When it comes to Journey to the West and Baolian Lantern, history buffs often think of a famous figure, the Erlang god from Guanjiangkou. In "Journey to the West", Erlang Shen PK Sun Wukong in his early years, the two sides are on par. Later, Sun Wukong followed the Tang monk Xitian to learn the scriptures, and the Erlang God helped Sun Wukong to exorcise demons. In "Po Lin Lantern", Erlang is the uncle of Agarwood and fights against Agarwood.
So, why is the erlang god called the erlang god, not the big lang god and the sanlang god? Who is the prototype of the Erlang God?
Above_ Stills of Erlang Shen in Journey to the West
Why is the god Erlang called erlang god?
According to the research of some scholars, the earliest Erlang god originated in the Tang Dynasty, as the Buddhist legend "Dujian Erlang", whose father was King Vishamon.
The famous historian Zhang Zhengxiu made a study of the history of Du JianJilang in the article "Long Talk". Zhang Zhengxiu believes that the Tang Dynasty monks had translated a large number of scriptures brought back from India. The Bishamen Ritual Ritual, translated by the monk Bukong, mentions the early records of the Erlang god in the Tang Dynasty: during the tang Xuanzong period, Du Jian Erlang led the heavenly soldiers to help the Tang army repel the enemy forces in the western region. This Dukenjiro was vishaman's second son, along with his eldest brother and third brother. The third brother is Nezha.
Later, The Taoist section distinguished the positioning of Dujian Erlang from Buddhism: Taoism listed Nezha's two older brothers as Jinzha and Muzha, and Erlang Shen became Nezha's colleagues, both of whom were important figures in the Heavenly Court and appeared in journey to the West.
Since Dukenjiro was the second son of King Vishamon, Dukenjiro and his descendants were called Erlang Shen, not Dairo God, Sanlang God.
Above_ King Vishaman generally refers to the King of Tatsumi (a Buddhist figure)
So, who is the archetypal character of the Erlang God?
There are different theories about who the characters of the Jiro God are.
First, historian Zhang Zhengxiu believes that the early prototype of the Erlang god is the Buddhist legend of Dujian Erlang. Moreover, this Dujian Erlang is also associated with the history of the Tang Dynasty.
According to the "Vishamon Ritual Track" translated by the monk Bukong, during the Tang Dynasty Tianbao period, the Tang Empire's Anxi Capital Protectorate was surrounded by Arab and other armies, and a minister suggested that Tang Xuanzong ask the Heavenly Soldiers to support the Western Regions. Tang Xuanzong took the minister's advice. After the high monk performed the ceremony, hundreds of Celestial Soldiers suddenly appeared at the ceremony site, including Vishamon's second son, Du Kenjiro.
At the critical moment when the armies of Arab and other countries surrounded the western region, there were sudden clouds and fog in the sky, followed by the appearance of heavenly soldiers, and the sound of drums resounded through the clouds. The Tianbing supported the Tang army in repelling the enemy's attack.
The story recorded in the Vishaman Ritual Is purely Buddhist mythology and legend, and although it has some background in the Tang Xuanzong period, the whole story is very absurd.
Later, after continuous evolution, this Dujian Jilang became the Erlang God in "Journey to the West".
Above_ The Song Hui Zhi Zhi Manuscript is a Song Dynasty official revision of the Hui Zhi (会要) compiled by Xu Song from the Yongle Canon during the Qing Jiaqing period
Second, Li Bing's son said.
Dujiangyan built by Li Bing is world-famous and can be called a model project for water control in ancient China. In the folklore of Shu, Li Bing's son, the so-called Li Erlang, helped his father to exorcise demons and demons, and also introduced the minjiang river water to Dujiangyan, making a great contribution to chengdu's transformation into a fertile plain.
The earliest record of this legend was founded in the Northern Song Dynasty, and the Song Huijiao records that during the reign of Emperor Jiayou of the Song Dynasty, the theory that the Erlang God was the son of Li Bing appeared. Zhang Shangying, a famous calligrapher in the late Northern Song Dynasty, recorded in the "Records of the Temple of Guan Sanlang in the Early Yuan Dynasty" that Li Bing cured the flood, and the temple was eaten in the Shu Zhi Heap, and his son Erlang was spiritually manifested. This shows that during the Northern Song Dynasty, people at that time regarded Li Bing's son Erlang as a god.
During the Southern Song Dynasty, the famous literary scholar Fan Chengda probably also worshipped the Erlang God during his tenure in today's Sichuan Province, and even the Song Dynasty Grand Confucian Zhu Xi himself believed that the prototype of the Erlang God was likely to be the son of Li Bing. The "Zhuzi Language Class" records: "Shuzhong Guankou Erlang Temple, at that time, Li Bing was a meritorious temple because of the opening of the pile. Many of the spirits of the present are his second son. ”
Whether Li Bing's son is the prototype of Erlang still needs to be examined in many aspects such as history and mythology, which is part of the evidence, but the evidence is not yet comprehensive.
Above_ Ming "Newly Carved Statue Supplement Search God Record", Ming Wanli First Year Jinling Tang Clan Fuchun Hall Publication, Erlang God Zhao Yu is the three eyes
Third, Zhao Yu said.
Zhao Yu did not exist in history, but was a legendary figure who served as a Taishou in Sichuan. In the last year of the Sui Dynasty, a dragon appeared as the evil party, and Zhao Yu took up a weapon and fought with the dragon to the death, and finally killed the dragon. This spirit of eliminating harm for the people was embraced by the people, but Zhao Yu resigned from his official position and went into hiding, and he disappeared. When Emperor Taizong of Tang learned of this, he made Zhao Yu a general. Emperor Xuanzong of Tang ran to Chengdu after the Anshi Rebellion and also made Zhao Yu king. Emperor Huizong of Song sealed Zhao Yu again.
The Yuan Dynasty Zhiwei novel "The New Compilation of Lianxiang Search For Shen Guangji" records that before Tang Taizong, the local people in Sichuan had built a temple for Zhao Yu, calling Zhao Yu a guankou Erlang. After that, in the Ming Dynasty Wanli period, the Wanli Continued Daozang has a record of Zhao Yu as a guankou erlang. Gradually, this Zhao Yu became the Erlang God.
Above_ Erlang's rescue mother copied by Yang Zhongren of the Four Zhitang of the Republic of Taizhou
Fourth, Yang Erlang said.
The record of Yang Erlang appears in the Ming Dynasty's "Erlang Treasure Scroll", which records the story of Erlang splitting the mountain to save his mother. Erlang Shen may have been a child born to the third daughter of the Jade Emperor (or the sister of the Jade Emperor) married to the people, and his father was Yang Tianyou.
This erlang god seems to be more in line with people's expectations, and it is mentioned in the Journey to the West and the Fengshen Yanyi that the name of the Erlang god is Yang Jian.
The inhabitation of the Yu people is likely to be the origin of the Erlang god culture, and the local people have a habit of carving scars on the forehead with a knife and smearing the wounds with black ink to form permanent marks. This is quite consistent with the habit of long eyes on the forehead of the Erlang God.
After the Tang Dynasty, the Yu people gradually integrated into the Han and Tibetan ethnic groups, and the legend of the Erlang God was more widely spread in the folk.
Above_ Li Bing (c. 302 BC – 235 BC), the picture shows the statue of Li Bing and the inscription
Fifth, fusion said.
Fusion theory points out that the earliest prototype of the Erlang God is Li Erlang, who may be Li Bing's subordinates, not Li Bing's own children. With the evolution of history, Li Erlang changed from Li Bing's assistant to Li Bing's son.
Since then, Li Bing's so-called son Li Erlang has been integrated into the legend of the removal of water damage from the Decisive Jade Fortress Mountain, the myth of Li Bing's slashing of the dragon, and the cultural beliefs of the People of the Yu ethnic group, and a variety of legends and cultures have been integrated, and finally formed the Erlang God with multicultural colors, and appeared in various stories such as myths and legends, such as "Journey to the West" and "The Evolution of the Fengshen Gods".
The above theories are various theories of the archetype of the Erlang God, which have corresponding basis, but the evidence is not really sufficient, and it is difficult to form a conclusion on the historical, literary and mythological circles. We firmly believe that with the deepening of research, the academic community has been able to finally determine who the prototype of the Erlang God is.
Author: Zhenguan Correction/Editor: Lilith
Resources:
[1] "Long Talk" Zhang Zhengxiu, researcher of the Institute of History, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences
[2] Journey to the West, Fengshen Yanyi, History of Song, History of Yuan
The text was created by the History University Hall team, and the picture originated from the Internet and the copyright belongs to the original author