Nezha (deity)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 |
This article does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (February 2007) |
Nezha or Na Zha (Chinese: 哪吒; pinyin: Nézhā; Japanese: Nataku or Nata) is a Daoist protection deity, the enfant terrible, trickster, originally of Buddhist Chinese mythology, though in the West he is perhaps more well known from Japanese anime. His official Taoist deity name is Zhongtan Yuanshuai (中壇元帥). Recent research traces the origine of the character to Nalakuvara.[citation needed]
Contents |
[edit] Life
Nezha is often depicted flying in the sky with a wheel of fire under each foot, a golden hoop, the "cosmic ring", a red sash around his shoulder and a spear in his hands. Sometimes he is given six arms and three heads (san tou liu bi, 三头六臂). Nezha is usually depicted as a youth and rarely as an adult.
As the third son of a military commander called Li Jing, a military leader in Chentangguan Fortress, his birth was peculiar. When his mother Lady Yin got pregnant, she waited for three years and six months to deliver the boy, but unfortunately a ball of flesh was born. His father got so angry that he split it with a sword, which caused Nezha to jump out and grow fully, even though his mind and temperament were that of a child.
After he killed Li Gen, a yaksha, and Ao Bing, the third son of East Sea Dragon King Ao Guang, Nezha flayed and disemboweled himself in order to save his parents that were taken hostage by Ao Guang, but was brought back to life by his master, Taiyi Zhenren, a Taoist immortal sage who used lotus blossoms to reconstruct a body for his soul to inhabit.[1]
Nezha's two elder brothers are also powerful warriors. The eldest is Jinzha (金吒), who is a disciple of Manjusri Bodhisattva, and the second eldest is Muzha (木吒), a disciple of Samantabhadra Bodhisattva.
Some[who?] traced his origins to the Vedic god Nalakuvara, and legend goes that he was born in the Shang dynasty.
[edit] Appearance in ancient Chinese mythology and literature
Nezha has frequently appeared in Chinese Mythology and ancient Chinese Literature such as the Fengshen Yanyi (or Investiture of the Gods), although the story of Nezha conquering the sea is the most famous among Chinese households. In Journey to the West, Nezha was a general under the leadership of his father Li Jing. He entered into combat against Sun Wukong when the latter rebelled against the Jade Emperor, ruler of Heaven, but Nezha was beaten by Sun Wukong and had to retreat.
[edit] See also
[edit] Notes
- ^ Fengshen Yanyi Chapter 12.
