Chinese Fairy Tales
THE THREE RULING GODS
THERE are three lords: in heaven, and on
the earth and in the waters, and they are known as the Three Ruling
Gods. They are all brothers, and are descended from the father of the
Monk of the Yangtze-kiang. When the latter was sailing on the river he
was cast into the water by a robber. But he did not drown, for a Triton
came his way who took him along with him to the dragon-castle. And when
the Dragon-King saw him he realized at once that there was something
extraordinary about the Monk, and he married him to his daughter.
From
their early youth his three sons showed a preference for the hidden
wisdom. And together [63] they went to an island in the sea. There they
seated themselves and began to meditate. They heard nothing, they saw
nothing, they spoke not a word and they did not move. The birds came
and nested in their hair; the spiders came and wove webs across their
faces; worms and insects came and crawled in and out of their noses and
ears. But they paid no attention to any of them.
After they had
meditated thus for a number of years, they obtained the hidden wisdom
and became gods. And the Lord made them the Three Ruling Gods. The
heavens make things, the earth completes things, and the waters create
things. The Three Ruling Gods sent out the current of their primal
power to aid in ordering all to this end. Therefore they are also known
as the primal gods, and temples are erected to them all over the earth.
If
you go into a temple you will find the Three Ruling Gods all seated on
one pedestal. They wear women’s hats upon their heads, and hold
scepters in their hands, like kings. But he who sits on the last place,
to the right, has glaring eyes and wears a look of rage. If you ask why
this is you are told: “These three were brothers and the Lord made them
the Ruling Gods. So they talked about the order in which they were to
sit. And the youngest said: ‘To-morrow morning, before sunrise, we will
meet here. Whoever gets here first shall have the seat of honor in the
middle; the second one to arrive shall have the second place, and the
third the third.’ The two older brothers were satisfied. The next
morning, very early, the youngest came first, seated himself in the
middle place, and became the god of the waters. The middle brother came
next, sat down on the left, and became the god of the heavens. Last of
all came the oldest brother. [64] When he saw that his brothers were
already sitting in their places, he was disgusted and yet he could not
say a word. His face grew red with rage, his eyeballs stood forth from
their sockets like bullets, and his veins swelled like bladders. And he
seated himself on the right and became god of the earth.” The artisans
who make the images of the gods noticed this, so they always represent
him thus.
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