>>18404266
It's possible it may be that it's a stable or cultural thing but I have no idea

>>18404266
Cheaper than four

File: ding vessel.jpg (1.45 MB, 1501x2000)

1.45 MB JPG

>>18404266
It's older than Buddhism and has its origins in Ancient, Bronze-Age. Pre-Imperial China. In those days, when Changdom was divided into numerous Kingdoms, each Kang and Noble played the double duty of shaman-priests in Chinese folk religion. They led ritual shit where they divined the future or offered sacrifices to the Gods to beg their blessings or offer grattitude after important events like planting/harvest, going/finishing a war, or signing alliance pacts & marriages.

The most common sacrificial ritual was having a big-ass cookout with the Gods/Spirits as guests. Here, Kings & Nobles prepare food for the deities by stewing it in an elaborate ritual bronze crockpot called a "Ding." Now these were not uniformly designed but in general they were big to accomodate large pieces of meat (or human flesh, whenever human sacrifices are called), are totally bronze (A statement in itself where Kings & Dukes could brag about how much bronze they commanded), and had tripod legs.

The most elaborate & most flexworthy of ding had 4 legs and could roast a whole damn cow. Again, they ain't exactly standard.

Fastforward to later centuries the rite of offering sacrifices was "democratized" outside of the nobility. Since plebs couldn't afford to sacrifice pork & beef every single fucking time, they coped with simply burning fragrant incense for the deities. In emulation of ancient nobles they burnt these on ding-like vessels, which aped the look of ancient tripods.

>>18404266
A tripod is just a very convenient shape for a ritual tool on an unstable surface (where ancient Chinese rituals were probably held)
Greeks used it too for oracles and sacrifices.
>As a seat or stand, the tripod is the most stable furniture construction for uneven ground, hence its use is universal and ancient.

File: Da_He_ding_side.jpg (1.08 MB, 1920x2560)

1.08 MB JPG

my ancestor :)

>>18404266
2 legs for a well endowed man.

>>18404821
looks very mesoamerican