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The forgotten cultural totem – the bear
The dragon is the symbol of the Chinese nation, which belongs to the typical composite totem image, which has antlers, humps, rabbit eyes, snake necks, mirages, fish scales, eagle claws, tiger paws, and cow ears, reflecting the history of the various totem tribes in the prehistoric period. In the prehistoric period before the dragon totem matured, various totem cultures prevailed. From the Neolithic age to the Qin and Han dynasties, bear worship has always occupied an important position. "History of the Imperial Century" said: "The Yellow Emperor had the Xiong clan, the son of Shaodian. The "Seven Years of Zuo Chuan Zhaogong" says: "Xi Yao died in Yushan, and its deification was transformed into a yellow bear." The "Li Ji Yue Ling" zhengyi quoted the "Imperial Century" as saying: "Da Hao (Fu Xi) No. 1 Huang Xiong Clan." The Book of Han and Emperor Wu of Han says: "Yu ruled the flood, passed through Xuanyuan Mountain, and turned into a bear." "The tribal leaders of the Yellow Emperor, Cang, Fuxi, dayu and other ancient times are all from tribes with bears as totems, which shows that bears are one of the important totems of the Chinese nation in ancient times. So, what are the reasons for the worship of the bear totem and its cultural characteristics?
In the Han Dynasty, the first ring of the three bears foot copper
First, the bear is a symbol of animality of bravery, fearlessness and greatness. The Book of Han and the Five Elements Chronicle says, "Bear, the beast of the mountains." "In the early days of human society, hunting was prevalent, and human contact with bears was more frequent. At the top of the food chain, the large and fierce bear gives the impression of infinite power and supernatural power. Therefore, the worship of bears often falls on the animalistic characteristics of bears, and through the sacrifice of bears in anticipation of obtaining the brave and fearless characteristics of bears.
Second, the bear is a symbol of the divinity of the immortal, the angel, and the god of thunder. One of the important sources of bear worship is the habit of bear hibernation, the "Shan Hai Jing, Zhongshan Jing, Bear Mountain": "The bear's den, the eternal birth of the gods, the summer enlightenment and the winter closure." Primitive people regard the hibernation of bears and the decay of cicadas as "rebirth", pinning people's expectations for immortality. By the Han Dynasty, the sacred symbol of the bear was more abundant. In the Portrait Brick of the Eastern Han Dynasty Fuxi Nuwa jia Tianxiong unearthed in Xinye, Henan, a bear dances on the head of the second god of Fuxi Nuwa, and the image is more prominent, reflecting the lofty divine status of the bear in ancient times; the Han Dynasty shop first ring three bear foot bronze on display in the History Hall of the Cangzhou Museum, the three sacred bears carry the entire artifact, symbolizing the god bear standing on top of the heavens and the earth and penetrating the three realms; in the thunder god travel map of the Xuzhou Han Portrait Stone Art Museum, three winged tigers and two divine turtles pull a car, and the bear sits in the car, holding drums and drumsticks as the image of "Thunder God".
Third, the bear is a symbol of witchcraft that drives away evil and guards the tombs of the town. The Han Dynasty believed that the spirit would continue after death, so they paid special attention to guarding the world after death. The image of the bear mostly appears at the location of the tomb door, symbolizing the "Youdu Gate God" guarding the entrance to the underground underworld and the burial chamber. The Zhou Li Xia Guan Fang Xiang Clan says: "Fang Xiang Clan palm bear skin, golden four eyes, Xuan Yi Zhu Pei, Zhi Ge Yang Dun, handsome hundred officials and timely, to the so room to beat the epidemic." "Fang Xiangshi is a legendary god who drives away evil spirits, and is responsible for exorcism activities in funerals and sacrifices during the Zhou Li, and they wear bear head masks, which are often in the shape of bears in picture scrolls and stone statues.
Bear worship originated from the contact with bears in ancient human hunting activities, and bears had a huge impact on human life at that time. With the development of productive forces, human society began to transform from a hunting society to an agricultural society, and the dragons, which were more closely related to rain irrigation in this context, gradually appeared on the historical stage.
Author Lu Qingyuan