Gods of Music in Chinese Mythology, Here are Their Names

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Han Xiang Zi (Photo Source: Chine.in)

FEMUSINDO.com - Chinese mythology has more than a thousand gods and goddesses. Some of the famous and respected gods include Pangu, the Jade Emperor, Sun Wukong, Guanyin and Yan Wang, the ruler of hell.

Shangdi is the highest god in Chinese mythology who is also known as the Jade Emperor, Yellow Emperor, or Yu Huang Shang-Ti. He is considered the great ancestor of the Chinese people.

Chinese mythology also knows the Eight Gods or in Mandarin called Ba Xian from Taoist mythology, and includes famous gods and goddesses in classical Chinese stories.

They are symbols of good luck for the Chinese people. Each god represents 8 conditions of life, namely young people, old people, poverty, wealth, commoners, nobles, men and women.

It is said that most of the gods in Chinese mythology were born during the Tang Dynasty and Sung Dynasty.

Although the description of them has existed since the Tang Dynasty, the grouping into the category of eight gods only occurred during the Ming Dynasty.

The eight gods are named Zhong Li Quan, Li Tie Guai, Lü Dong Bin, Zhang Guo Lao, He Xian Gu, Lan Cai He, Han Xiang Zi and Cao Guo Jiu.

The Eight Gods are one of the favorite themes of Chinese artists and are mostly depicted in ceramics and porcelain. They also appear a lot in Chinese literature.

In Chinese mythology, there are also music gods and goddesses, including Han Xiangzi and Fuxi (gods) and Sunü (goddess). Here is a brief explanation of each of the Chinese music gods and goddesses.

Han Xiang Zi

Han Xiang Zi was a philosopher during the Tang Dynasty. He was one of the members of the Eight Gods who was also the cousin of Han Wên Kung.

He is often symbolized by a flute and is believed by many of his followers to be the composer of the Taoist musical work, Tian Hua Yin.

Han Xiangzi is also said to have studied Taoist magical arts under the guidance of Lü Dongbin, one of the Eight Gods.

Fuxi

In addition to Han Xiangzi, Chinese mythology also has another god of music named Fuxi. He, along with his sister and wife, Nüwa, are known as the creators of music.

In addition, he is also a hunter, angler, cook, and the creator of the Cangjie system for writing characters in Mandarin.

Fuxi or Paoxi, also known as Taihao, was the emperor of the Huaxia tribe, one of the Three Emperors.

Along with Nuwa, he is revered as the ancestor of humans, and in legend, it is said that the same as Nuwa, the lower part of his body is shaped like a snake.

In legend, Fuxi taught people to make nets, catch fish and raise livestock, create the Eight Trigrams or Bagua and so on.

According to legend, Fuxi sat on a rectangular altar, hearing the sound of the eight winds, depicting the Eight Trigrams/Bagua.

Sunü

If Han Xiangzi and Fuxi are gods of music from China, Sunü is the goddess of music in ancient Chinese mythology.

She is often associated with music and is depicted as a talented singer who can also play the lute.

In addition, Sunü is also known for having the ability to calm wild animals and grow plants. (*)