Dou-mu (“mother of the ladle”) is the Taoist goddess of the North Star, who is in charge of life and death. Dou-mu had nine sons - Zhen-huang. They were the first rulers on earth. Dou-mu herself lives in a heavenly palace with her husband. And her sons became gods and settled in a nearby palace.
Dou-mu is depicted with four faces and eight arms, in which he holds a bow, a spear, a sword, a flag, a dragon's head, a pagoda, the sun and the moon. Dou-mu was revered by both Taoists and Buddhists. Among Buddhists, she is considered the deity of light and the protector from wars. Under the influence of Buddhism, Dou-mu began to be depicted sitting on a lotus with a bodhisattva crown on her head. She has three eyes, one set vertically in the middle of her forehead, thanks to which she sees everything that happens in the world.