Can the peach wood sword really ward off evil spirits? Can it really slay demons and monsters?

In Chinese movies, TV shows, and legends, the most commonly seen weapon for warding off evil spirits is the peach wood sword, which can also kill demons and monsters. So can the peach wood sword really play the role of warding off evil spirits?

Can a peach wood sword really ward off evil spirits?

In Taoist rituals after the Sui and Tang Dynasties, high priests sometimes used wooden swords to perform rituals to summon gods, break prisons and save the dead. Wooden swords are mostly made of peach wood, so they are also called peach swords. People have always believed that peach wood can ward off evil spirits and drive away demons. The fifth chapter of "The Investiture of the Gods" - "Yun Zhongzi Presents a Sword to Eliminate the Demon" - says that Yun Zhongzi presented a pine wood sword to King Zhou and asked him to hang it in the palace tower to suppress the demon.

In the tenth chapter of "The Wizard of Oz", "The Fire Dragon Master Passes on His Magic and Grants the Thunder Pearl", it is said that the Fire Dragon Master passed on a sword made of ice and wood, which is no more than eight or nine inches long. If it is swayed in the wind, it can grow to three feet four or five feet long. The wooden sword is sprayed with talismans to capture gods and expel evil spirits.

The characteristics of the magic sword are contained in the wooden sword, which is also a concept based on symbolism. Taoism believes that the essence of the sword reaches up to the sky and that the wooden sword has the function of suppressing demons and driving away evil spirits. This actually has its basis in Taoist doctrine.

In ancient times, peach trees were revered as "immortal trees" and believed to be able to drive away evil spirits and ghosts. The peach wood sword is a Taoist magic tool and is also believed in traditional Chinese customs to have the functions of warding off evil spirits, bringing good fortune, and protecting the house. In terms of production, natural peach wood is usually used and it is purely hand-carved. It is generally believed that peach is the essence of the five woods, also known as fairy wood, so it has the function of warding off evil spirits and stabilizing the house. Peach wood swords therefore have this ability.

In ancient Chinese mythology, it is said that there is a ghost world. In the middle of the world, there is a mountain. On the mountain, there is a huge peach tree covering three thousand miles. On the top of the tree, there is a golden rooster. Every morning when the golden rooster crows, the ghosts that wander out at night must rush back to the ghost world. The gate to the ghost realm is located in the northeast of the peach tree. Two gods named Shentu and Yulei stand beside the gate.

If a ghost did something harmful to the world at night, Shentu and Yulei would immediately find and catch it, tie it up with ropes made of reeds, and feed it to tigers. Therefore, all ghosts in the world were afraid of Shentu and Yulei. So people began to carve their images out of peach wood and place them at their doorsteps to ward off evil and harm.

Later, people simply carved the names of Shentu and Yulei on peach wood boards, believing that doing so could also suppress evil. This kind of peach wood board was later called "Tao Fu".

In the Song Dynasty, people began to write couplets on peach wood boards. First, to retain the meaning of peach wood in warding off evil spirits, second, to express their good wishes, and third, to decorate the door for beauty. People also write couplets on red paper, which symbolizes happiness and good luck, and paste them on both sides of doors and windows during the New Year to express their good wishes for good luck in the coming year.

In fact, I think the peach wood sword can ward off evil spirits more because the word "peach" is homophonic to "escape", which means you can escape disaster safely. Those legends only add to the mystery of the peach wood sword. Some things are just like this, believe it or not it's all up to you.