In ancient times, there was a custom of "taking blood to make an alliance". Why should blood be used to make an alliance?

In ancient times, there were rituals for making an alliance. Since ancient times, when making a solemn oath, they usually started with "The emperor and heaven are above, and the earth is below." Heart traces. As for the gods, it is said that "if you believe in it, there will be it; if you don't believe it, there will be nothing."

But you must not deceive your heart when it comes to heaven and earth. Although the oath is made to heaven and earth, in ancient cultural beliefs, it goes up to the sun, moon and stars. Down to the grass, trees and rivers, it is believed that all things have spirits, and of course heaven and earth are indispensable. Therefore, Huangtian and Houtu also have corresponding gods. Huangtian, from the current point of view, is the Jade Emperor who dominates the three realms. Related articles have been sorted out before.

Today we will talk about this "Houtu", also known as "Houtu Empress" among the people. In the Taoist immortal system, the full name of Empress Houtu is "Chengtian imitates Tuhuangdiji". She is the fourth emperor in the four imperial circles under the Three Qing dynasties. There is a theory that the Empress Houtu is the Empress Nuwa. The main basis is the "Three Emperors" in "Spring and Autumn Weifun Dou Shu", which respectively refer to the Emperor Fuxi, the Emperor Nuwa and the Emperor Shennong.

But those who are familiar with myths and legends know that Nuwa empress is responsible for the creation of mankind and the creation of the world; Houtu empress is more of a guardian deity who carries life and the country. This is the fundamental difference between the two. , it is difficult to say that the two are the same god. Among the Three Pure Ones and Four Imperial Guards, or the Six Imperial Guards, Chengtian Xuefa Tuhuangdi is the only one with a female identity. Why is this?

To talk about this issue, we must start with the name "Houtu". This name was first seen in "The Classic of Mountains and Seas". It is said that Houtu is a personal name and he is the son of a communist; "Chun Qiu Zuo Zhuan" "" It is said that the soil of the ancient Five Elements official is called "houtu", which is also considered to be a person's name. Of course, these are only the origins of the word "Houtu" recorded in ancient books, but they can also be said to have created the source for the creation of gods in later generations. The worship of heaven and earth and other natural creatures is the basis of ancient belief in gods, and the sacrifice of the emperor, the queen, and the earth.

Although it existed among the people, it was only included in the worship of the royal family in the Han Dynasty. The earliest book that believes that Houtu God is a female is the "Taomen Customization" in the Southern and Northern Dynasties. "" in the book "Heavenly Father and Earthly Mother"; in the Song Dynasty, he was named "the earthly emperor who inherits the law of heaven and imitates the virtues of the empress and the emperor of the earth", and has since become one of the four emperors of Taoism.

As for why Hou Tu is a female character, this has a lot to do with traditional cultural understanding. "Heaven Yin and Earth Yang" is a recognized saying. In the relevant etiquette in the "Book of Rites", there is "The southern suburbs offer sacrifices to the sky, and the northern suburbs offer sacrifices to the earth." The south of the mountain is yang, and the north of the mountain is yin. In this way, the sacrifice of the earth is regarded as the yin position.