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Three of the Four Immortals, Plus a Household Triad

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Three of the Four Immortals, Plus a Household Triad

This article records tradition as it has been passed down and reported. Its sources are not yet part of the atlas's verified catalogue.

Vietnamese Deities gathers four figures of Vietnamese folk religion, three of them among the Four Immortals, Tu Bat Tu, the country's most widely honoured group of protective figures, alongside a household triad kept in nearly every kitchen.

Lieu Hanh, the Mother Goddess, is the most prominent of the Four Immortals and the central deity of Dao Mau, the Mother Goddess worship tradition, understood as a princess of the Jade Emperor exiled to earth and honoured through the len dong spirit possession ritual, recognised by UNESCO as intangible cultural heritage. Tan Vien Son Thanh, the Mountain God, is associated with Ba Vi mountain near Hanoi and credited in legend with controlling floodwaters and teaching agriculture, irrigation and settled life to the early Vietnamese people. Thanh Giong, the child hero, is said to have grown to giant size in a single day to repel foreign invaders on an iron horse before ascending to heaven, honoured as a foundational patriotic and protective figure at the Giong Festival, also recognised by UNESCO as intangible cultural heritage.

Tao Quan, the Kitchen Gods, stand apart from the other three as a triad of household deities rather than a single national figure, observing a family's conduct through the year and riding a carp to heaven each Lunar New Year to report to the Jade Emperor, honoured with a widely observed household ceremony days before Tet. Where the other three protect the nation or a specific mountain, Tao Quan's watch is kept inside the ordinary home.

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Sources
Goddess on the Rise: Pilgrimage and Popular Religion in Vietnam
Philip Taylor, University of Hawaii Press, 2004View the Source
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