The use of bronze mirrors

72 views · Organized by 雾凇 on 2022-02-15
In the vision of Manchu shamans, Toli is often a symbol of those celestial bodies that can emit light, such as the sun, moon, and stars. Wearing it on the shaman's chest and back, it is said to "cherish the sun and carry the moon", which plays the role of warding off evil spirits and illuminating demons. Toli's divine power is firmly believed by shamans. Therefore, some "great gods" have to use Toli. For example, the "press-ba-muni" sacrificed by Jilin Shi's surname is a "hand holding two big too-li". The "big hero" who dances fast.

The use of bronze mirrors

Toli has two styles: one is a patterned "flower mirror", and the other is a smooth and non-patterned "plain mirror". The bronze mirrors vary in size, "the small ones are 3 cm and 5 cm in diameter, the medium ones are 10 to 15 cm in diameter, and the large ones are more than 20 cm in diameter". At present, it is difficult to find such Manchu shamans using tori in field work. However, in the Mongolian shamans of the Horqin grassland, there are still people who use this kind of support force. They tied several bronze mirrors stacked in order of different sizes around their waists, and they collided when swinging;
Reference materials and contributors
铜镜(百度百科)

Involving musical instruments

Toli [Toli], Chinese translated as "bronze mirror". The so-called "mirror" of the bronze mirror is not the mirror used in ancient times, but refers to the disc-shaped bronze utensils hanging on the shaman's body that twist and make a "jing dong" sound, or are lifted and danced in the hand. Its function is similar to that of Xisha, and it is used for "suppressing demons and exorcising evil spirits".