
何仙姑
He Xiang Gu
廣州郊區有個增城縣,此地有些名氣──地以仙顯,增城人引以為豪的是,他們家鄉出了個家喻戶曉的女神仙──何仙姑。
所謂仙姑,一指仙女,二指道姑,另有指搞占卜下神的女巫,即俗稱巫婆者或跳大神。這位何仙姑可謂是三者兼之,而後者的味道更濃些。
何仙姑的履歷比較簡單。她的籍貫有二說,一是廣州增城縣人氏,一為湖南永州(零陵)人氏。《續通考》說,「何仙姑,廣州增城人,何泰之女也。」增城當地的傳說更為具體,說她是增城縣小樓區新桂鄉人,原名何秀姑,生於唐武后某年農曆三月初七,中宗時八月初八升仙。父親何泰是做豆腐的,何仙姑是位「豆腐西施」,幫助父親賣過豆腐。現今新桂鄉還有何泰的墳墓,但不知是真是假。
認為何仙姑是湖南永州人的見於宋人曾懂《集仙傳》、劉貢父《中山詩話》、魏泰《東軒筆錄》等。同所有神仙出生時伴有祥異一樣,何仙姑的出生也不同尋常,《歷代神仙通鑒》卷十四稱:「何女生而紫雲繞室,頂有六毫。」這「六毫」之「毫」,當指毫光,何仙姑出生時不但「紫雲繞室」,而且頭頂出現六道毫光,不管是陽光折射,還是燭光反射,發現新生兒頭頂出現毫光,並不是甚麼難事。
關於何仙姑的成仙有個「履迹遺丹井」的傳說。相傳何仙姑父母給她找了個婆家,並擇定了良辰吉日。何仙姑不肯嫁人,便悄悄從家門口的水井裡「問仙」去了。去時只穿了一隻鞋,另一隻繡鞋遺留在井台上。
The Immortal Woman
He Xian Gu’s immortality is due to a consistent diet of powdered mother-of-pearl and moonbeams. While swallowing it, she vowed to remain a virgin.
According to a different version, He Xian Gu, daughter of a 7th-century shopkeeper, ate a magic peach and became immortal. Since than she is flying about.
She is attributed by the lotus/lotus pond, which can cultivate people through meditation.
Occasionally she is attributed with a peach, the divine fruit of Gods, associated with immortality or a music instrument or a ladle to dispense wisdom, meditation and purity.