Legend of T’ai Sui

The following is the legend of T’ai Sui.

T’ai Sui was the son of the Emperor Chou, the last of the Yin dynasty.  His mother was Queen Chiang.  When he was born he looked like a lump of formless flesh.  The infamous Ta Chi, the favourite concubine of this wicked Emperor, at once informed him that a monster had been born in the palace, and the over-credulous sovereign ordered that it should immediately be cast outside the city.  Shen Chen-jen, who was passing, saw the small abandoned one, and said:  “This is an Immortal who has just been born.”  With his knife he cut open the caul which enveloped it, and the child was exposed.

His protector carried him to the cave Shui Lien, where he led the life of a hermit, and entrusted the infant to Ho Hsien-ku, who acted as his nurse and brought him up.

The child’s hermit-name was Yin Ting-nu, his ordinary name Yin No-cha, but during his boyhood he was known as Yin Chiao, i.e. ‘Yin the Deserted of the Suburb,’ When he had reached an age when he was sufficiently intelligent, his nurse informed him that he was not her son, but really the son of the Emperor Chou, who, deceived by the calumnies of his favourite Ta Chi, had taken him for an evil monster and had him cast out of the palace.  His mother had been thrown down from an upper storey and killed.  Yin Chiao went to his rescuer and begged him to allow him to avenge his mother’s death.  The Goddess T’ien Fei, the Heavenly Concubine, picked out two magic weapons from the armoury in the cave, a battle-axe and club, both of gold, and gave them to Yin Chiao.  When the Shang army was defeated at Mu Yeh, Yin Chiao broke into a tower where Ta Chi was, seized her, and brought her before the victor, King Wu, who gave him permission to split her head open with his battle-axe.  But Ta Chi was a spiritual hen-pheasant (some say a spiritual vixen).  She transformed herself into smoke and disappeared.  To reward Yin Chiao for his filial piety and bravery in fighting the demons, Yue Ti canonized him with the title T’ai Sui Marshal Yin.

According to another version of the legend, Yin Chiao fought on the side of the Yin against Wu Wang, and after many adventures was caught by Jan Teng between two mountains, which he pressed together, leaving only Yin Chiao’s head exposed above the summits.  The general Wu Chi promptly cut it off with a spade.  Chiang Tz[u)]-ya subsequently canonized Yin Chiao.

Worship of T’ai Sui

The worship of T’ai Sui seems to have first taken place in the reign of Shen Tsung (A.D. 1068-86) of the Sung dynasty, and was continued during the remainder of the Monarchical Period.  The object of the worship is to avert calamities, T’ai Sui being a dangerous spirit who can do injury to palaces and cottages, to people in their houses as well as to travellers on the roads.  But he has