In my thesis, I will be researching the cardinal emblems, also known as siling, sixiang or sishen, and how their form was influenced by cosmology and astronomy. The cardinal emblems (the blue dragon, white tiger, red bird and dark warrior), represent the four cardinal directions as well as the four seasons and were believed to not only guard the tombs, but to aid the deceased to the afterlife. The four animals were found on murals, coffins, doors, bricks, and other smaller objects. Their depictions were dictated by astronomy, especially that of the 28 lunar mansions, and cosmology, especially the wuxing and yinyang. In my thesis I will pay special attention to the form of the dark warrior, which varied greatly throughout the century, while the form of the blue dragon, white tiger and red bird remained consistent. The animal of the north changed its shape many times throughout the reign of the Western Han, from fish, to deer and even mythical animals such as the qilin. Despite this, it had always been associated with the color black. It finally retained the form of a snake coiling around a black turtle during the Eastern Han dynasty and remained consistent in its representation in following dynasties. In this thesis, I will look into the cosmology and astronomy that influenced the form of the cardinal emblems. I will also pay special attention to the animal of the north, and the reasons why it finally settled on the form of a snake coiling around a black turtle.
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