Deities and Faith
What do Lord Bao’s dragon-, tiger-, and dog-headed execution blades express?
English translation draft · Based on the Chinese article. This is not a word-for-word translation approved by Master Shengyuan.
These blades in Lord Bao’s stories remind me that regardless of status, wrongdoing cannot be excused through power. The point is impartial justice, not learning how to punish people.
I have explained how stories assign the dragon-headed blade to imperial relatives, the tiger-headed blade to officials, and the dog-headed blade to commoners. This cultural imagery developed through later novels and theater. It cannot be treated as the actual judicial system of the Northern Song.
In the story of Chen Shimei’s execution, Lord Bao withstands pressure despite Chen’s royal connections. People remember it because they hope justice will not change according to someone’s background.
Sheng Zhen Men worships Lord Bao with this aspiration too. In daily life, we should learn integrity and discernment, not borrow a deity’s name to pronounce others guilty ourselves.