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Ox-Head () and Horse-Face () are two guardians or types of guardians of the underworld in Chinese mythology. As indicated by their names, both have the bodies of men, but Ox-Head has the head of an ox while Horse-Face has the face of a horse. They are the first beings a dead soul encounters upon entering the underworld; in many stories they directly escort the newly dead to the underworld.
In their duties as guardians of Diyu, the realm of the dead, their role is to capture human souls who have reached the end of their earthly existence and bring them before the courts of Hell. Souls are then rewarded or punished based on the actions performed in their lifetime.
Ox-Head and Horse-Face also play the role of messengers of the king of hell, Yanluo Wang (閻羅王). Ox-Head has also been "created" by the latter took pity by the arrival of a newly dead ox, who had worked hard all his life: he made him one of his faithful servants.
File:Haw Par Villa 1, Dec 14.jpg, Statue of Ox-Head at Haw Par Villa, Singapore.
File:Haw Par Villa 2, Dec 14.jpg, Statue of Horse-Face at Haw Par Villa, Singapore.
File:牛頭將軍.JPG, Statue of Ox-Head in Taiwan.
File:馬面將軍.JPG, Statue of Horse-Face in Taiwan.
File:Fengdu Ghost City -4.JPG, Statue of Horse-face, Fengdu Ghost City.
Ox-Head () and Horse-Face () are two guardians or types of guardians of the underworld in Chinese mythology. As indicated by their names, both have the bodies of men, but Ox-Head has the head of an ox while Horse-Face has the face of a horse. They are the first beings a dead soul encounters upon entering the underworld; in many stories they directly escort the newly dead to the underworld.
Role
In their duties as guardians of Diyu, the realm of the dead, their role is to capture human souls who have reached the end of their earthly existence and bring them before the courts of Hell. Souls are then rewarded or punished based on the actions performed in their lifetime.
Ox-Head and Horse-Face also play the role of messengers of the king of hell, Yanluo Wang (閻羅王). Ox-Head has also been "created" by the latter took pity by the arrival of a newly dead ox, who had worked hard all his life: he made him one of his faithful servants.
Chinese mythology
In the Chinese classical novel '' Journey to the West'', Ox-Head and Horse-Face are among the underworld denizens overpowered bySun Wukong
The Monkey King, also known as Sun Wukong ( zh, t=孫悟空, s=孙悟空, first=t) in Mandarin Chinese, is a legendary mythical figure best known as one of the main characters in the 16th-century Chinese novel ''Journey to the West'' ( zh, ...
after his soul is dragged to hell in his sleep. He then crosses out his name and those of all non-human primates on earth from the record of living souls, hence granting a second level of immortality to himself and general immortality to his monkey children.
Japanese mythology
InJapanese mythology
Japanese mythology is a collection of traditional stories, folktales, and beliefs that emerged in the islands of the Japanese archipelago. Shinto and Buddhist traditions are the cornerstones of Japanese mythology. The history of thousands of year ...
, Ox-Head and Horse-Face are known as "Gozu" and "Mezu" respectively. They appear in classical Japanese literature such as the ''Konjaku Monogatarishū
, also known as the , is a Japanese collection of over one thousand tales written during the late Heian period (794–1185). The entire collection was originally contained in 31 volumes, of which 28 remain today. The volumes cover various tales fr ...
'' and '' Taiheiki''. In '' The Tale of the Heike'', they appear in an ominous dream of Taira no Tokiko.
Gallery
See also
* Castor and Pollux *Alexiares and Anicetus
Alexiares ( grc, Ἀλεξιάρης, Alexiárēs) and Anicetus ( grc, Ἀνίκητος, Aníkētos) are minor deities in Greek mythology. They are the immortal twin sons of Heracles, the greatest of the Greek heroes and the strongest mortal to l ...
, twin-sons of Heracles/ Hercules and Hebe/ Juventas; alongside their father, they are the guardians of the gates of Mount Olympus.
* Chinese folk religion
* Chenghuangshen
The Chenghuangshen (), is a tutelary deity or deities in Chinese folk religion who is believed to protect the people and the affairs of the particular village, town or city of great dimension, and the corresponding afterlife location.
Beginning ...
(城隍公)
* Heibai Wuchang (黑白無常)
* Janus
In ancient Roman religion and myth, Janus ( ; la, Ianvs ) is the god of beginnings, gates, transitions, time, duality, doorways, passages, frames, and endings. He is usually depicted as having two faces. The month of January is named for Janu ...
* List of supernatural beings in Chinese folklore
* Lugal-irra and Meslamta-ea
In ancient Mesopotamian religion, Lugal-irra () and Meslamta-ea () are a set of twin gods who were worshipped in the village of Kisiga, located in northern Babylonia. The Great Twins were regarded as guardians of doorways and they may have orig ...
* Meng Po (孟婆)
* Nio
are two wrathful and muscular guardians of the Gautama Buddha, Buddha standing today at the entrance of many Buddhist temples in East Asian Buddhism in the form of frightening wrestler-like statues. They are dharmapala manifestations of the bo ...
* Youdu
Youdu () in Chinese mythology is the capital of Hell, or Diyu. Among the various other geographic features believed of Diyu, the capital city has been thought to be named Youdu. It is generally conceived as being similar to a typical Chinese capit ...
(幽都)
* Zhong Kui (鍾馗)
References
Chinese legendary creatures Horse in Chinese mythology Literary duos Ox-Head Horse-Face Psychopomps {{China-myth-stub