Gods and Goddesses
Asian
Chinese
Taoist
Ba Xian
TYPE: Collective Name for Gods
ORIGIN: Taoist (Chinese)
INFORMATION: A group of eight divine beings, once mortal, who achieved immortality through their exemplary lives. There are many such groups in Chinese religious beleif. The Ba Xian are probably the most widely revered. Many people carry amulets and other charms in the form of symbols of these deities.
The Eight Immortals are a group of legendary xian ("immortals") in Chinese mythology. Each immortal's power can be transferred to a vessel that can bestow life or destroy evil. Together, these eight vessels are called the "Covert Eight Immortals". Most of them are said to have been born in the Tang or Song Dynasty. They are revered by the Taoists and are also a popular element in secular Chinese culture. They are said to live on a group of five islands in the Bohai Sea, which includes Mount Penglai.
THE IMMORTALS:
- He Xiangu, in modern context generally seen as the only female of the group, often depicted holding a lotus flower.
- Cao Goujiu, related to a Song dynasty emperor before he became immortal.
- Li Tieguai, considered to be mentally disturbed and associated with medicine and easing the suffering of the sick and needy, identified by his iron crutch and Calabash bottle.
- Lan Caihe, originally pictured as female later developed an ambiguous or more accurately, "transformative" gender and is considered the patron of florists and gardeners.
- Lu Dongbin, a scholar and poet considered to the be leader of the Eight Immortals.
- Han Xiangzi, a flute artist
- Zhang Gualao, a fangshi symbol of longevity
- Zhongli Quan, associated with death and the power to create silver and gold, often depicted holding a fan.
In literature before the 1970s, they were sometimes translated as the Eight Genies. First described in the Yuan Dynasty, they were probably named after the Eight Immortal Scholars of the Han.