Li Chongrong
Owl is a scientific name owl. It has a wide skull, a round face like a cat, a round eyes, a pointed beak and hooked; its body is short and fat, its tail feathers are short and slightly raised, and its legs and feet are small. Since ancient times, it has been closely related to human life and has been given rich cultural connotations. Looking back at the process of the owl acting on human history is like watching and touching ancient art, faith and social life through a window.
1. Owl bird in early human civilization
Owl bird left a mark on the pages of many ancient civilizations. For example, the pictographic symbol of the owl in the ancient Egyptian text; and for example, the Athena goddess in ancient Greek mythology uses the owl as the waiter, and the figure of the owl floats onto an Athenian Dirk silver coin and is permanently engraved on the back of the silver coin (Figure 1).
Figure 1 Ancient Greek Athena silver coins (449-413 BC)
The earliest owl image of my country was seen in the Neolithic Age, such as a Qijia culture owl pot unearthed from the Liuwan Cemetery in Ledu County, Qinghai (Figure 2).
Figure 2 Linxia City Museum Collection Qijia Culture Owl-shaped pottery jar
The late Shang Dynasty to the early Western Zhou Dynasty Bronze ware popular with owl images as decorations. It can basically be recognized that owls were regarded as sacred cultural symbols during this period. "Records of the Grand Historian: The Bible of Yin" records: "Yin Qi, whose mother was Jian Di, had a daughter of the Ching clan. He was the concubine of Emperor Ku, . The three of them took a bath and saw that the Ching Ching fell on their eggs. Jian Di took them to swallow them, and gave birth to Qi because of their pregnancy." "The Book of Songs·Shang Song·Xuan Bird" also says: "HDaily Destiny of the Xuan Bird , descended to give birth to Shang." The legend of ancestors born from the Xuan Bird eggs made the merchants always have the belief of worship of divine birds. Recently, some scholars such as Ye Shuxian have verified that the prototype of the Xuanbird is the owl. This statement may provide a basis for why there are many owl patterns on bronze ware in the Shang Dynasty.
Many owl-shaped objects have been unearthed from Fu Hao’s tomb in Anyang, Henan, including owl-shaped objects, stone or jade-like owl patterns and ornaments. One of the bronze owls is the shape of an owl, with round eyes and hooked beaks, converging wings, and three fulcrums with both feet, which firmly hold the body (Figure 3). Fuhao is a female general who is famous for her bravery and good at fighting. This owl bird may not only be a portrayal of her majestic style of the god of war, but also a symbol of the cultural psychology of the merchant nation worshipping birds.
Figure 3 Bronze 2 Owl Zun
"Book of Songs·Lu Song·Panshui" Notes:
Flying owls gathered in Panlin,
Eat my mulberries, and I like my good sound;
Vision of Huaiyi, come to offer Qichen,
Yuan Turtle Elephant Teeth, and bribe Nanjin.
In the poem, the song of owls symbolizing victory in the victory of war can be seen that the owls are symbols of the god of war in the Western Zhou Dynasty or the early stages of the Spring and Autumn Period of .
2. The mysterious owl of Han
The relationship between the owl bird and the people of the Han dynasty has its mysterious side, which is seen in the stories of celebrities recorded in history.
"Records of the Grand Historian: The Basic Annals of Xiaowu" "The Temple Huangdi uses a owl to break the mirror", Pei Zhi's "Collected Explanations": "Meng Kang said: 'The name of the bird is the name of the bird, and the mother is eaten. …' Ruchun said: 'The Han Dynasty sent the East County to send the owl, and on May 5th, it was given to the owl soup to give to all officials. For evil birds, he was eaten.'" Wudi The act of using owl birds to sacrifice to Huangdi and giving to all officials the owl (owl) soup has become a sacrificial ritual.
Another short-lived emperor of the Han family Liu He also had some involvement with the owl. Although there are only a few records in history books, it implies the light of swords and swords. Liu He's experience has become well-known with the archaeological excavation of the tomb of Haihunhou in Nanchang in recent years. We know that he was the emperor for only 27 days, and was demoted to his hometown Shanyang County (formerly Changyi Kingdom) by the powerful minister Huo Guang. 11 years later, in March of the third year of Yuankang (63 BC), he was named Marquis of Haihun by Emperor Xuan and moved to Yuzhang . During the hard days of Shanyang County, Liu He was closely monitored. The prefect Zhang Chang was not only the monitor who controlled his destiny, but also the only key figure who had expressed kindness to him.
Zhang Chang is the model husband who has been passed down through the ages by drawing thrushes for his wife. In fact, behind the beautiful love between the couple, Zhang Chang was following a powerful line.History claims that his talents are outstanding, his governance is "common and elegant" and "expressing the virtuous and showing good deeds, and he does not use punishment", so that he "loves his abilities." "Shang" means Emperor Xuan. In his report to Emperor Xuan, Zhang Chang followed the order and reported to the deposed emperor Liu He in detail, his words and even the surrounding environment, but had good intentions and emphasized Liu He's despair and stupidity, allowing Emperor Xuan to eliminate his doubts, which led to Liu He's chance of re-enactment.
Historical Books once left a vivid message for Zhang Chang's test of the former king of Changyi Liu He. " Han Shu " Volume 63 "Biography of Wu Wu Zi·Lu Feng of Changyi King" records Zhang Chang's report: "My minister Chang Chang wanted to see his intention, so he moved it with an evil bird, saying, 'Chang's many owls.' Therefore, the king said, 'Yes. He went west to Chang'an , but there were no owls. Come again, and went east to Jiyang , and then heard the sound of owls again.'" Zhang Chang deliberately talked about owls to spy on this, but Liu He seemed to be unaware of it and answered sincerely. The meaning of the words was nothing more than: How can Shanyang County be compared with Chang'an? Chang'an is where the emperor is, and it is naturally shiny, and no evil cannot be approached, while Shanyang County and even the nearby Dong County have many owls. Liu He's obedience undoubtedly helped to reduce Emperor Xuan's vigilance against him. In the context of Zhang Chang, Liu He and even Emperor Xuan, it is obvious that the owl is a recognized ominous bird.
Interestingly, a private seal (M1: 1878-23) was unearthed from Liu He's tomb . seal is recognized by some scholars as owl crane. The seal is made of , Hetian white jade , the seal body is square with a roulette top, with a square side length of 21.3 and a height of 15.7 mm. The seal is engraved with the word "Liu He" on the top; the seal is high and relief, making it an animal-shaped shape, with a slightly raised head, a rounded eye and a sharp mouth, and a strip-shaped feather on the back of the neck; the body is curved and C-shaped, with scale hairs, two claws, and a flat and round hole drilled below the abdomen (Figure 4). Because of its small size, the image of this animal is not very clear, so it is recognized by the academic community as different animals such as "chi", "toad", "phoenix", "eagle", and "owl".
No matter whether it is an owl or not, Liu He was equated with a "stern and despotic" person after his political career. Perhaps his image is tantamount to the eyes of those in power, it is no different from an owl that makes people disgusted.
Figure 4 "Liu He" jade seal unearthed from the tomb of Haihunhou in Nanchang, Jiangxi
There are also images of owls in the long-famous Han tomb of Mawangdui, Changsha. For example, the silk paintings unearthed from the Han Tomb No. 1 and lacquer coffins and silk paintings unearthed from the Han Tomb No. 3 are painted with owls. We know that these two T-shaped silk paintings with profound meanings can be roughly divided into underground, human and heavenly parts. On the middle layer of them, there is a canopy with hanging tents at the top, and under the canopy each has an owl with wings spreading its wings (Figure 5:1, 5:2). At both ends of the bottom of the screen that symbolizes the underground world in Han Tomb No. 1, there is an owl standing on the back of the divine turtle (Figure 5:3). The T-shaped silk painting with unique shapes and grand imagination reveals a mysterious and mysterious corner for us to understand the underworld built by the Han Dynasty. The owls in it seem to have their own unique mission.
Figure 5:1 T-shaped silk painting line diagram unearthed from the Han Tomb No. 1, Mawangdui No. 1, and its partial human scene map
Figure 5:2 T-shaped silk painting unearthed from the Han Tomb No. 3, Mawangdui No. 3, local human scene map
Figure 5:3 T-shaped silk painting unearthed from the Han Tomb No. 1, Mawangdui No. 1, and local underground world map
In the literature, the owls in Changsha are not good. "Book of Han: Biography of Jia Yi" records: "Yi was a tutor in Changsha for three years. He flew into Yi's house and stopped in the corner of his seat. The clothes were like owls, which were ominous birds. Since Yi lived in Changsha well, Changsha was humble and mourned, and thought that his life would not last long, so he gave it to himself." However, the owl birds on the silk painting of Mawangdui seemed to have no malice, but were a symbol of a certain god. Mr. Zhao Chao once verified the owl bird picture on the stone, and believed that people in southern Shandong, northern Jiangsu and northeastern Anhui might regard owl birds as representatives of the dark world. This statement may be annotated for the owl image on the Mawangdui silk painting.
In this way, we found an interesting phenomenon: the images of the owls in the Han Dynasty literature and images do not seem to be consistent. Documents clearly record the awareness of disgusting owls, and this understanding has profoundly influenced later generations, and this concept continued until the Ming and Qing Dynasties.However, as archaeological discoveries increase, we find that the Han Dynasty people had an objective understanding of owls, and would use the natural properties of owls as -benefit birds to improve their living and production conditions; and the side of their beliefs seems to regard them as a kind of god, hoping to use this to play a role in warding off evil spirits.
3. Han Dynasty owl-shaped instrument
is not limited to the historical documents, but combined with image materials, we can better understand the overall picture of the relationship between people in the Han Dynasty and owls, and be closer to the real lives of the people at that time.
The Han Dynasty owl bird images can be divided into three-dimensional objects and flat images according to their shape. Owl-shaped tools can be roughly divided into three types: pottery owl, owl pot and owl-shaped feet.
Scholars have summarized more than 100 pottery owls and owl pots seen in China, and summarized that their unearthed locations are mainly Xinxiang, Henan, Houma, Shanxi and Dengkou County, Inner Mongolia. Sporadic discoveries have also been found in , Henan West , Shandong, Ningxia, etc. In fact, there are also discoveries in Xi'an. For example, in "The Diary of Lu Xun" mentioned the author's travel to Xi'an in July 1924: "It's sunny on the 29th. ... In the afternoon, I visited the Nanyuan store with Sun Fuyuan. I bought a crossbow machine and a small earth owl, and a total of four yuan of springs." The owl is the owl.
A Western Han Dynasty painted owl pot (M.C.7372) is collected in the Senucci Museum in France. This pot is simple in shape, smooth in lines and meticulous in workmanship, and is a fine product among similar tools. It is made of gray ceramic, with white colors painted as the base, and black and red colors are used to carefully outline the facial features and feathers of the owl. The whole pottery pot is owl-shaped. The owl's head turns to the left, and a round hole is opened on the top of its head to make the mouth; the round eyes are sharp beak, and the chest is painted with scaly feathers on the chest and abdomen, with both wings converging, and the chest stands straight (Figure 6).
Figure 6 Western Han owl-shaped warehouse in the collection of the Senucci Museum in France
An Eastern Han pottery owl-shaped five-connected tank was unearthed in M4, Guangzhou Guanggang New City in 2020, with a special shape (Figure 7). Five-connected cans are composed of five owl-shaped cans, with an owl-shaped can in the center, and a bird stands above the head; the remaining four cans are evenly arranged around. The five owls face in the same direction, all have round eyes and sharp beaks, round faces and fat bodies, with wings stretched out, and thin lines on their bodies to show their feathers, which are cute and cute. Multi-connected cans were popular in Lingnan during the Qin and Han Dynasties. According to archaeological discoveries, the functions of the five-connected cans may be similar to the seasoning box and fruit box we use today.
Figure 7 Eastern Han Dynasty pottery owl-shaped five-connected tank unearthed from M4, Guangzhou Guanggang New City,
Owl-shaped foot is the base foot of the support object, and it is made of two materials: ceramic and copper. For example, a copper oven was unearthed from the tomb of the King of Nanyue, the Western Han Dynasty in Guangzhou, and the four feet below it are owl-shaped feet. This oven is 27.5 long, 27 wide and 11 cm high. It is cleverly designed. It has an -story ring on each of its four walls so that the furnace can be lifted with a chain. The four corners are slightly raised to prevent food from sliding. The inner bottom can be burned, and the bottom foot has a shaft wheel that can be pushed (Figure 8:1). The ears of the owl-shaped feet are erect, the eyes are wide open, and the bird's beak is pointed and hooked; the wings are converging behind the body, and the feet are squatting (Figure 8:2).
Figure 8:1 Copper oven unearthed from the tomb of the King of Nanyue in the Western Han Dynasty (left); Figure 8:2 Owl-shaped feet unearthed from the King of Nanyue in the Western Han Dynasty (right)
4. The portrait of the owl bird in the Han Dynasty
Han Dynasty owl bird in the Han Dynasty
Han Dynasty owl bird in the Han Dynasty is seen in portrait stones, portrait bricks , silk paintings, lacquer coffins, copper car decorations, glazed pottery, etc. The largest number of them is portrait stone .
The distribution of portrait stones is relatively wide, mainly in Shandong, Jiangsu Xuzhou and Shaanxi. A small number are also found in Henan, Anhui, Hubei and other places. Their age is basically the Eastern Han Dynasty. Owls on the stone are mostly erected, which can show the appearance of each part from their head, body to tail feathers. The specific shape is: the owls stand sideways, turn their heads 90° to the side, facing the viewer with a frontal face. The bird's body is short and fat, its claws and feet are short, and its tail feathers are stretched back. This form is cleverly designed, which not only facilitates the audience to watch the facial features of the owl, but also truthfully depicts the physiological characteristics of its eyes not rotating left and right. When looking to both sides, it must rely on a flexible neck to twist greatly.
According to the combination object and appearance scene of the owl bird, the portrait stone can be divided into three categories.
(I) Combination of owl birds and architectural portraits
The first type of owl bird images on the stones are combined with buildings. This type of image is more common on the stones in Shandong and Xuzhou.
Like the portrait of Zique, the north side of Wushi Dongque, Jiaxiang County, there are multiple ornaments on the upper, left and lower side bars, with double diamond patterns and continuous arc patterns as the main patterns. The main picture is divided into three levels: upper, middle and lower. The uppermost layer is the pavilion map, the middle layer is the Zhou Gong auxiliary king map, and the lowermost layer is the carriage and horse travel map . The pavilion in the upper image is a double-story, with a column with a sill head and a column seat on the left and right floors. The columns are supported by the winged waist eaves, and there is a crane on the right side of the waist eaves; there is a horse parked indoors; there is a person standing on the left side of the outdoors, standing on the right side, and a staircase leads to the second floor, and one person climbs up the stairs. The second floor is equipped with a flat seat and a hip roof. The two of them sit upright on both sides of the flat seat. There is an phoenix at each end of the main ridge of the hip roof; an owl is placed on each of the two hanging ridges on the left and right sides, with semi-elliptical ears standing upright, with a round head, short and fat body, sharp tail, the whole body bulges in front and shrinks back, and the bird's feet are thin and short (Figure 9). On this stone, owls, phoenixes and cranes are arranged side by side, which means auspiciousness.
Figure 9 Jiaxiang The north side of the Wu family’s Dongque Zique body is partially rubbing the stone
The fourth year of Yongping unearthed from Dongyan Village, Hanwang Township, Tongshan County, Xuzhou. The picture is divided into two upper and lower layers. The lower layer is a picture of listening to the piano and music, and the upper layer is a hall with a hip roof. In the center of the main ridge of the hip roof, a pair of owls stand side by side, and combined with them are evergreen trees and flocks of birds flying around the roof (Figure 10). A portrait stone was unearthed from Fuliji, Su County, Anhui Province. The picture is engraved with a double-layer pavilion. There are two owls and two storks standing on the hip roof of the pavilion. The two storks peck at a snake together. One owl stands up on the right side of the ridge on the right side, and the other owl stands on the right side of the ridge that is close to it, looking back (Figure 11).
Figure 10 Rubbers of the fourth year of Yongping in Hanwang Township, Tongshan, Xuzhou and its partial
Figure 11 Rubbers of the portrait of Fuliji in Suxian and its partial
(II) Combination of the portrait of the owl bird and cloud pattern
The second category is the portrait of the combination of the owl bird and cloud pattern , which is more common on the portrait stones in northern Shaanxi.
The art of the Han Dynasty inherited the romantic spirit and fantasy style of pre-Qin Chu culture. Cloud patterns are common in the art of the Chu State and are also absorbed and carried forward by the Han Dynasty. The cloud patterns on the stones in northern Shaanxi are regionally characterized by a long curved strip like a vine as the main trunk, and various side branches extend diagonally from the side branches, and flowers-like auspicious clouds bloom on the side branches, making the shape vivid; rolled cloud patterns often include divine beasts, feathered people , Hu people and auspicious grass. With their flowing momentum and visual effects of clouds and mist, they add to the magic of the fairyland.
As an example, the stone portraying the door lintel of Qingjian tomb in Shaanxi Province, the picture is divided into two layers, upper and lower, with a sun and moon wheel at the left and right ends of the upper layer, and a long cloud pattern flows horizontally in the middle; the lower layer is a hunting picture. From right to left, there are cranes, divine birds, unicorns, , divine foxes, , three-legged black , pounding medicine, white rabbits, Hu people feeding deer, Hu people train unicorns, tigers, deer, bears, owls, etc., leaping in the cloud patterns. As a member of the fairyland, the owl was not deliberately highlighted, but was located on the left side of the picture, standing on the top of a branched auspicious cloud, with pointed ears standing upright, round face, fat body, and thin feet; below it, a feather raised his hands toward each other (Figure 12).
Figure 12 Rubber of the lintel of Qingjian Tomb and its local
(III) Combination of portraits of owl birds and immortals
The third category is the portraits of owl birds directly combined with divine beasts or immortals, which can be divided into two situations. The first type is that owl birds are sandwiched between a group of divine beasts, and their location is not special.
For example, in 1992, a right column stone was unearthed from the Han tomb in Jingbianzhaishan Village. The pictures on the stone are divided into two vertical rows, each row is divided into two grids, and the two rows are divided into 12 grids in total. From the overall perspective, the upper half of the stone surface is a fairyland picture, while the lower half is a human scene. Among them, the fairyland map occupies 4 grids, each grid is in the order from left to right and from top to bottom, namely: the six-broad map of immortals, the human headed snake tail god, the combination of the owl bird and the feathered man, and the feathered man feeding phoenix map. The owl on this stone stands sideways, with both ears upright, and also turns his head to face the square, with a round head and short neck, and a fat body and thin feet. The feathered man in the lower part holds auspicious grass in his hand, which means auspiciousness and beauty (Figure 13).
Figure 13 Rubber of the right column of Han tomb in Jingbianzhaishan Village and its local
The second case is that the owl is located in the center of the picture and is in the middle of a pair of combined beasts. For example, Xuzhou Tongshan County collects a stone of Eastern Han Dynasty. In the middle of the picture, there are two phoenixes with opposite sides and lush feathers. Three long flowing feathers on the top of the phoenix form a feather crown. One on the left wings is erect and the other on the right wings stands upright. They are dragging their long tail feathers behind them. Below the two phoenixes, there is a young phoenix and a dragon. In the center above the two phoenixes, there is an owl standing on the side and turning to the front of the audience. It shrinks its neck and shrugs its shoulders and its wings converge (Figure 14).
Figure 14 Xuzhou Tongshan County collects portrait stones
5. Functions of owl bird images
The functions of owl shape instruments and owl bird portraits are not the same.
The function of the owl-shaped device may be more practical, reflecting the strengthening of rat damage prevention awareness in the context of the concept of agriculture in the Han Dynasty, in order to protect the safety of agricultural products and food. For example, some owls found in archaeology contain residual shells of millet, so the academic community judges that it is a granary artifact. This shows that the nature of owls being the natural enemy of rats has been understood and used by people in the Han Dynasty. Burying owls with owls is an imitation of the custom of storing food in real life. I hope it can play a role in preventing rats.
owl portraits are symbolic and may be understood from the perspective of beliefs. Mr. Zhao Chao mentioned above believes that the Han Dynasty may have regarded owls as representatives of the Yin and Underworld world, and we can continue this idea to understand the specific symbolic meaning of the owls on the stone.
(I) In the architectural combination, the owl portrait of the evil-proof tomb
and the architectural combination have the functions of guarding and warding off evil-proofing.
The buildings on the stone that combine with divine beasts and gods may be related to the idea of ascension to immortality. Although the images of the building surrounded by strange birds and beasts imitate real houses in form, they may function to contain the meaning of placing the soul of the tomb owner and even assisting him in ascension to the immortals. This type of architectural image has been programmed in the Eastern Han Dynasty, and the scenes of gathering divine beasts and immortals are beyond the scope of real experience and reflect the extraordinary attributes of the building itself. "Records of the Grand Historian: Fengshan Book" records General Wencheng's method of telling Emperor Wu about his method of seeking immortality: "'The superior wants to be with the supernatural powers, but the palace is not a god of elephant, and the divine objects will not arrive.' He then painted a cloud chariot, and drove a car to avoid evil ghosts on the day of victory. It also made Ganquan Palace , and the middle is the platform room, which painted the ghosts and gods of heaven, earth, and Taiyi, and set up sacrifice tools to achieve the gods of heaven." Therefore, the architectural portraits surrounding the divine beasts in the Han tomb may also attract the arrival of divine objects, help the undead to connect with the world of gods, and achieve ascension to immortality.
From a visual perspective, the deterrent power of the owl on the stone of the architectural portrait is first reflected in its position. As a member of the group of divine beasts surrounding the building, it stands high on the roof or eaves. Although it reflects the habit of birds to choose high places when inhabiting, it is more important that it may play a role in protecting the house and deterring the invaders. Because the commanding heights of the picture have a striking and top-down dominance.
Second, the owl's face is portrayed as a front, and its prominent eyes can form a mutual view with the viewer, and also has visual intimidation power. "Records of the Grand Historian: Wei Family" records Su Dai to Wei King : "The king only does not see why the husband Bo valued the owl, so he would eat it, and if he was inconvenient, he would stop. Now the king said, 'The matter has been done, and it cannot be changed'. What is the king's use of wisdom is not as good as using owls?" Zhang Shoujie's "Zhengyi": "There are those who are carved into the shape of an owl, and those who throw the owls together eat their sons, and if it is inconvenient, it will be the rest." "Book of the Later Han Dynasty: Biography of Zhang Heng" records Zhang Heng : "Everyone says that people are owls, and the losers are the most important." Li Xian note says, "The owls are still victorious, but the six owls are victorious." The owl is fierce in nature, which makes it give it the function of protecting the world after death.
Like the portrait stone on the side of the tomb door of the left tomb tomb in Mamaozhuang, Lishi County, Shanxi Province. The upper, left and right sidebars of the picture are each engraved with cloud patterns, and the main picture is a fairyland picture. At the top is a travel map of a god driving a divine beast. Two gods were riding on a cloud car, and there was a canopy on the car. Under the canopy, the main god sat behind the canopy, wearing a mountain crown; the driver sat in front and drove with a whip; the cloud car was pulled by four divine beasts, and the divine beasts sprinted their hooves one after another. In the middle of the picture is a picture of three fish heads, a kirin is erected on the right, and a horned beast is erected on the left, and the two beasts face each other.At the bottom of the picture, there is a tiger, which seems to have wings, and it seems to have something in its mouth, and it is still chasing a beast in front of it. Next to the tiger chasing the beast, an owl stands quietly, looking back at the winged tiger, as if watching (Figure 15).
Figure 15 The stone rubbings on the side of the tomb chamber door of the left surface of Lishi and its partial
pictures are common. The tigers eat on the stone. The objects eaten by the tiger may be evil things such as evil spirits, symbolizing exorcism and evil spirits. The owl on this stone is combined with gods, humans and beasts, and also has divine nature. Because of its brave nature, it also has a certain deterrent effect on evil charm.
(II) The scenes that appear in the owl bird image in the tomb in the beast travel team will always include other divine beasts, as well as the Queen Mother of the West, the Gods and Man with a mountain-shaped crown, the Feathered Man and other gods. These images of gods and beasts are related to the idea of ascension. The owls in this scene often exist in a marching form.
Typical examples are as mentioned above in northern Shaanxi. The mythical beasts on the picture are arranged in an orderly manner and have different postures, but they are all full of vitality and move forward in turn. The background is filled with cloud patterns, adding a mysterious color to it. In a peaceful and magical atmosphere, the orderly lineup of divine beasts may contain the meaning of guiding and protecting the soul of the tomb owner to ascend to immortality. As a member of the queue, the owl may also be related to the Ascension View.
(III) It highlights its sacredness in the center of the beast
portrait stone. There is also a type of owl image composition that is worth noting. That is, when the owl appears in the middle of a pair of combined divine beasts, this position shows that there is a close connection between the beast and the owl.
Currently known pairs of animals combined with owls include dragon, tiger, double phoenix, etc. These two pairs of animals are common images on the portrait stone. The meaning of the combination of dragon and tiger images may be: bravery to ward off evil spirits, symbolize power, and assist in the ascension of immortality; if other things are contained in them, they will often be people or things such as feathers, phoenixes, chia lotus, copper tripods, jade biscuits, etc. that symbolize auspiciousness and authority, that is, the intermediate objects have sacredness. The auspicious meaning of the phoenix image is more obvious.
When these two pairs of auspicious beasts cluster around the middle owls, one left and one right, as the core object, the owls are worshipped in the middle of the beasts, and their respected status is not difficult to understand.
Therefore, the function of the owl portrait mainly belongs to the category of beliefs, reflecting that people use it to suppress the tomb and ward off evil spirits and assist in the ascension of immortality, and have a certain respectful belief in it to alleviate their anxiety about death.
Conclusion
Through the above analysis, we know that the treatment received by the owl as the god of war in the pre-Qin period changed in the Han Dynasty. The owl bird in
literature is regarded as a vicious bird. The Daowu Emperor of the Northern Wei period During the war with Houyan , he solicited the ministers for methods due to lack of military rations. Cui Cheng, who was born in the No. 1 family in North China, made a comment: "Getting mulberries can help food. Therefore, the flying owl eats mulberries and changes the pronunciation. The poem is called "The poem"." It is the elegant atmosphere that the Han literati has always been passed down by the scholars and officials of the Han people, and Cui Cheng is just a proposal to beautify the proposal of using mulberries as military rations. Unexpectedly, Emperor Daowu was sensitive to the fact that Cui Cheng deliberately equated the Xianbei people with the owls, which was suspected of being insulted, and he was furious and sentenced Cui Cheng to death.
However, the understanding of owls in the Han Dynasty images clearly reveals that they have an objective understanding and belief in owls. Why is there such a difference between pictures and texts?
We believe that the identity of the writer of the owl is Confucian scholars. They use owls for sacrifice or consumption, and give these behaviors the meaning of ritual. Confucians use etiquette to promote the Confucian filial piety supported by the government in order to maintain their rule. Most of the users of owl bird images are dead. Using owl bird images in tombs does not need to serve Confucian politics, but only for their own needs in the afterlife. On the one hand, the owl bird image is out of imitating the need to prevent rats in real life, and on the other hand, it is in order to satisfy the faith demands after death and comfort the undead.
Therefore, from the pre-Qin god of war to the multiple identities of the Han Dynasty, while retaining some parts of the original mythological beliefs, the owl was included in the category of ritual system by Confucianism, interpreting the meaning of Confucianism, and objectively recognized its own biological knowledge.This process shows that the ancients' understanding of owls has improved and deepened.
Whether it is the God of War or the evil bird, everything is just a logical symbol woven by human imagination. All living things have their own laws and nature of survival. Scientific understanding of it and living in harmony with it may be the attitude that should be found in the process of human civilization history.
Editor in charge: Zhong Yuan
Proofreading: Luan Meng
