The Mazu, literally the ‘horse-ancestors’, are warrior-deities associated with the Mawang (fig.) and Shuicao (fig.), a group of Chinese gods that serve as the protectors of horses.

The Mazu are all depicted with four arms, holding swords and other attributes, and all have a vertical third eye on their face.

Unlike the Mawang and Shuicao, the Mazu also wear a diadem-like crown, adorned with the head of a horse.