Nezha is a legendary deity in ancient Chinese mythology. Its legends are rich and colorful, integrating elements of Buddhism, Taoism and folk beliefs.
Nezha was originally a fierce general under the Jade Emperor. He was six feet tall, had three heads, nine wisdom eyes and eight arms of different lengths. He spit out blue clouds from his mouth, stepped on a fire wheel, held a long spear and a wheel in his hands, and was extremely powerful. In the late Shang Dynasty, demons were rampant in the world. The Jade Emperor ordered Nezha to descend to the earth and reincarnate into Li Jing, the King of the Tower, and Lady Yin. He was born after three years and six months of pregnancy. Soon after Nezha was born, he showed extraordinary power. He caused a huge wave when he was bathing at the East China Sea, clashed with the Dragon Palace, and finally made trouble in the sea and killed the dragon, leaving behind the legend of Nezha making trouble in the sea.
Nezha's name comes from Sanskrit, meaning "cute". In Buddhism, he is the son of the Northern Vaisravana (the God of Hearing). As a guardian god, he has the responsibility to eliminate demons and destroy evil spirits. Its image is usually described as having three heads and six arms or eight arms, holding various instruments, symbolizing its great power and magical powers.
In Taoism, Nezha has many titles, such as the Marshal of the Central Altar, the Grand Master of Tongtian, the Great General of Weilingxianhe, and the Great God of the Three Altars and Seas, which reflects the respect of Taoism for him.
In addition, Nezha is one of the descendants of the Chan Sect. He followed the order of his master Yuanshi Tianzun to protect the Zhou Dynasty and destroy the Shang Dynasty. He became the third son of Li Jing, the general of Chentang Pass, and his wife Yin. He is the younger brother of Jinzha and Muzha, and a pioneer who assisted Jiang Ziya. Nezha was born from a meat ball after his mother was pregnant for three years and six months. This peculiar way of birth also adds mystery to him.
The Finalization of Nezha's Mythological Image and Widespread Story
1. The Finalization of literary classics
In the Ming Dynasty navel "Journey to the West", Wu Cheng'en portrayed Nezha as an important general in the heavenly court, describing his appearance of three heads and six arms, and riding on a wind-fire wheel, and supplemented his deeds such as making trouble in the Dragon Palace and subduing the demons of the ninety-six caves, highlighting his great magical powers.
"The Creation of the Gods" is a culmination.
Xu Zhonglin systematically perfected Nezha's past and present lives in "The Creation of the Gods":
Reincarnation of Lingzhuzi: Nezha was reincarnated as the son of Li Jing, the general of Chentangguan, for the Lingzhuzi, the treasure of the Chan Sect.
Trouble in the sea and slay the dragon: Because he killed Ao Bing, the third prince of the Dragon King of the East Sea, Nezha "cut his bones to return to his father and cut his flesh to return to his mother" to fulfill his filial piety.
Lotus rebirth: Taiyi Zhenren (a Taoist deity) reshaped his body with lotus roots to help him help Zhou to defeat King Zhou, and finally deified him as "the great god of the three altars and seas".
This version became the blueprint for the Nezha story in later generations.
2. Belief and symbolic meaning
Folk Beliefs: Nezha is worshipped as the god of child protection and exorcism. He is called "Prince" in Fujian and Taiwan. His temples are often equipped with magic tools such as wind fire wheels and Qiankun circle.
Cultural Symbols of Combining multiple cultural elements
Rebellion and resistance: Removing bones to return to the father reflects the resistance to patriarchal ethics, which is interpreted as a symbol of the pursuit of independent spirit in modern times.
Loyalty and filial piety: After rebirth, he assisted King Wu in defeating King Zhou, balancing the contradiction between rebellion and salvation.
Innocence and divinity: The image of the young hero combines innocence and majesty, becoming an object of worship across ages.
3. Film and television animation adaptation
In 1979, Shanghai Animation Film Studio's "Nezha Conquers the Dragon King" presented his tragic hero image in animation for the first time; in 2019, "Nezha: The Devil Child Comes into the World" reconstructed the story with the theme of "defying the heaven and changing fate", giving it contemporary values.
Nezha Conquers the Dragon King is an animated film directed by Wang Shuchen, Yan Dingxian and Xu Jingda and produced by Shanghai Fine Arts Film Studio. It is the first large-scale color widescreen animated feature film in China. The film was released in China on May 19, 1979.
The film is adapted from the story of "Creation of the Gods". It mainly tells the story of Nezha who, after a conflict with the Dragon Palace of the East China Sea, committed suicide in order not to implicate the people and his family. He was later resurrected by Taiyi Zhenren using lotus roots and made a big fuss in the Dragon Palace of the East China Sea.
哪吒 2 I'm Nezha (2)
The international hit, Ne Zha, tells the story of a young boy destined to destroy the world. He must fight to choose between good and evil in order to break the shackles of fate and become the hero he desperately wants to be.