The gods with high status but extremely low popularity in Taoism

In the pantheon of Taoist gods, the most supreme ones are the "Sanqing" (Three Pure Ones). They serve as the symbol of divine sovereignty, rather than handling practical affairs. The ones who truly hold significant power are the "Siyu" (Four Sovereigns), represented by the Jade Emperor, who is widely known. Beneath the "Siyu", the highest gods are the "Wulao Jun" (Five Elders). Strangely enough, the popularity of the "Wulao Jun" is extremely low.

The "Wulao Jun" are five celestial gods revered in Taoism, namely the Green Elder of the East, the Scarlet Elder of the South, the Yellow Elder of the Center, the White Elder of the West, and the Black Elder of the North. Can you discover anything from their names?

Yes. The "Wulao Jun" correspond to the Five Elements. The ancient Chinese believed that everything in the world is composed of the Five Elements. And the Elder Gods of the Five Elements are the fundamental sources of the five qi (vital forces), being the origin of the Five Elements of wood, fire, earth, metal, and water. Therefore, the status of the "Wulao Jun" is particularly lofty. There are the Five Planets of metal, wood, water, fire, and earth in the sky, the Five Great Mountains on the earth, and the Five Zang Organs in the human body... All these are manifestations of people's deep-seated worship of the Five Elements.

So, it can almost be certain that the "Wulao Jun" are the celestial manifestations of human figures. The prototypes of the Elder Gods of the Five Elements are the ancient Five Emperors. According to "Records of the Grand Historian", the ancient Five Emperors are Huangdi (Yellow Emperor), Zhuanxu, Diku, Yao, and Shun. Huangdi is the Emperor of the Center, and the Five Element he represents is "earth". Zhuanxu is the Emperor of the North, and the Five Element he represents is "water". In fact, there are also other ancient emperors such as Taihao and Shaohao. Taihao Fuxi is the Emperor of the East, and the Five Element he represents is "wood"; Shaohao Gaoyang is Di Zhi, the eldest son of the Yellow Emperor, and is the White Emperor, with the Five Element he represents being "metal". The South belongs to Yandi (Flame Emperor), who is the symbol of fire.

During the Han Dynasty, which was deeply influenced by the theory of Yin-Yang, the Confucian scholars were not satisfied with the excessive "tangibility" of the Five Emperors, and thus further mystified the Five Emperors. A large number of apocryphal books corresponding to the Five Classics emerged during the Han Dynasty. One of the apocryphal books called "Hetu" (River Diagram) states, "The Green Emperor of the East, Lingwei Yang, is the Wood Emperor; the Scarlet Emperor of the South, Chibao Nu, is the Fire Emperor; The Yellow Emperor of the Center contains the pivot, is the Earth Emperor; the White Emperor of the West, Baizhao Ju, is the Metal Emperor; the Black Emperor of the North, Yeguang Ji, is the Water Emperor."

Since then, the Five Emperors have become a type of deity, detached from the human realm. After the emergence of Taoism, they further modified and deified the Five Emperors described in the apocryphal books. In a Taoist scripture called "Original Beginning of the Five Elders, the Crimson Writings, the Jade Slips, the True Script, and the Celestial Book", it is recorded: "The Elder of the East, Anbaohualin Qingling Shi Lao Cangdi, is also known as the Green Emperor, with the surname Yan and the personal name Kai Ming, and the courtesy name Lingwei Yang. He wears a green jade crown on his head and a nine-qi green feather robe. He often rides a green dragon and holds a quail flag, accompanied by the gods A and B, with 900,000 officers and soldiers." "The Elder of the South, Fanbao Changyang Danling Zhen Lao Chidi, is also known as the Scarlet Emperor, with the surname Dongfu and the personal name Ji Yan, and the courtesy name Chibao Nu. He wears a red jade crown on his head and a three-qi red feather flying robe. He often rides a red dragon and holds a red flag, accompanied by the gods C and D, with 300,000 officers and soldiers."...

In this way, the Five Emperors have completely become deities, known as the Elder Gods of the Five Elements. Their status is very high, with hundreds of thousands of subordinate gods. Taoism claims that the Elder Gods of the Five Elements are all naturally divine beings, thus called the "Original Beginning of the Five Elders", not achieved through later learning and practice to become immortals. These are true gods, not immortals achieved through human practice and cultivation in the later stage.

However, when it comes to the functions of the "Wulao Jun", they are basically not described in detail. Some Taoist books state that the "Five Chapters of the Crimson Writings and the True Script" are under the jurisdiction of the "Wulao Jun". Other specific functions seem not to be assigned to gods of such a lofty status. The symbolic gods already have the "Sanqing", and the specific gods in charge of affairs already have the "Siyu". Thus, the "Wulao Jun" appear rather awkward. As a result, while the "Wulao Jun" have a high status, their popularity has always remained low.

Perhaps this is the reason why the "Wulao Jun" are not widely known?