伍殿 · 仙真聖姥
Goddesses & Immortals
Step across the threshold - Beyond the celestial court roam the xian — the transcendent ones: the great sovereigns of east and west who govern all immortal ranks, and humans who perfected their inner energy and rose above death.
4 Deities on display
母
First Lady of the Immortals
Queen Mother of the West
One of the oldest deities in China, already feared and worshipped on oracle bones over three thousand years ago. From her palace on mythical Mount Kunlun she tends the peaches of immortality, which ripen once every three thousand years.
- Peaches of immortality
- Phoenix headdress
- Nine-tailed fox and blue birds
東
Lord of All Male Immortals
King Father of the East
The yang counterpart of the Queen Mother of the West, dwelling on the eastern sea where the sun rises. Every male immortal, tradition holds, must first pay homage to him before ascending the registers of heaven.
- The rising sun
- Scepter of yang authority
- Registers of male immortals
仙
Companions of Every Walk of Life
The Eight Immortals
Eight historical figures — rich and poor, noble and humble, old and young — who each attained immortality in their own way. Their emblems, the 'Eight Treasures', are everywhere in Chinese art as charms of fortune and longevity.
- Sword, flute, lotus & gourd
- Castanets, basket, fish drum
- Crossing the sea, each with their own magic
媽
Protector of All Who Sail
Mazu, Empress of Heaven
Born Lin Moniang on the Fujian coast around 960 CE, she was famed for rescuing sailors in storms and was deified after her early death. Today more than three thousand temples honor her from China to Southeast Asia and beyond.
- Lantern that guides ships
- Red robes over the waves
- Calm sea after the storm