Observations placeholder

The Taoists also represent the cardinal directions by using deities – guardians of each of the directions, in this case the  Mo li brothers – the  ‘Diamond Kings’:

• Mo liqing – is the eldest brother and the western king.  He has a white face,  a magic lance named Blue Cloud, and is sometimes shown with a sword. "The words on the lance say 'earth, water, fire, wind.' [the elements]. When Mo liqing swings it in battle, it inspires a black wind  to blow. This wind carries thousands of deadly spears, and a gold fire of flaming snakes follows it. Blinding smoke emerges from the ground and traps the enemy army. His spear and serpent storms are thought to symbolise his control of whirlwinds and waterspouts
• Mo lihong – is the southern king.  He has a red face and a magic parasol known as the Umbrella of Chaos . "It dazzles with jewels, semiprecious stones, and mother-of-pearl, and the inscription on it reads, 'shut and open heaven and earth.' Any slight movement of the umbrella makes the earth tremor. If Mo lihong lifts it overhead, it hides the sun and the moon.
• Mo lihai – is the eastern king.  He has a blue-green face and plucks his four-string lute and "tunes the winds to his will. One chord blows up a storm. All of his enemies stop to listen, and their camps ignite and burn."
• Mo lishou – is the northern king.  He has a  black face and has a "couple of whips and an extraordinary creature, which he keeps in a leopard-skin bag. The animal looks like a white rat. Its name means 'the sable that can turn into a speckled fox,' and when Mo lishou sets it loose, it becomes a white elephant with wings and eats whoever comes its way."