Tiger Lord

Introduction

When you enter the temple, don't look up just yet. Bend down and peer beneath the main altar table: crouched there, eyes wide and a coin in its jaws, is a tiger. This is Hu Ye, the Tiger Lord, also called Hu Ye Gong or the General of the Lower Altar. He began as the mount of major gods such as the Earth God, Baosheng Dadi, and the City God, which is why he lives under the altar, yet his incense burns nothing like a mere subordinate's. Taiwanese come to the Tiger Lord for two things above all. The first is wealth: as the saying goes, "the Tiger Lord bites the money home," so worshippers hold coins before his mouth and pass them through the incense smoke to carry fortune home, and the crowds praying for wealth are biggest at Lunar New Year. The second is children: folk belief holds that the Tiger Lord cures "pig-head skin" (mumps) in children and keeps them bright, healthy, and free from harm. The Tiger Lords of Beigang Chaotian Temple, Xingang Fengtian Temple, and Dalongdong Baoan Temple are especially famous. An animal god worshipped in his own right is a sight only Taiwanese folk religion offers.

Legend & Origin

How did a man-eating tiger become a god? The most popular version involves Baosheng Dadi.

Legend says that Baosheng Dadi (Wu Tao) went into the mountains one day to gather herbs and found a tiger lying by the road, howling in pain. Looking closer, he saw a human bone stuck in its throat. The tiger had hurt a person, and this was karmic retribution. Anyone else would have run, but Baosheng Dadi reached in and pulled the bone from its throat, leaving only a warning: "Never harm a human again."

Once saved, the tiger didn't leave. It chose to stay by Baosheng Dadi's side as his guardian, vowing never to harm people again and instead to protect them with its divine power. It became the Black Tiger General, the Tiger Lord.

Another version stars Celestial Master Zhang, who subdued a fierce tiger terrorizing the mountains, turned it to the right path, and kept it as his attendant; it later became a guardian deity of temples.

A tiger that had hurt people could repent, cultivate itself, and finally become a god. The Tiger Lord's story really carries one of the gentlest beliefs in Taiwanese folk religion: animals have spirit, and even those who went astray can still turn good.

Worship Guide

There's an order to it: offer incense to the main deity first, then worship the Tiger Lord under the altar. The offerings are the most unusual part: raw meat and raw eggs (he is an animal god, and raw food shows respect), candy and cookies (he is also a guardian of children), and some people bring red eggs.

To pray for wealth: hold a coin in front of the Tiger Lord's mouth, pass it over the censer three times while saying "Tiger Lord, bite the money home," then take it home and keep it in your wallet or your home's wealth corner. That is your "mother coin," the seed of your fortune.

To pray for a child's health: write the child's name and birth date and time on red paper, stick it beside the Tiger Lord's altar, then let the child touch his golden statue.

The 6th day of the 6th lunar month is the Tiger Lord's birthday, when many temples hold celebrations. It's the perfect time to bring children for the "passing the Tiger Lord" blessing.

Festivals

Tiger Lord's Birthday: the 6th day of the 6th lunar month. Temples that enshrine the Tiger Lord, or whose main deity rides him, hold celebrations with sutra chanting, fire-walking, and banquets. The Tiger Lord birthday rites at Mazu temples such as Beigang Chaotian Temple and Xingang Fengtian Temple are especially grand, and worshippers often bring children for the "passing the Tiger Lord" blessing.

Praying for wealth at New Year: Every Lunar New Year, crowds flock to the major temples to ask the Tiger Lord for wealth. Some temples hand out "mother coins" (coins or red envelopes passed over the censer) for worshippers to take home and keep in their wallets or wealth corners for a smooth year.

Famous Temples

⛩️ Xingang Fengtian Temple Details →

Chiayi County

Xingang Fengtian Temple's Tiger Lord is one of the best known in Taiwan. Its golden Tiger Lord sits on the altar table, and worshippers mostly come to pray for wealth and for their children's health.