Bird totem worship is mostly associated with sun worship. The well-known Sanzu House was originally a "sunny bird in the sun"; As a symbol of chinese heritage, the golden ornaments of "Sun God Birds" in Jinsha, Sichuan Province are also the shapes of four God Birds flying around the sun. This dual worship of the sun and birds promoted the birth of Phoenix, an important image of China culture.
"Bai Hu Tong Wu Xing" records: "Its emperor, Sun Ye. Its gods, Zhu Rong and Zhu Rong, are a continuation. Its essence is a bird, which is divided into three things. "
It can be seen that in the eyes of Chu people, Bird Luan is the messenger of ancestors, and the worship of both comes from the belief in bird totem.
The origin of Phoenix is about the Neolithic Age, and many bird patterns on pottery in primitive society are the embryonic form of Phoenix. 1977,7000 years ago, the "morning-patterned ivory dish of two birds" was unearthed at Hemudu cultural site. On both sides of this artifact, there is a phoenix with wings flying, round eyes, hooked beak, neck stretching and head holding, embracing the sun, which vividly reflects the worship of ancestors to the bird that knows when and the sun that shines on everything after the invention of primitive agriculture. Hemudu Phoenix was once considered as the earliest phoenix pattern in China by archaeological circles.
199 1 year, a white pottery jar with a high straight collar was unearthed at the Gaomiao cultural site in hongjiang city, Hunan Province, which was 7400 years ago. According to expert appraisal, Shui Yuan Phoenix is about 400 years earlier than Hemudu Phoenix, and it is the oldest phoenix pattern in China so far. This discovery provides valuable materials for uncovering the mystery of the "birth" of Phoenix.
On the neck and shoulders of the white clay pot, there are two flying birds, the phoenix, one in front and the other on the side, with vigorous posture. They have the remarkable characteristics of the phoenix in myths and legends: a crown, a very long beak, a long neck and a beautiful long tail. The strangest thing is that the food sacs of the two phoenixes are also printed with animal faces with fangs and tongues, which is obviously the combination god at this time.
Phoenix, like dragon, is a bridge between man and god in history and real life. With the help of dragons and phoenixes, human beings communicate with nature.
Phoenix is a god beast created by human beings in primitive society, which is pious, worshipful and worshipful.
Dragon and phoenix are two totem systems of the Chinese nation, and worshipping phoenix is a strong national complex. People in China have endowed Phoenix with many beautiful features: beauty, auspiciousness, kindness, tranquility, virtue and nature. However, the phoenix did not come into being out of thin air. Judging from the phoenix pattern found in the cultural site of Gaomiao, its prototype has a great relationship with peacocks.
The zoological prototype of Phoenix has different opinions and is generally regarded as a mixture. According to the evidence and argumentation in He Xin 1987, a researcher of China Academy of Social Sciences, and the book Talking about Dragons and Wind published in 2004, the prototype animal of Phoenix is a big bird, mainly an ostrich.