3 Inch Golden Money Frog on Pa Qua

The Legend of the Three Legged Toad
The three legged toad is probably the most auspicious symbol of money-making. There are a couple of myths associated with the origins of this belief. In fact, according to Chinese mythology, the three-legged toad is said to exist only on the moon, which it succeeds in swallowing during an eclipse. As a result, it is sometimes said to signify the unattainable. An extension of this myth is that the wife of one of the Eight Immortals stole the elixir of immortality from the Queen of the West, Hsi Wang Mu. She fled to the moon where she was turned into a toad! But having tasted the elixir, she had attained immortality and in the midst of being changed into a toad, she had begged for mercy. The Gods, ever compassionate, softened, so that only the upper half of the body took the form of the ugly creature. Instead of the hind quarters, the Gods allowed the retention of the tail of the tadpole. Thus did she become the three-legged toad.

In a related legend, the mythical three legged toad is being baited with gold coins by Lui Hai, one of the 8 Immortals, a Minister of State who lived during the tenth century AD. Lui Hai was believed to be proficient in Taoist magic and had knowledge of the toad's powers for attracting wealth and prosperity. After much searching for this mythical creature, Lui Hai found it hiding deep inside a well. Aware of the toad's fondness for money, he is said to have baited the creature to come up from a well. As bait, he used a red line tied with gold coins. This has resulted in the painting of a child baiting the three legged frog with coins tied on a long red string to become itself an emblem meaning that wealth is about to come. The legend of the three legged toad as an auspicious symbol of wealth thus originated from the popular representation of Lui Hai, who is shown with one foot resting on the toad and holding in his hand a red string on which five gold coins are strung. This image was said to be most auspicious and conducive to attracting great good fortune. Since then, the three legged toad with a coin in its mouth has become the symbol for attracting wealth and prosperity. Over time, the legend grew and today, decorative representations of the three-legged toad show it sitting on a bed of coins and ingots and always with a coin in its mouth. Lui Hai the Immortal has mysteriously vanished from the image!

Where to place the toad?

There seem to be conflicting advice being given on the best position, location and orientation of the toad for it to be most beneficial. I myself place the three legged toad near the vicinity of my main front door. They are placed fairly low, but not on the ground. Coffee table level is about right.

I do not recommend placing the toad directly in front of the door. The best place would be one of the corners diagonal to the door. And then the toad should be looking at the door as though expecting to greet in the wealth chi. There are those who say that the toad should face the door during the daylight hours and be turned to face inwards during the night time hours. I do not see the need to do this.

Also, you can place as many three legged toads in your house or office as you wish. I myself have them all over my living room, dining room and also in my garden, hidden between rocks near my small fish ponds and waterfall garden. But the total number of toads in my house never exceeds nine. If you are like me and wish to have these toads all around your house, do be discreet in your display of them and do keep them in the public areas of your home. In other words, do not keep them in bedrooms and kitchens.