1. Bears are animal symbols of courage, fearlessness and strength. "Records of Five Elements of Han Dynasty" says: "Bear is the beast of Shan Ye". In the early days of human society, hunting prevailed, and human beings had frequent contact with bears. At the top of the food chain, bears with huge size and fierce temperament often bring great threats and fears to hunters, giving people the impression of infinite strength and miraculous powers. Therefore, the worship of bears often falls on the animal characteristics of bears, and the bravery, fearlessness and strength of bears are expected to be obtained through the sacrifice of bears.
Second, the bear is an immortal sacred symbol, a sacred messenger and a thor. An important source of bear worship is their habit of hibernation. Woong San of Shan Hai Jing said: "The bear's cave is always charming. It is open in summer and closed in winter." Primitive people regarded bear's hibernation and cicada slough as "rebirth", which placed people's expectation for eternal life. By the Han Dynasty, the sacred symbol of the bear was more abundant. In the Tianxiong brick unearthed in Xinye, Henan Province, a bear dances on the head of Fuxi Nuwa, and the image is more prominent, which embodies the lofty sacred position of the bear in ancient times. In the history museum of Cangzhou Museum, the first title of the Han Dynasty shop is a bronze casket with three bear paws, and three god bears carry the whole utensils, symbolizing the great power of the god bears. In the travel map of Raytheon in Xuzhou Han Dynasty Stone Relief Art Collection, three wing tigers and two turtles are pulling a car with bears in it and drums and drumsticks in their hands as the image of Raytheon.
Third, the bear is a sorcerer in the tomb of exorcism town. People in the Han Dynasty thought that death was only the end of the world, and the spirit would continue after death, so they paid special attention to the protection of the world after death. Most of the images of bears appear at the entrance of the tomb, symbolizing the "gatekeeper" guarding the underground underworld and the entrance to the tomb. "Li Zhouxia Fang Guan Shi Xiang" said: "The square palm is covered with bear skin, with four eyes of gold, and it is mysterious to serve Zhu Shang, hold a shield, and be handsome with a hundred officials to fight the epidemic." Fang is the legendary exorcist. Zhou Lizhong is responsible for exorcism in funerals and sacrifices. They wear bear head masks and often reflect the shape of bears in scrolls and stone statues.
Bear worship originated from the contact with bears in ancient hunting activities, and bears had a great influence on human life at that time. With the development of productive forces, human society began to change from hunting society to agricultural society. In this context, the dragon, which is more closely related to rainwater irrigation, gradually stepped onto the historical stage. With the combination of dragon worship, ancestor worship and kingship, the once widespread bear worship was gradually replaced by the dragon worship in agricultural society.