TheEight Immortals (Chinese:八仙) are a group of legendaryxian (immortals) inChinese mythology. Each immortal's power can be transferred to a vessel (法器) that can bestow life or destroy evil. Together, these eight vessels are called the "Covert Eight Immortals" (暗八仙). Most of them are said to have been born in theTang orSong Dynasty. They are revered by theTaoists and are also a popular element in secularChinese culture. They are said to live on a group of five islands in theBohai Sea, which includesMount Penglai.
The Immortals are:
He Xiangu (何仙姑), in modern context generally seen as the only female of the group, often depicted holding a lotus flower.
Li Tieguai (李鐵拐), considered to be mentally disturbed and associated with medicine and easing the suffering of the sick and needy,[1] identified by his iron crutch andcalabash bottle.[2]
Lan Caihe (藍采和), originally pictured as female; later developed an ambiguous or (more accurately) a "transformative" gender and is considered the patron offlorists[3][4] and gardeners.[5]
Lü Dongbin (呂洞賓), a scholar and poet considered to be the leader of the Eight Immortals.
Zhongli Quan (鍾離權), 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 theEightGenies. Some stories had them all "cheerfully addicted to wine", so they were called the "Jiu-zhong Ba Xian" or "Eight Drunken Immortals".[6] First described in theYuan Dynasty, they were probably named after theEight Immortal Scholars of the Han.
While cults dedicated to various Taoist immortals date back to theHan dynasty, the popular and well-known Eight Immortals first appeared in theJin dynasty. The wall murals and sculptures in the Jin tombs, created during the 12th and 13th centuries, depict a group of eight Taoist immortals. The term "Eight Immortals" became commonplace after the popularization of the Taoist group of writers and artists known as the Complete Realization (Quanshen). The most famous art depiction of the Eight Immortals from this period is a mural of them in the Eternal Joy Temple (Yongle Gong) at Ruicheng.
The Eight Immortals are considered to be signs of prosperity and longevity, so they are popular themes in ancient and medieval art. They were frequent adornments onceladon vases. They were also common in sculptures owned by the nobility. Many silk paintings, wall murals, and wood block prints remain of the Eight Immortals. They were often depicted either together in one group, or alone to give more homage to that specific immortal.
An interesting feature of early Eight Immortal artwork is that they are often accompanied by jade hand maidens, which are commonly depicted as servants of the higher ranked deities, and depictions commonly include other images showing their great spiritual power. During theMing andQing dynasties, the Eight Immortals were frequently associated with other prominent spiritual deities in artwork. There are numerous paintings with them and theThree Stars (the gods of longevity, prosperity, and good fortune) together. Also, other deities such as theQueen Mother of the West are commonly seen in the company of the Eight Immortals and she is also popularly thought to have blessed them with theirsupernatural abilities.[7]
Artwork inspired by and about the Eight Immortals is not limited to paintings or other visual arts. They are quite prominent in written works as well. Authors and playwrights have written numerous stories and plays on the Eight Immortals. One famous story that has been rewritten many times and turned into several plays (the most famous written by Mu Zhiyuan in the Yuan Dynasty) isThe Yellow-Millet Dream, which is the story of how Lǚ Dòngbīn met Zhongli Quan and began his path to immortality.[8]
The Eight Immortals crossing the sea, fromMyths and Legends of China.[9] Clockwise in the boat starting from the stern: He Xian'gu, Han Xiang Zi, Lan Caihe, Li Tieguai, Lü Dongbin, Zhongli Quan, Cao Guojiu and outside the boat is Zhang Guo Lao.
The Immortals are the subject of many artistic creations, such aspaintings andsculptures. Examples ofwritings about them include:
The Bamboo-leaved Boat (竹葉船;zhú yè chuán) by Fan Zi'an (范子安;fàn zǐ ān)
The Willow in the South of the City (城南柳;chéng nán liǔ) by Gu Zijing (谷子敬;gǔ zǐ jìng)
The most significant isThe Eight Immortals Depart and Travel to the East (八仙出處東遊記;bā xiān chū chù dōng yoú jì) by Wu Yuantai (吳元泰;wú yuán taì) in theMing Dynasty.
There is another work, also made during the Ming (c. 14th–15th centuries), by an anonymous writer, calledThe Eight Immortals Cross the Sea (八仙過海;bā xiān guò hǎi). It is about the Immortals on their way to attend the Conference of theMagical Peach (蟠桃會;pán taó huì) when they encounter anocean. Instead of relying on their clouds to get them across, Lü Dongbin suggested that they each should exercise their unique powers to get across. Derived from this, theChinese proverb "The Eight Immortals cross the sea, each reveals its divine powers" (八仙過海，各顯神通;bā xiān guò hǎi, gè xiǎn shén tōng) indicates the situation that everybody shows off their skills and expertise to achieve a common goal.
The Eight Immortals have been linked to the initial development ofqigong exercises such as theEight Piece Brocade.[10] There are also someChinese martial arts styles named after them, which use fighting techniques that are attributed to the characteristics of each immortal.[11] Somedrunken boxing styles make extensive use of the Eight Immortals archetypes for conditioning, qigong/meditation and combat training.[12] One subsection ofba ying quan(八英拳;bā yīng quán) drunken fist training includes methodologies for each of the eight immortals.
Established in theSong Dynasty, theXi'an temple Eight Immortals Palace (八仙宮), formerly Eight Immortals Nunnery (八仙庵), has a collection of statues depicting the Immortals in what is called the Hall of Eight Immortals (八仙殿). There are many other shrines dedicated to them throughout China and Taiwan. InSingapore, the Xian'gu Temple (仙姑殿) is dedicated to the Immortal Lady He from the group as its focus of devotion.
Overall though, in theSinosphere, the Eight Immortals are depicted asdeities who are very often not seen as such, being more likefolk heroes andsaints to most who venerate them.[13] However, to these people, the Immortals often "represent ... the close ties between the living and the deceased, since the spirits of the deceased are always within reach when help in needed" in some branches ofChinese folk religion and their existence is seen as being similar toghosts as well.[13]
The Immortals are the subject of many depictions in popular culture, including:
InJackie Chan's filmsDrunken Master andDrunken Master II, there are eight "drunken"Chinese martial arts forms that are said to be originated from the Eight Immortals. At first, the protagonist did not want to learn theImmortal Lady He form because he saw it as feminine, but he eventually created his own version of it.
The 1998–99 Singaporean television seriesLegend of the Eight Immortals was based on stories of the Eight Immortals and adapted from the novelDong You Ji.
The Eight Immortals play an important part in the plot of the video gameFear Effect 2.
In theAndy Seto graphic novel seriesSaint Legend, the Eight Immortals reappear to protect the Buddhist faith from evil spirits set on destroying it.
In theX-Men comic book, the Eight Immortals appear to protect China along with theCollective Man when the mutantXorn caused a massacre in one small village.
In theImmortal Iron Fist comic book, there are seven supreme kung fu practitioners, called the Seven Immortal Weapons. They each hail from other-dimensional cities and must fight for their city's chance to appear on Earth. Aside from being named the "Immortal" Weapons, the most overt reference to the Eight Immortals is that one Immortal Weapon, Fat Cobra, hails from and represents a city called "Peng Lai Island".
In the roleplaying gameFeng Shui, the Eight Immortals appear in the sourcebookThorns of the Lotus.
The Eight Immortals played a role in the animated showJackie Chan Adventures. In the show, the Immortals were said to be the ones who defeated the Eight Demon Sorcerers and sealed them away in the netherworld using items that symbolized their powers. They then crafted the Pan'ku box as a key to opening the portals that lead into the demons' prison. Later on in the series, the items the Immortals used to seal away the demons the first time are revealed to have absorbed some of the demons' chi and become the targets of Drago, the son of Shendu (one of the Demon Sorcerers), to enhance his own powers.
InThe Forbidden Kingdom,Jackie Chan plays the characterLu Yan, who is supposed to be one of the Eight Immortals, as revealed by the director in the movie's special feature,TheMonkey King and The Eight Immortals.
In the Tales of the Dragon expansion forAge of Mythology, the Eight Immortals are hero units for the Chinese.
InThe Iron Druid Chronicles, Zhang Guolao joins the party journeying toAsgard to slayThor in vengeance for the Norse gods crimes. Zhang Guolao's grudge stems from Thor killing his donkey in a trick.
^Ho, Kwok Man (1990).The Eight Immortals of Taoism: Legends and Fables of Popular Taoism. Translated and edited by Joanne O'Brien. New York: Penguin Books. p. 1.ISBN9780452010703.
^"Li T'ieh-kuai".Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Encyclopædia Britannica. 2008. Retrieved26 October 2008.
^National Geographic Society (U.S.).National Geographic Essential Visual History of World Mythology. National Geographic Books, 2008. Page 340.
^Dorothy Perkins.Encyclopedia of China: History and Culture. Page 140.
^Valery M. Garrett.A Collector's Guide to Chinese Dress Accessories. Times Books International, 1997. Page 32.
^Storm, Rachel (2011). Sudell, Helen (ed.).Myths & Legends of India, Egypt, China & Japan (2nd ed.). Wigston, Leicestershire: Lorenz Books. p. 206.
^Olson, Stuart Alve (2002).Qigong Teachings of a Taoist Immortal: The Eight Essential Exercises of Master Li Ching-Yun. Bear & Company.ISBN0-89281-945-6.
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