When it comes to the gods of secular affairs, we have to say that the gods of the way and the gods of the manifestation have to be said. Man stands in the world, not as fixed as a plant, the so-called "tree to die, man to live." People are always walking, and the road is crucial. Leaving the family home, without the protection of the house god, the direct face is the road. Therefore, according to the belief of the ancient artificial gods, there are naturally similar to the road god, the bridge head god and the like; and the road opening god and the manifest god are also the more well-known gods in this category.
Fang Bi Fang Xiang Men Statue Thanks to the creators
Leaving aside the Definition of the Origin and Priesthood of these two gods in the Taoist and Immortal Cultural Perspectives, it is only in the literal sense. The meaning of opening the road is to make the road unimpeded, and everyone wants to be smooth sailing, unfettered on the flat road, and to hire their own life. The manifest path still has the meaning of opening the way, making the path appear, making the hidden and profound path obvious, the future bright, and there are no more ups and downs. And for the gods in the name of opening the way and manifesting the way, naturally there are also people who pray for a better future and the smooth progress of all things.
Murals related to the Pioneer King
In fact, the appearance of these two gods is somewhat different from the above. The original priesthood of these two gods was actually in the funeral rites. In the old custom, when going out of the funeral, a pair of tall paper people were always tied before the funeral procession, and this pair of paper people were the gods of the way and the gods of the manifestation. The role is to cast a wicked demon and hide the coffin. There is a saying that the god of the manifest path is called "the god of the dangerous road"; from the function of the two gods, it is believed that the accurate title of the god of the dangerous way is "the god of the guide".
Pictures of ancient funerals and movies
Regarding the origin of the two gods, it is recorded in the "Three Religions search for gods" that the god king of the opening road is the Fang Xiang clan in the "Zhou Li". It is said that Emperor Xuanyuan once traveled around the world, and the Yuan Concubine Concubine Died on the road, he ordered Fang Xiang to guard the night, and thus had a divine throne. From ancient times to the Tang Dynasty, the Fang Xiang clan court used special officials to perform the ritual of driving away epidemics and avoiding evil spirits. Like the ethnic minorities and the Tang Dynasty introduced to Japan, they still retain the role of Fang Xiangshi's "chasing style". In this way, fang xiangshi should have been a wizard in the era of the Yellow Emperor.
Photo courtesy of Fang Xiangshi Network
In the book "The Evolution of the Fengshen Gods", it is obvious that they were influenced by historical understanding, and it was the two brothers named "Fang Bi Fang Xiang" who were named "Fang Bi Fang Xiang" who were named as the gods of the Manifest Path and the god of the way. Before his death, he was the general of zhendian of the King of Shang, and because he rescued the two princes of Yin Hong, YinJiao, he escorted the two princes out of Chaoge City all the way. Later, he was separated from the second prince, and when he stayed until king Wu was cutting the silk, he returned to Western Zhou, died in the journey, and was later sealed. In the folk, the two are also considered to be the earliest door gods, just from the legend of the existence of the two people in terms of time, should be recognized before the god Yulei, coupled with the story of the gods, which was originally the general of the station temple, that is, the duty of the door god; in addition, since ancient times, there is the role of Fang Xiang's exorcism, which is also in line with the priesthood of the door god.