| Five Forms of the Highest Deity | |||||||||
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 Modern fresco representing the Five Deities | |||||||||
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| Simplified Chinese | 五方上帝 | ||||||||
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| Five Deities | |||||||||
| Chinese | 五帝 | ||||||||
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TheWǔfāng Shàngdì (Chinese:五方上帝 "Five Regions' Highest Deities" or "Highest Deities of the Five Regions"[note 1]), or simplyWǔdì (五帝; "Five Deities") orWǔshén (五神; "Five Gods")[3] are, inChinese canonical texts and commonChinese religion, the fivefold manifestation of thesupreme God of Heaven (天;Tiān, or equivalently上帝;Shàngdì). This theology dates back at least to theShang dynasty.[4] Described as the "five changeable faces of Heaven",[5] they represent Heaven's cosmic activity which shapes worlds as壇;tán, "altars", imitating its order which is visible in the starry vault, the northcelestial pole and its spinning constellations.[note 2] The Five Deities themselves represent these constellations.[6] In accordance with the Three Powers (三才;Sāncái) they have a celestial, a terrestrial and achthonic form. TheHan Chinese identify themselves as thedescendants of the Red and Yellow Deities.
They are associated with thefive colors, thefive phases of the continuous creation (五行;Wuxing), the fiveclassical planets of theSolar System and thefive constellations rotating around the celestial pole, thefive sacred mountains and five directions of space (their terrestrial form), and the fiveDragon Gods (龙神;Lóngshén) who represent their mounts, that is to say the material forces they preside over (their chthonic form).[7][8] They have also been defined simply as five special forms of the worship of the God of Heaven, different "accesses" or perspectives, suitable for different situations, to serve Heaven.[9]
According toZheng Xuan, the influence of their activity begets different categories of beings on earth. Explaining the ancient theology about the origins of kings from Heaven's impregnation of earthly women, he commented:[10]
王者之先祖, 皆感大微五帝之精以生 — Every ancestor of him who is the king was given birth to as the result of an influential movement [感;gǎn] made by the spirits of the Five Deities.
Other names by which the Five Deities are collectively known are:
In some works they are conceptualized as a single deity, the "Great Deity the Heavenly King" (天皇大帝;Tiānhuáng Dàdì) or "Highest Deity of the Vast Heaven" (昊天上帝;Hàotiān Shàngdì), which are therefore other epithets for the supremeGod of Heaven.[6] This concept relates in the microcosm to the Heart, and the four souls being a reflection of qualities of the Shen inChinese medical theory.[12]
Huángdì (黄帝) "Yellow Emperor" or "Yellow Deity"), also calledHuángshén (黄神; "Yellow God"), is another name of the supreme God in Chinese traditions, associated to thenorthern culmen of the sky and theBig Dipper (or Great Chariot, or Ursa Major) in particular, and with the power of thewu (巫) shamans.[13]: 12, note 33 He is also known, as a humanculture hero and progenitor, asXuānyuán (轩辕) "Chariot Shaft"[14]),Xuānyuánshì (轩辕氏; "Master of the Chariot Shaft"), orXuānyuán Huángdì (轩辕黄帝; "Yellow Deity of the Chariot Shaft"), and as a cosmological symbol asZhōngyuèdàdì (中岳大帝; "Great Deity of the Central Peak"). He represents the essence of earth and the Yellow Dragon (黄龙;Huánglóng).[15] The character黄;huáng, for "yellow", also means, byhomophony and sharedetymology with皇;huáng, "august", "creator" and "radiant", attributes of the supreme God.[16]
He is the deity who shapes the material world (地;Dì), the creator of theHuaxia civility, of marriage and morality, language and lineage, and primal ancestor of all the Chinese.[17] In the cosmology of the Wufang Shangdi his astral body isSaturn, but he is also identified as the Sun God, and with the starRegulus (α Leonis) andconstellations Leo and Lynx, of which the latter is said to represent the body of the Yellow Dragon.[8]
He corresponds to theHuángshén Běidǒu (黄神北斗; "Yellow God of theNorthern Dipper")),[18][note 3] of whom in certain historical sources he is described as the human form making an ontological distinction between the two. For instance, according to a definition given by apocryphal texts related to theHétú, the Yellow Emperor "proceeds from the essence of the Yellow God of the Northern Dipper", is born to "a daughter of a chthonic deity", and as such he is "a cosmic product of the conflation of Heaven and Earth".[19] The Yellow God is in turn described as the "spirit father and astral double" of the Yellow Emperor.[13]: 42, note 25
As a human being, the Yellow Emperor is said to have been the fruit of a virginal birth, as his mother Fubao was impregnated by a radiance (yuanqi, "primordial pneuma"), a lightning, which she saw encircling the Northern Dipper (Great Chariot, or Ursa Major), or the celestial pole, while she was walking in the countryside. She delivered her son after twenty-four months on the mount of Shou (Longevity) or mount Xuanyuan, after which he was named.[20] Through his human side, he was a descendant of有熊氏;Yǒuxióng, the lineage of the Bear—another reference to the Ursa Major. Scholar John C. Didier has studied the parallels that the Yellow Emperor's mythology has in other cultures, deducing a plausible ancient origin of the myth inSiberia or in north Asia.[21]
In older accounts, the Yellow Emperor is identified as a deity of light (and his name is explained in theShuowen Jiezi to derive from光;guāng; "light") and thunder, and as one and the same with the "Thunder God" (雷神;Léishén),[22][23] who in turn, as a later mythological character, is distinguished as the Yellow Emperor's foremost pupil, such as in theHuangdi Neijing.
Huangdi represents the hub of creation, theaxis mundi (Kunlun) that is the manifestation of the divine order in physical reality, opening the way to immortality.[15] As the deity of the centre of the four directions, in theShizi he is described as "Yellow Emperor with Four Faces" (黄帝四面;Huángdì Sìmiàn).[24] The "Four-Faced God" or "Ubiquitous God" (四面神;Sìmiànshén) is also the Chinese name ofBrahma. Huangdi is the model of those who merge their self with the self of the universal God, of theascetics who reach enlightenment or immortality.[25]
InSima Qian's description of the Five Deities it is important to note that the Yellow Emperor was portrayed as the grandfather of the Black Emperor of the north who personifies as well the pole stars, and as the tamer of the Red Emperor, his half-brother, who is the spirit of the southern populations known collectively asChu in the Zhou dynasty.[26]
The Wufang Shangdi were also thought to rule over points in the fivecardinal directions, or "cardinal points".[27] Huang Di rules over the center point.[27]
Cāngdì (蒼帝; "Green Deity" or "Green Emperor") orCāngshén (蒼神; "Green God"), also known asQīngdì (青帝; "Blue Deity" or "Bluegreen Deity") orQīngshén (青神; "Bluegreen God"), and cosmologically as theDōngdì (东帝; "East Deity") orDōngyuèdàdì (东岳大帝; "Great Deity of theEastern Peak"), is the manifestation of the supreme God associated with the essence of wood and spring, for which he is worshipped as the god of fertility. TheBluegreen Dragon (青龙;Qīnglóng) is both his animal form and constellation, and as a human he wasTàihào (太昊) (Fu Xi).[15] His female consort is the goddess of fertilityBixia. His astral body isJupiter.[1]
Hēidì (黑帝; "Black Deity" or "Black Emperor") orHēishén (黑神; "Black God"), also known as the cosmologicalBěidì (北帝; "North Deity") orBěiyuèdàdì (北岳大帝; "Great Deity of the Northern Peak"), and identified asZhuānxū (颛顼), today frequently worshipped asXuánwǔ (玄武; "Dark Warrior") orZhēnwǔ, is the manifestation of the supreme God associated with the essence of water and winter. His animal form is the Black Dragon (玄龙;Xuánlóng; 'Dark Dragon', 'Mysterious Dragon') and his stellar animal is theturtle-snake.[15] His astral body isMercury.[1]
Chìdì (赤帝; "Red Deity" or "Red Emperor") orChìshén (赤神; "Red God"), also known as theNándì (南帝; "South Deity") orNányuèdàdì (南岳大帝; "Great Deity of the Southern Peak"), as a human wasShénnóng (神农; "Farmer God" or "Plowing God"), who is also the same asYándì (炎帝; "Flame Deity" or "Fiery Deity"), a function occupied by different gods and god-kings in mytho-history. Shennong is also one of the Three Patrons, specifically the patron of humanity (人皇;Rénhuáng, and the point of intersection of the Three Patrons and Huangdi.
He is also associated withChīyóu (蚩尤), the god of some southern peoples, in both iconography and myth, as both Shennong Yandi and Chiyou fought against the Yellow Emperor, although Chiyou is traditionally considered more violent and has the horns of a fighting bull, while Shennong Yandi is more peaceful and has the horns of a plowing buffalo.[28]
He is the manifestation of the supreme God associated with the essence of fire; his animal form is the Red Dragon (朱龙;Zhūlóng) and his stellar animal is thephoenix. He is the god of agriculture, animal husbandry, medicinal plants and market.[15] In broader conceptualisation, he is the god of science and craft, and the patron of doctors and apothecaries.[28] His astral body isMars.[1]
Báidì (白帝; "White Emperor" or "White Deity") orBáishén (白神; "White God"), also known as theXīdì (西帝; "West Deity") orXīyuèdàdì (西岳大帝; "Great Deity of the Western Peak"), as a human wasShǎohào (少昊), and he is the manifestation of the supreme God associated with the essence of metal and autumn. His animal form is the White Dragon (白龙;Báilóng and his stellar animal is thetiger. His astral body isVenus.[1]
In mythology, Huangdi and Yandi fought abattle against each other; and Huang finally defeated Yan with the help of the Dragon (the controller of water, who is Huangdi himself).[29]
This myth symbolises the equipoise of yin and yang, here the fire of knowledge (reason and craft) and earthly stability.[29]炎;Yan is flame, scorching fire, or an excess of it (it is important to notice that graphically it is a double火;huo; "fire").[29]
As an excess of fire brings destruction to the earth, it has to be controlled by a ruling principle. Nothing is good in itself, without limits; good outcomes depend on the proportion in the composition of things and their interactions, never on extremes in absolute terms.[29] Huangdi and Yandi are complementary opposites, necessary for the existence of one another, and they are powers that exist together within the human being.
The worship of the Five Deities by both commoners and rulers of China is a very ancient practice, dating back at least to theNeolithic.[7] Already in the theology of theShang dynasty, the supreme God of Heaven (Shangdi orDi) was conceived as manifesting in a fourfold form and will, the four方;fāng ("directions" or "sides") and their風;fēng ("winds").[4]
The official religion and ritual of the state ofQin (9th century BCE–221 BCE) was largely based on that of theZhou dynasty (c. 1046 BCE–256 BCE). The emperors worshipped the supreme God at a location in the suburbs of their capitalXianyang.[32] The cults of the White, Green, Yellow and Red Deities had been celebrated separately in different parts of the state. In 677 BCE, Yong, an ancient sacred site where the Yellow Emperor himself was said to have sacrificed and the Zhou dynasty carried out醮;jiào rituals, or "suburban sacrifices", became the capital of Qin.[33]
It is attested that in 671 BCE, Duke Xuan (675–664) carried out the sacrifices for the Green Deity in Mi, south of theWei River. Then, Duke Ling (?–384) instituted the sacred sites ofShàng (上; "Above") andXià (下; "Below"), for the Yellow and Red Deities, inWuyang, near Yong. Originally, the sacrifice for the White Deity had been carried out in 769 BCE by Duke Xiang (778–766) in Xi, nearLanzhou inGansu. In 753 they were carried out by Duke Wen (765–716) in Fu, northeastShaanxi.[33]
In 253 BCE the great-grandfather ofQin Shihuang unified the imperial cult of the four forms of God in Yong, constructing there altars for the White, Green, Yellow and Red Deities.[33] In 219, Qin Shihuang, founder of theQin empire (221 BCE–206 BCE), personally sacrificed atMount Tai, the sacred mountain at the centre ofShandong, a site for the worship of the supreme godhead in the erstwhile states ofQi andLu. He modelled the sacrifice on that performed at Yong, in alignment with the Qin tradition, consisting of three types of victims—horses, rams and oxen.[32]
The ritual system of the early emperors of theHan dynasty (206 BCE–220 AD) was not different from that of the Qin, with the only change consisting in the integration of the Black Deity by Gaozu or Liu Bang (206–195), the first emperor of the dynasty.[34] However, Han state religion soon found itself divided between two factions. On one hand there were theConfucians who pushed for a new ritual system and a religio-political centralisation around the worship of the God of Heaven by the emperor, the God of Heaven's son, and the worship of lesser deities who had to be approved by the Confucians themselves, who considered themselves the only ones capable of interpreting the signs of Heaven in accordance with theclassics. On the other hand, there were thefangshi (方士; "masters of directions"), ritual masters who formulated what would have been called the "Huang–Lao" proto-Taoist religious movement, who presented themselves as the continuators of the traditions of the erstwhile kingdoms, and who emphasised the worship of local deities integrated into a theology in which the supreme God of Heaven was namedTaiyi ("Great One"), and its human manifestation was the ancestralYellow Emperor whom the emperors had to imitate.[35]
The imperial temple at Yong which was established by the great-grandfather of Qin Shihuang was rearranged placing the altars of the gods each in its respective direction, and that of the Yellow Deity at the centre. Outside Yong, two other temples dedicated to the Five Deities were built during the reign ofEmperor Wen (180–157), one in Weiyang, northeast ofChang'an, and one in Chengji near the modern county ofTongwei inGansu. The sacrifices at Yong held a central positions and were carried out every three years by the emperor. If the emperor was absent, the rituals were performed by masters of rites, at various times throughout the year based on the ritual calendar of the Qin.[34]
In 113 BCE,Emperor Wu of Han innovated the Confucian state religion integrating the Huang–Lao conception of Taiyi with the Five Deities and the cult ofHoutu ("Queen of the Earth"). In 135 BCE, thefangshi Miu Ji, from Bo in modern Shandong, insisted that Taiyi was the same supreme God, master of the Five Deities, worshipped since remote antiquity by the emperors through the three-victims sacrifice.[34] The rite lasted seven days and took place at a temple with "eight entrances for thenumina" in the southeastern suburb of the capital. In conformity with the instructions of Miu Ji, the emperor built a temple in the outskirts of Chang'an and appointed a great invocator (taizhu) to conduct the sacrifices.[36] Twenty years later—under the influence of another prominent courtfangshi, Gongsun Qing—the sacrifice was held by the emperor in person.[36] A temple of Taiyi and the Five Deities was built in Ganquan, 70 km (43 mi) northeast of Chang'an.[36] Regarding the liturgy, sacrificial protocol and architectural layout, the sites of Ganquan and Mount Tai followed the model of Yong.[34] Besides the highest gods of the pantheon, the emperor or the central administration celebrated the cults of other gods, including those devoted to mountains and rivers, the sun and moon, stars and constellations, and heroes.[37]
In later times the expansion of the empire to different provinces and peoples was accompanied by a policy of identification or association of native gods and their cults to the imperial Han pantheon, so that the cults officially celebrated by the administration proliferated to the hundreds. In 31 BCE, Confucians at the court, especially Kuang Heng and Zhang Tan, disposed a reform of the state sacrifices, suppressing hundreds of local sacrifices and restricting those performed by the emperor in person only to the worship of Taiyi and Houtu, or Heaven and Earth.[38]
