Zhang Xian (deity)
This article is about a god named Zhang Xian, with the second character meaning immortal. It is not to be confused with one of the Eight Immortals, Zhang Guolao.
For other people named Zhang Xian, see Zhang Xian (disambiguation).
Zhang Xian shooting at a tiangou to protect his children clustered about him.
Zhang Xian (Chinese: 張仙; pinyin: Zhāng Xiān) is a Chinese god who is the enemy of the tiangou (Chinese: 天狗; pinyin: tiāngǒu; Wade–Giles: t'ien1-kou3; literally: "Heavenly Dog"), a legendary creature in the form of a dog who creates eclipses. It is said that he protects his children from the dog god with his bow and arrows. He is often depicted aiming at the sky, waiting for the beast to appear.
He is the god of birth and the protector of male children. Many sought for him to give them male offspring and to protect their living children.
References
See also
- Dog (Chinese mythology)
- Dog (Chinese zodiac)
- Apotropaic magic, which wards away misfortune
- Tutelary deity
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||
.svg.png)
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Sunday, March 06, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.