팔선

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Description

팔선(八仙, 영어: Eight Immortals, Eight Genies)은 주로 중국 신화의 전설적인 도교 선인을 가리킨다. 한편, 한국의 고려 전기에도 팔선이 있었는데 이들은 중국의 팔선과는 달리 도교와 불교가 혼합된 형태의 선인이었다. 고려의 팔선은 팔성(八聖)이라고도 하였다. 이 때의 팔선 숭배 사상을 팔선 사상(八仙思想)이라 한다.

The Legend

The Eight Immortals (팔선, 팔선) are a group of legendary immortal beings in Chinese mythology. Each immortal's power can be transferred through a magical tool (법기, 법기) that can grant life or destroy evil. These eight magical tools are referred to as the 'Dark Eight Immortals' (암팔선, 암팔선). Most of the Eight Immortals are said to have been born during the Tang (당나라) or Song (송나라) dynasties and have become popular elements in Taoism and general Chinese culture. They reside on five islands in the Bohai Sea, including Penglai Mountain (펑라이산, 펑라이산). The members of the Eight Immortals include He Xiangu (하시안구), generally considered the only female in modern times, Cao Guojiu (조국구), associated with the Song dynasty emperor, Li Tieguai (리티에구아이), who is viewed as mentally unstable and plays a role in alleviating the suffering of the sick, Lan Caihe (란차이허), originally depicted as female but later became gender ambiguous, Lü Dongbin (뤼둥빈), regarded as the leader of the Eight Immortals and a scholar-poet, Han Xiangzi (한샹쯔), a flute player, Zhang Guolao (장수의 상징인 장궈라오), a symbol of longevity, and Zhongli Quan (중리취안), associated with the power of creation related to death and metal, who holds a fan.

In Popular Culture

The Eight Immortals have been featured multiple times in popular culture. In Jackie Chan's films 'Drunken Master' (취권) and 'Drunken Master II' (취권 II), eight forms of 'drunken' Chinese martial arts derived from the Eight Immortals appear. The 1998-99 Singapore TV series 'The Legend of the Eight Immortals' is based on their stories. The video game 'Fear Effect 2' also features the Eight Immortals in a significant role. In Andy Seto's graphic novel series 'Saint Legend', the Eight Immortals reappear to protect Buddhist faith from evil spirits. The animation 'Jackie Chan Adventures' also includes the Eight Immortals, playing a crucial role in defeating eight demon sorcerers and sealing them in the afterlife. In the film 'The Forbidden Kingdom', Jackie Chan plays the role of Lu Yan, one of the Eight Immortals.

This article is based on the Wikipedia article "Eight Immortals" (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Wikipedia