Li Tieguai
Li Tieguai ( Chinese 李鐵 拐 / 李铁 拐 , Pinyin Lǐ Tiěguǎi , W.-G. Li T'ieh-kuai ) also Tie Guai Li , is a famous Daoist immortal in Chinese mythology . "Li with the iron crutch" belongs to the group of the Eight Immortals .
According to legend, Li Tieguai's soul could leave his body and wander around. Before one of his soul journeys he instructed his disciple to watch over his body during this journey. If Li Tieguai did not return within seven days, his body should be cremated. However, the student was called to his dying mother before the deadline and burned the empty body. Upon his return, Li Tieguai found his burned body and went in search of a suitable body so as not to die. Li Tieguai came across the body of a crippled dead beggar and his soul went into that body, causing his leg to become lame. According to mythology, the goddess Xiwangmu once healed an ulcer on his leg and taught him the art of becoming immortal.
Li Tieguai is often depicted with an iron crutch and a bottle gourd with a bat escaping from it. He is the patron saint of the sick.
literature
- Wolfram Eberhard: Lexicon of Chinese symbols. The imagery of the Chinese. Hugendubel, Munich 2004, ISBN 3-89631-428-9 , p. 177.
- Werner Lind : The dictionary of martial arts. China, Japan, Okinawa, Korea, Vietnam, Thailand, Burma, Indonesia, India, Mongolia, Philippines, Taiwan and others special edition. Sportverlag, Berlin 2001, ISBN 3-328-00898-5 ( Edition BSK ), p. 67.