Toad Dance Images in Xiwangmu Divine Paintings of the Han Dynasty
Toad dance images are important iconographic elements in the divine paintings of Xiwangmu(Queen Mother of the West),which are mainly distributed in Shaanxi,Shandong,and Sichuan Provinces,especially in Sichuan.In the images from the Xinmang period to the early Eastern Han Dynasty,the toad holding a red fish-shaped dancing prop,which is a symbol of identity,dances to entertain the deities led by Taiyi(Supreme Unity)and Xiwangmu,and the nature of the dance is secular and entertaining.Since then,with the continuous development of the myth of Xiwangmu,the toad dance has gradually developed the function of ascension to immortality and possessed religious elements.In Sichuan Province,influenced by Taoism,toads hold the Ming Jing,a funeral streamer bearing the name and title of the deceased,and dance for the deceased to enter immortality from the mortal world to the Taoist fairyland.In Shandong Province,influenced by the belief in gods,toads also hold the Ming Jing and dance for the deceased to enter from the mortal world to the fairyland of Kunlun Mountains.Among them,the movements of toad dance may be derived from the Tubo dance.
Xiwangmutoad danceentertaining godsascension to immortalityMing JingTubo dance
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