A short history of the "fairy worm" of the toad
This article is written by Ni Fangliu
There is a saying called "toad wants to eat swan meat", this "sycamore tree under the phoenix" headline, let's talk about this toad.
Previous I said spiders (see Why can't I die when I see spiders?). Although the toad is annoying and ugly, it is also a good thing like spiders.
(Root eagle toad)
Toads are also known as "toads", "Zhan Zhu", "toads", "shrimp toads", etc., commonly known as "toads". If it is a mascot, some people may not believe it. But the toad that wants to eat swan meat is indeed extraordinary in the traditional Chinese auspicious culture, and the ancients called it "fairy worm".
Although the toad is next to the "worm", it is not actually a worm, it is an amphibian. Toads were first deified before they were superstitious by the ancients. The ancient legend that the toad is the moon essence, that is, the "toad essence" as the saying goes, which appears in the Shenhua legend of "Chang'e Running Moon" and is incarnated by the beautiful chang'e. The Eastern Han Dynasty astronomer Zhang Heng's "Lingxian" said: "The Sun, the Sect of Yang Jing." It is formed into a bird, which is like a black and has three toes. Yang and the like, its number is odd. The Moon, the Sect of Yin Essence, accumulates into the beast elephant rabbit clam, the Yin Essence, and its number is even. ”
(Eastern Han Dynasty "Chang'e Benyue" portrait stone rubbing)
Meaning, yangjing is a kind of bird, called "three-legged wu", yinjing is a beast, a rabbit and a toad. There is a saying in the Western Han Dynasty Liu An's Huainanzi Meditations, "Yi's wife Concubine Chang (Chang'e) steals the moon and supports herself in the moon, for the toad, but for the moon spirit." ”
What does Chang'e look like after becoming a moon spirit toad? It has appeared in a sarcophagus depicted in an unearthed sarcophagus. During the Republic of China, a sarcophagus was unearthed in Shapingba, Chongqing, and the coffin was surrounded by portraits, on which there was Chang'e after the toad transformation. The front of the coffin is carved with a statue of a human head and a snake, holding the moon wheel in one hand, which is Nuwa; the back is engraved with two people, a toad, and the toad is standing with a bipedal person, holding a pestle in the hand and pounding down - this is the Chang'e of the toad that becomes the moon essence.
(Chang'e played by actor Ma Su)
Speaking of this, since the toad is the embodiment of the beautiful Chang'e and the moon essence, is the "toad" who wants to eat swan meat still not self-aware and self-measured? It can be seen that it is entirely possible for toads to eat swan meat, not an unattainable goal.
In fact, this is a humanized toad, and in later legends and changes, the moon spirit toad is not a two-legged human form, but closer to the Yang spirit bird three-legged crow, becoming a three-legged toad, commonly known as "three-legged toad". The Master of Qingdong Xuan, "Shu Yi Ji", said: "In ancient times, it was said that the toad had three legs, and lived in the cave moon, and was a fairy insect." ”
("Bangs play toad" wood carving, bangs at the foot of the three-legged toad)
Normal toads are four-legged, if it is not deformed, it cannot be three-legged, as the saying goes, "three-legged toads are not easy to find, two-legged men have", this is how it comes.
The ancients' superstition of toads was more because of the three-legged toad. In the past, folk believed that the three-legged toad was rich if he got it. The "toad" in the traditional New Year painting "Bangs Play Toad" is a three-legged one. The Qing Chu people won the "Liu Hai Toad Song" article of the "Five Collections of Jianhuan", saying: "The person who draws the lotus head and the laughing foot is holding a three-legged toad, and it is known that this 'bangs play toad' Tuye." ”
(Folk print "Bangs Play Toad")
Liu Hai Toad is a five-generation person, according to the Ming Dynasty Shizhen and Wang Yunpeng's "Complete Biography of Liexian" (volume VII), his real name is Liu Xuanying, the sea toad, who has been incarnated as an immortal, and later generations have worshipped him as a "blessed god". By the Song Dynasty, there was already a play of "Liu Hai withdrawing money", and Liu Yong's "Wushan A Piece of Cloud" said: "Greedy to watch the sea toad crazy drama, but the nine passes are closed together." ”
In the Ming and Qing dynasties, the "Bangs Playing Toad" figure depicts a sea toad holding a rope, stringing copper coins on it, and dancing with the pattern of the toad, symbolizing the wealth into the treasure and the rich source of wealth. Because of this saying of "attracting wealth and entering treasure", there is still a custom of placing three-legged golden toads and copper toads in the home.
(Folk ornament "Zhao Cai Three-legged Toad")
Toads can be moon spirits, fairy incarnations, and fairy worms, and the "toad pills" made of them can prolong life. Jin Guo Pu's "Xuanzhong Ji" has a saying: "Chitose toad, the head of the horn, get and eat, shou Chitose." The Toad Pill is called "Immortal Medicine", which is not easy to obtain, and the Taiping Imperial Palace and the Nineteenth Beast Department quote the "Lefu Song poem" as saying: "Take the end of the Divine Medicine Mountain, the white rabbit is pounded into a toad pill, and your majesty is offered a jade fir." ”
In the eyes of Chinese medicine, toads are indeed good things. The Eastern Jin Dynasty physician Tao Hongjing's "Materia Medica Commentary on insects and beasts of the Three Products" lists shrimp and toads as "lower products": "Spicy, cold, and poisonous." Indications for the treatment of evil qi, broken disease, hard blood, carbuncles, pubic sores, take it without suffering from fever. It is also said, "This is a person with a large abdomen and many prickly skin, and his skin juice is very poisonous." The dog is swollen and the mouth is swollen. People who have warm disease spots out of plight, raw food can make people bind and self-help. ”
(Leper toad skin can cure "leper drum" mumps)
In the past, in the countryside, it was said that children suffering from mumps were called "leper drums", catching a live toad, peeling and sticking it on the cheeks to heal, which was very magical, and this usage was very popular in the countryside at that time. If the toad is burned to ashes, "apply the sores for testing".
The most surprising thing about the use of toads is the function of toad fat, which can soften hard jade. The Commentary on the Materia Medica introduces: "Its jade is carved like wax, so the cloud can combine jade, but the dish is rare." Take the fat, file, decoction, to coat the jade, but also soft and smooth easy to cut. Ancient jade artifacts have peculiarities, not carved by people, mostly carved by Kunwu knives and shrimp toads. ”
Those lifelike and ingenious jade artifacts in ancient times actually had the credit of a toad, I didn't expect it.
(Jade Toad)