence. From then on, her status in the Taoist belief in immortals became important. During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the number of temples dedicated to offering sacrifices to the Nine Heavenly Maiden gradually increased. She also served as a secular function among the people, such as praying for children and protecting peace. She also gave birth to many secular activities, such as the birthday of the Nine Heavenly Maiden in Zhamalong Taoist Temple in Qinghai on the ninth day of September every year, as well as the Lone Ape Four-Scenery Car Competition in Pingshun, Shanxi Province (which was selected into the third batch of national intangible cultural heritage approved by the State Council in 2011). She was also seen in different literary works. For example, in Water Margins, Song Jiang was considered to be the reincarnation of the Nine Heavenly Maiden. She helped Song Jiang escape from danger and gave him the Heavenly Book. She also taught him the method to break the Liao army's array. In the External History of Female Immortals, Tang Sai 'er, the leader of the peasant uprising in the Ming Dynasty, got the Heavenly Book of the Nine Heavenly Maiden and raised an army. It was said that Liu Bowen got the Heavenly Book before he left the mountain to assist Zhu Yuanzhang in conquering the world, which was also related to the Nine Heavenly Maiden. Her image had evolved in literary works of different periods, from simple descriptions in myths and legends to gradually becoming three-dimensional and full in novels. From the initial bird shape with a human head to the image of a beautiful female immortal with extraordinary temperament.
The history of the Nine Heavenly Maiden could be traced back to the pre-Qin period. Its original image was a black bird, which was said to be the ancestor of the Shang Dynasty. The Book of Songs, Ode to Shang, Black Bird mentioned that "the black bird of destiny descended and gave birth to Shang". In terms of myths and legends, she was a goddess in ancient China mythology and was seen as a person who taught the art of war. The Han Dynasty's Wei Shu, Dragonfish River Map, first recorded that she helped the Yellow Emperor fight Chiyou and was awarded the Yellow Emperor's military talisman, which reflected her main military function. In the war between the Yellow Emperor and Chiyou, the Chiyou tribe was strange and powerful. At first, the Yellow Emperor tried to persuade the Chiyou tribe but failed. After the war broke out, the people suffered. The Yellow Emperor begged for help and the Heavenly Emperor sent the Nine Heavenly Maiden to help. She used a few divine talismans to increase the strength of the Yellow Emperor's side. In the end, the Yellow Emperor won and she became the Yellow Emperor's teacher. She also captured Chiyou's soul and taught the Yellow Emperor the incantation to suppress Chiyou's soul. "Cloud Collection Seven Notes" said that he was the disciple of the Yellow Emperor's teacher, the Virgin Mother. Its significance was multi-layered. In Taoism, she was regarded as a high-level female immortal and a god of algebra. She had an important status and many saint names, such as 'Nine Heavens Holy Mother' and 'Nine Heavens Purple Mansion Mystic Master'. She was well versed in military strategies and magical powers. She was the God of Justice and was in charge of imparting military tactics, eliminating evil, protecting the people and the country. Although her status in folk beliefs was not very prominent, she often appeared in classical novels as a female immortal who helped heroes to eliminate evil and violence. For example, in Water Margins, Song Jiang was rescued from the Nine Heavens Mystic Female Temple and received the military book. Among the people, the number of temples dedicated to her gradually increased during the Ming and Qing Dynasties. There were more than 110 temples in Taiwan, and she also served as a secular function such as praying for children and protecting peace. There were also folk activities related to her, such as the birthday of the Nine Days Mysterious Girl in Zhamalong Taoist Temple in Qinghai on the ninth day of September every year, and the Lone Ape Four Scenery Car Competition in Pingshun, Shanxi Province, which was also included in the national intangible cultural heritage list.
According to the records, the three sisters of the Nine Heavenly Maiden and True Immortal lived in the Stone Gate Hall at the end of the water in the Duoqing Village.
** 1. The background story of the Nine Heavenly Maiden ** 1. ** Origin and Identity ** - The Nine Heavenly Maiden originated from the Xuan Bird and evolved into the Xuan Maiden with the head of a human and the body of a bird. She was the disciple of the Holy Mother of the West, the emissary of the Queen Mother of the West, and the teacher of the Yellow Emperor. - She had a high status in Taoism and was known as the "Nine Heavens Holy Mother" and "Nine Heavens Purple Mansion Master". The people called her the Nine Heavens Dark Lady or Dark Lady. 2. ** Stories related to the Yellow Emperor ** - The Yellow Emperor was revered as the ancestor of Taoism, and the Nine Heavenly Maiden was the Yellow Emperor's teacher. Taoism said that the Yellow Emperor's art of war and the art of ascending to immortality were the secrets of Fu Tu taught by the Nine Heavenly Maidens in Nanshan. She had created the "Heavenly Book" of war that could win by surprise, and could be called an outstanding female military strategist in ancient times. Later, there were books that were handed down under the guise of the Yellow Emperor's Mystic Daughter. The contents were either the art of war or the techniques of the Yin Yang Room. 3. ** Position in the folk and Taoism ** - Although she had a high status in Taoism, due to her strong belief in the God of War, in the hearts of the people, she was far less important than the Jade Emperor, the Zhenwu Emperor, and other immortals who protected the safety of all living beings. However, there were also many people who worshiped their god tablets at home and offered sacrifices on September 9th. In the legends, she was a goddess with boundless magical power. She was conferred the title of Jade Emperor because of her meritorious service in eliminating violence and pacifying the people. She was also a God of Justice and often appeared in classical novels to help heroes exterminate evil. For example, in Water Margins, Song Jiang was chased by soldiers and was rescued from the Nine Heavens Mystic Female Temple. He even received three volumes of military books. 4. ** Image Evolution ** - At first, it was in the shape of a bird with a human head. When it turned into a human, it had a beautiful face and wore gorgeous clothes. The belief originated before the pre-Qin period. At first, it was a goddess who taught the art of war. Later, it was regarded as a high-level female immortal and a god of divination by Taoism. ** 2. Asura's Backstory ** 1. ** Origins in the Mythological System ** - In the ancient Indian mythological system, Asura was a kind of god-like existence, the opposite of the gods. In the game "Journey to the West", the Path of Asura had a related setting. Pangu created the world, and the turbid qi descended to the ground. The vitality and turbid qi combined to form the Path of Asura. 2. ** Battle with the Yellow Emperor ** - The Asura Ancient Dao Gods Chiyou and Xingtian had died in the battle against the Yellow Emperor, and their divine power was inherited by King Asura. Asura King took advantage of the opportunity when Celestial Emperor Zhuanxu attacked Demonic Heaven to lead the Asura clansmen to attack Heavenly Court. The Nine Heavenly Maiden used the Immortal Medicine as bait to trap and kill the Asura King. Lady Raksha, who had become a new god after drinking the Immortal Medicine, could not stand Shura. She led her followers to split into Raksha and became enemies with Shura. The Path of Asura was greatly weakened and could no longer force the Heavenly Court. 3. ** In Buddhist stories ** - In Buddhist stories, Asuras lived in the sea, and the Buddha was preaching to Bokhara, Asuras, and Tirunaja in the Sarnath Garden of Shewei State. Asura said that the sea had eight ways to make it happy, such as the sea was extremely deep and wide, and once a river entered the sea, it would lose its original name. There were also eight kinds that were not mentioned in the Buddha's teachings. When it came to the Dharma of the Four Noble Truths of Amitabha and the Destruction of Tao, the Tiruan Deva was able to obtain the Dharma Eye of Purity on his seat. However, Asura suspected his arrogance and believed that there should be the Five Noble Truths. Later, he realized his mistake and repented. 4. ** Asura's distribution and characteristics ** - In terms of characteristics, the Path of Asura was born from the turbid air that represented power. Therefore, it was fierce and aggressive, had endless strength, and possessed powerful physical attack power. It advocated bravery and disdained wisdom, and was more willing to maintain primitive traditions. - On the distribution, there are two good views (The Shura buried the dead Shura King's corpse on Mount Shanjian and multiplied on Mount Shuangchi and Mount Shanjian. Due to the tight siege of the Heavenly Dao Water race, the two clans built a port in Namchanbu to prepare for the attack on the East Sea.)(Lady Raksha split from the Shura and became the Raksha herself. She lived in Mount Danmu and Mount Ma 'er and multiplied. She colluded with the Earth Demon to deal with the Shura in order to seek a burial with the Asura King), Copper-Horn City (After the defeat of the ancient god Chiyou, the Asura army led by him retreated to the East Victory Divine Continent, forming the Chiyou Tribe and establishing Copper-Horn City), and the Heaven Punishing Cave.
In the relevant legends, the White Ape Duke was the disciple of the Nine Heavenly Maiden. The Duke of White Ape was a long-armed white ape that had been cultivating for many years. It was in charge of the Nine Heavens Secret Manual, the Ruyi Treasure Book, for the Jade Emperor, but it had secretly carved the secret manual on the stone wall of the White Cloud Cave. When Monk Egg was stealing the secret manual, the white ape transformed into a white-haired old man twice and guided him to the cave to copy the technique. Although Monk Egg had stolen the Heavenly Book, he could not identify it. It was also the White Ape Duke who told Monk Egg to look for the Saint Aunt. After Monk Dan Zi found the Saint Aunt, Hu Dier, Hu Yong 'er, and the others, they helped the King to rebel in Beizhou. This alarmed the Jade Emperor, and the White Ape invited the Goddess of Nine Heavens to atone for his sins. After the demon riot was quelled, the white ape was rewarded with the title of Cave Lord Baiyun. It was still in charge of the Nine Heavens Secret Manual in the Cultivation Courtyard. There was also a legend that the Duke of White Ape had once cultivated in the land of Chu for a thousand years and caught eighteen arrows from the King of Chu with his bare hands. His weapon was the Sky Lifting Pillar. In the Biography of the Extinguishing Demons, the original image of the Duke of the White Ape (Deacon Yuan) was a white ape with long arms. It had many special abilities, such as the ability to climb trees on cliffs. If a person shot an arrow, it could catch it from the right, from the left, from the near, from far, and so on. In addition, some netizens believed that the Bodhi Patriarch in Journey to the West might be the White Ape Ancestor (the White Ape Duke). The Jade Emperor once conferred him the title of Cloud Cave Lord. If the Bodhi Patriarch was really a monkey, it was very likely that he was a white ape.
The Nine Heavens Mystic Female Lord was in charge of military affairs. She also had the divine titles of the God of Art in the Room, the God of Medicinal Pills, and the God of Arithmetic. In Taoism, the holy names were "Nine Heavens Mystic Mother Holy Lady" and "Nine Heavens Purple Mansion Mystic Ancestor". Her image was generally in the shape of a bird with a human head. When she transformed into a human body, she was a goddess with a beautiful face and dressed in luxurious clothes. The Han Dynasty's Wei Shu, Dragonfish River Map, first recorded that she helped the Yellow Emperor fight Chiyou and was awarded the Yellow Emperor's military talisman, which reflected her military function. The Heavenly Lord of Thunder and Thunder of the Nine Heavens was the god of the gods of the Thunder Department, the head of Taoism. He was one of the nine gods of the Divine Firmament Sect in the Divine Firmament God System. He had the power to control the creation of the heavens and the myriad of spirits. He was the highest god of the Thunder Head Office. He was in charge of Jade Firmament Mansion and governed the 36 inner courts. The two were quite different in terms of priesthood and image, and they exerted different influences in the Taoist mythological system.
There was no information that the Nine Heavenly Maiden was in Xizang. The Mysterious Lady of the Nine Heavens was a character in ancient mythology. Legend had it that she was related to the Yellow Emperor and other people. There were many legends about her in the Central Plains. Although there were exchanges between the Han and Tibetan cultures, there was no information that she was in Xizang.
The Mysterious Lady of the Nine Heavens was originally a goddess in ancient China mythology who taught the art of war. Later, she was regarded as a high-level female immortal and a god of divination by Taoism. She was an important figure in the Taoist belief in immortals. She was a God of Justice who was well versed in military strategies and magical powers. She often became a female immortal who helped heroes to eliminate evil and violence, but no clear description of her jurisdiction was found.