Four Immortals
Four guardian gods for the country of Vietnam
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Four Immortals (Vietnamese: Tứ bất tử, chữ Hán: 四不死) refers to the four chief figures in the pantheon of genii worshiped by the Vietnamese people of the Red River Delta region in legend and mythology[1].[2] They are Tản Viên Sơn Thánh (chữ Hán: 傘圓山聖), also known as Sơn Tinh (山精) the god of Tản Viên Mountain, Phù Đổng Thiên Vương (扶董天王, also known as Thánh Gióng, Ông Dóng) a giant who defeated northern invaders, Chử Đồng Tử (褚童子) a sage, and Princess Liễu Hạnh (柳杏公主), a heavenly spirit and Mother Goddess.
| Four Immortals | |
Painting of The Four Immortals. From left to right: Tản Viên Sơn Thánh, Phù Đổng Thiên Vương, Chử Đạo Tổ and Liễu Hạnh Công Chúa | |
| Vietnamese alphabet | Tứ bất tử |
|---|---|
| Chữ Hán | 四不死 |
Full development of the mythology and honouring of the Four Immortals took place in the Lê dynasty.[3] Each of the four immortals has association with helping historical national figures. For example, Thánh Gióng in legend helped the sixth Hùng King to repulse foreign invaders.[4]