Nezha (哪吒) is a well – known child – like figure among Chinese deities. The movie Nezha 2 during the Chinese Spring Festival film season was more popular than anyone could have expected. It not only became the highest – grossing animated film globally but also ranked among the top ten highest – grossing films worldwide (as of now, it ranks eighth globally). This is the first time a Chinese film has achieved such excellent results and gained international recognition.

The reason this movie created a miracle is, of course, that the deeply – rooted “demon child” image strongly resonated with the audience. Its huge success also made many people rediscover “Nezha”. People were surprised to find that Nezha’s well – known image today has undergone a long – term evolution.

So, here’s the question: How did a deity that originated from abroad, like Nezha, not only take root in Chinese society but also gain popularity across different eras?

Ⅰ. Foreign Cultural Concepts

The name “Nezha” already reveals its foreign origin. It doesn’t sound like a typical Chinese name at all because it originally comes from the Sanskrit “Nalakūvara” (or “Nalakūbala”). The commonly – used name “Nezha” today is an abbreviation of its full – length transliteration “那吒俱伐罗”.

The well – known Chinese concept of “Nezha assuming a lotus avatar” actually implies a history of cultural exchange between China and foreign countries. According to historical scholar Yang Bin’s book Nine Incenses in Global History: Nezha, Ambergris, and Tambora (杨斌《全球史的九炷香：哪吒、龙涎香与坦博拉》), the image of a “boy on a lotus”, especially the idea of being reborn on a lotus, originally came from ancient Egypt.

In Egyptian creation mythology, a lotus flower emerged from the primordial waters, and from the lotus stepped out the “divine son”, who was “the most perfect heir born of the Ogdoad and the sacred seed of the most ancient gods”. This concept had a far – reaching influence. In Hindu Puranic mythology, lotus roots and lotuses became symbols of the manifestation of the universe, with creation being likened to a lotus floating on the primordial waters. In Greek mythology, the god of sunrise, Harpocrates, was depicted as an infant born from a lotus.

These cultural concepts have been preserved in the Chinese mythology of Nezha. However, his birth was changed to a more familiar Chinese version, being born as a “fleshly fetus” and then being reborn in a “lotus body”. The image of Nezha with “three heads and six arms, holding up the sky and the earth” is well – known in China. In Chapter 29 of Water Margin, when talking about Jiang Menshen, Wu Song said with a smile, “I thought he had three heads and six arms and the abilities of Nezha, so I’d be afraid of him! Turns out he has just one head and two arms. Since he doesn’t look like Nezha, why should I be afraid of him?”

However, this image also has foreign origins. This kind of form was originally not seen among Chinese deities, but it is quite common in Indo – European mythology:

In Greek mythology, the goddess Hecate has three heads and six arms, holding a sword, a spear, and a torch. In Central Asia, the Sogdian Zoroastrian god Weshparkar also has three heads and six arms, wears a crown, and holds a bow in one hand and a halberd in the other. In India, Maheshvara (i.e., Shiva, one of the three main gods in Brahmanism) “has eight arms and three eyes and rides a white bull”. The following picture shows a portrait of Hecate.

There are different accounts of what weapons Nezha holds in his three – headed and six – armed form (sometimes it’s three – headed and eight – armed, like one of the heroes in *Water Margin* who is called the “Eight – Armed Nezha”).

In the Ming – dynasty novel *Journey to the West*, it describes Nezha as “transforming into a three – headed and six – armed form, fiercely brandishing six weapons, namely the demon – slaying sword, the demon – chopping knife, the demon – binding rope, the demon – subduing pestle, the magic ball, and the fire wheel, coming at the enemy with a menacing stance” (Chapter 4). However, in Investiture of the Gods, the classic image that has endured to this day emerged. Nezha holds a fire – tipped spear in each hand, along with two precious items, the Qiankun Ring (乾坤圈) and the Hun Tian Ling (浑天灵). He also has the Gold Brick, the Nine – Dragon Fire – God Hood, and the Yin – Yang Sword, and steps on two Wind – Fire Wheels, making a total of eight weapons (Chapter 76).

Ⅱ. The Process of Image Evolution

When this deity from a foreign culture was first introduced to China, it didn’t attract much attention. As the third son of Vaiśravaṇa, the northern guardian deity in Buddhism, Nezha had boundless supernatural powers. However, until the Tang and Song dynasties, he was merely a side character to his father, and his shrines received far less worship than those of Vaiśravaṇa. According to the research of Japanese scholar Nikaido Yoshihiro in A Study on Prince Nezha, initially, “he had hardly any distinct features other than being Vaiśravaṇa’s son.”

Moreover, for a long time, he was worshipped along with his father, and this was because they met the secular needs of Chinese society. As the saying goes, “In the Esoteric Buddhism tradition, besides protecting the Buddhist dharma and subduing demons, Vaiśravaṇa and his son were also well – known for safeguarding the king and defending the national borders.” Of course, he had a supernatural power quite different from his father’s. Nalakūvara was presented as a child – like deity in Buddhism and had defeated a giant snake. In Chinese society, this evolved into the deed of subduing the dragon, and the legend of “making trouble in the sea” was thus born. As early as on the Buddhist sarira stone coffins of the Liao Dynasty, there were engraved patterns of Nezha chasing and attacking the Dragon King, which was the prototype of the story of Nezha fighting the dragon. In Yuan – dynasty zaju plays (drama of the Yuan Dynasty) , his deed of subduing the “one – horned dragon with reverse scales” was also told.

This evolution of Nezha’s image is closely related to the process of Sinicization during that period and further integrated with Chinese society. At that time, ordinary people didn’t really care about his rebellious spirit. Instead, they valued the idea that “subduing the dragon” could bring “favorable weather for crops”. In folk legends, Beijing City was the so – called “Nezha City” built by Liu Bowen in the early Ming Dynasty. Nezha not only protected the country and subdued demons, but also had the power to subdue dragons and pray for rain. Since the capital city often suffered from water shortages, such a divine being was much needed to ward off disasters.

In traditional Chinese society, ordinary people generally worshiped Nezha for very practical and even utilitarian purposes. There are ancient Nezha temples in Hong Kong and Macao, China. People believe that he can protect children and drive away diseases. Especially during plague outbreaks, Nezha can ensure a clean water supply and thus prevent the spread of the plague. In Taiwan, China, spirit – mediums pay special attention to Nezha. Scholar Liu Zhiwan (刘枝万) believes that this is because Nezha has great supernatural powers, is brave in battle, and as a young god, he naturally becomes the ideal patron saint for spirit – mediums. Strangest of all, in old Beijing, it was rumored that Nezha was the founding master of the acrobatic cycling trade, simply because he rides on the Wind – Fire Wheels.

Summary

It seems that Nezha’s initial image is quite different from the widely – spread version today. From the original “divine son” to the current one with “three heads and six arms, protecting agricultural production and children’s health”, the contrast is significant. One can’t help but wonder what Nezha himself would think of his current image in the eyes of the world.