The "Eight Immortals" from Chinese Mythology

The "Eight Immortals" are figures from Chinese mythology. They represent different types (female, male, young, old, rich, poor, noble and humble) and are each associated with a special symbol, a talisman of their power. The legends of the "Eight Immortals" were first written down during the Tang Dynasty (618–907 AD), but they probably existed in oral form before that. Wu Yuantai's Journey to the East from the Ming Dynasty (1368–1644) is considered the most important of these writings.

The "Eight Immortals," porcelain figurines, 19th century, unknown artist, photographer: sailko; image source: Wikimedia Commons, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Nswag,_dinastia_qing,_gli_otto_immortali_del_taoismo.JPG, Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en.