Dragon turtle
Alternative Names (異名):
Dragon turtle
A dragon turtle is a legendary Chinese turtle with a dragonlike head. It combines two of the four celestial animals of Chinese mythology. It is promoted as a positive ornament in Feng Shui. The dragon sits on top of large coins with a small turtle on its back representing fertility. It is believed that the dragon brings the occupants of a home wealth and security. The dragon is traditionally placed facing the window.
Mapmakers sometimes drew dragon turtles along with other fantastical creatures in explored areas.
Dragon turtles in popular fiction
In the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game dragon turtles are gigantic sea creatures, feared by sailors for their ability to capsize the largest ships. They are massively armoured and breath a cloud of scalding steam.
Dragon turtles are monsters in some DragonQuest/DragonWarrior games, often called Tortragon.
See also
Black Tortoise (玄武)
Links
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Tortoise
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_mythology
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Chinese_mythology
Mythological hybrids | Chinese mythology | Turtles | Chinese dragons | Chinese mythology stubs
Showing posts with label Chinese myth. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Chinese myth. Show all posts
Sunday, June 1, 2008
Dragon King of the North Sea (北海龙王)
Dragon King of the North Sea (北海龙王)
Alternative Names (異名):
北海龙王, Běihǎi Lóngwáng, Dragon King of the North Sea, 敖明[1], Ao Ming, 敖顺[2], Ao Shun
The Dragon King of the North Sea (Chinese: 北海龙王; Pinyin: Běihǎi Lóngwáng) is the Dragon King of the North Sea. His name is Ao Ming (敖明) or Ao Shun (敖顺). He could be linked to Black Tortoise as both are Chinese gods of the north. His brothers are Ao Chin , Ao Jun and Ao Kuang
Notes
[1] Fengshen Yanyi Chapter 13.
[2] Journey to the West Chapter 3.
Links
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dragon_King_of_the_North_Sea
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_mythology
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Chinese_mythology
Chinese mythology | Journey to the West | Fengshen Yanyi characters
Alternative Names (異名):
北海龙王, Běihǎi Lóngwáng, Dragon King of the North Sea, 敖明[1], Ao Ming, 敖顺[2], Ao Shun
The Dragon King of the North Sea (Chinese: 北海龙王; Pinyin: Běihǎi Lóngwáng) is the Dragon King of the North Sea. His name is Ao Ming (敖明) or Ao Shun (敖顺). He could be linked to Black Tortoise as both are Chinese gods of the north. His brothers are Ao Chin , Ao Jun and Ao Kuang
Notes
[1] Fengshen Yanyi Chapter 13.
[2] Journey to the West Chapter 3.
Links
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dragon_King_of_the_North_Sea
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_mythology
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Chinese_mythology
Chinese mythology | Journey to the West | Fengshen Yanyi characters
Dragon King of the South Sea (南海龙王)
Dragon King of the South Sea (南海龙王)
Alternative Names (異名):
南海龙王, Nánhǎi Lóngwáng, Dragon King of the South Sea, 敖顺[1], Ao Shun, 敖钦[2], Ao Qin
Dragon King of the South Sea (Chinese: 南海龙王; Pinyin: Nánhǎi Lóngwáng) is the Dragon King of the South Sea in Chinese mythology. His name is Ao Shun (敖顺) or Ao Qin (敖钦) In Journey to the West, hee is mentioned briefly in a battle with the Immortals over the death of their servant to the sea (which was blamed on Ao-Chin's son) and again when Monkey demanded a gift from him and he presented him a red gold cape. He could be linked to Vermilion Bird as both are southern gods in Chinese mythology.
His brothers are Ao Kuang, Ao Jun and Ao Shun.
Notes
[1] Fengshen Yanyi Chapter 13.
[2] Journey to the West Chapter 3.
Links
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dragon_King_of_the_South_Sea
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_mythology
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Chinese_mythology
Chinese mythology | Journey to the West | Fengshen Yanyi characters
Alternative Names (異名):
南海龙王, Nánhǎi Lóngwáng, Dragon King of the South Sea, 敖顺[1], Ao Shun, 敖钦[2], Ao Qin
Dragon King of the South Sea (Chinese: 南海龙王; Pinyin: Nánhǎi Lóngwáng) is the Dragon King of the South Sea in Chinese mythology. His name is Ao Shun (敖顺) or Ao Qin (敖钦) In Journey to the West, hee is mentioned briefly in a battle with the Immortals over the death of their servant to the sea (which was blamed on Ao-Chin's son) and again when Monkey demanded a gift from him and he presented him a red gold cape. He could be linked to Vermilion Bird as both are southern gods in Chinese mythology.
His brothers are Ao Kuang, Ao Jun and Ao Shun.
Notes
[1] Fengshen Yanyi Chapter 13.
[2] Journey to the West Chapter 3.
Links
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dragon_King_of_the_South_Sea
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_mythology
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Chinese_mythology
Chinese mythology | Journey to the West | Fengshen Yanyi characters
Dragon King of the West Sea (西海龙王)
Dragon King of the West Sea (西海龙王)
Alternative Names (異名):
西海龙王, Xīhǎi Lóngwáng, Dragon King of the West Sea, 敖吉[1], Ao Ji, 敖闰[2], Ao Run
The Dragon King of the West Sea (Chinese: 西海龙王; Pinyin: Xīhǎi Lóngwáng) is the Dragon King of the West Sea. His name is Ao Ji (敖吉) or Ao Run (敖闰). Of the four Dragon Kings he is the least mentioned and very little is known about him in Journey to the West except than when Sun Wukong asked him for a gift he did give him one. He could be linked to the White Tiger as both are Chinese western gods. His brothers are Ao Kuang, Ao Chin and Ao Shun . The character Iroh in Avatar the Last Airbender's nickname is the "Dragon of the West" relating to the Dragon King of the West
Notes
[1] Fengshen Yanyi Chapter 13.
[2] Journey to the West Chapter 3.
Links
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dragon_King_of_the_West_Sea
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_mythology
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Chinese_mythology
Chinese mythology | Journey to the West | Fengshen Yanyi characters
Alternative Names (異名):
西海龙王, Xīhǎi Lóngwáng, Dragon King of the West Sea, 敖吉[1], Ao Ji, 敖闰[2], Ao Run
The Dragon King of the West Sea (Chinese: 西海龙王; Pinyin: Xīhǎi Lóngwáng) is the Dragon King of the West Sea. His name is Ao Ji (敖吉) or Ao Run (敖闰). Of the four Dragon Kings he is the least mentioned and very little is known about him in Journey to the West except than when Sun Wukong asked him for a gift he did give him one. He could be linked to the White Tiger as both are Chinese western gods. His brothers are Ao Kuang, Ao Chin and Ao Shun . The character Iroh in Avatar the Last Airbender's nickname is the "Dragon of the West" relating to the Dragon King of the West
Notes
[1] Fengshen Yanyi Chapter 13.
[2] Journey to the West Chapter 3.
Links
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dragon_King_of_the_West_Sea
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_mythology
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Chinese_mythology
Chinese mythology | Journey to the West | Fengshen Yanyi characters
Dragon King of the East Sea (东海龙王)
Dragon King of the East Sea (东海龙王)
Alternative Names (異名):
东海龙王, Dōnghǎi Lóngwáng, Dragon King of the East Sea, 敖光[1], Ào Guǎng, 敖广[2]
The Dragon King of the East Sea (Chinese: 东海龙王; Pinyin: Dōnghǎi Lóngwáng), named Ao Guang (Chinese: 敖广 or 敖光; Pinyin: Ào Guǎng) is the Dragon King of the East Sea in Chinese mythology. He appeared in different works including Fengshen Yanyi and Journey to the West.
Fengshen Yanyi
In Fengshen Yanyi, following the passage of many years, Ao Guang had brought chaos to the world by forming disastrous droughts, storms, and so forth. Due to the people's immense fear towards the dragon king and his sons, they never reported Ao Guang's actions to the Jade Emperor. Thus, Ao Guang enjoyed countless offerings by the people throughout a time interval of many years. After Nezha cleansed himself at a neighboring stream of the East Sea, Ao Guang's palace began to shake at an annoying level. After Ao Guang's favorite investigator Li Gen and third son Ao Bing were both killed by the hands of Nezha, Ao Guang would set out to talk to Nezha's father, Li Jing. After discussing the matter with his friend for a long period of time in his state of great anger, he transformed himself back into a dragon and ascended to the heavens to state the issue to the supreme Jade Emperor. After the cruel Nezha appeared in heaven, he began to beat Ao Guang very violently. Nezha even began to tear scales from Ao Guang's dragon skin, which caused for blood to profusely spill out. In the end, the unfortunate Ao Guang was forced to turn himself into a small snake and come with Nezha back to the Old Pond Pass to forget about the incident completely.
Later on within this chapter following Ao Guang's leave from Nezha, he would once again see the Jade Emperor. Soon enough, Ao Guang, along with three other dragon kings would come to Old Pond Pass and take both Li Jing and his wife Lady Yin. Nezha however would quickly appear and claims that he will cut out every internal organ from his body as to save his parents. Ao Guang personally agrees to Nezha's resolution with happiness and brings his internal organs to the Jade Emperor. Following this point, the Eastern Dragon King Ao Guang's fate is unknown.
Journey to the West
In Journey to the West, Sun Wukong obtained Ruyi Jingu Bang from Ao Guang. This weapon was originally a stick for measuring sea water depth by Da Yu in his flood control and treatment efforts, hence its ability to vary its shape and length. After Da Yu left, it remained in the sea and became the "Pillar holding down the sea", an unmovable treasure of the undersea palace of the Ao Guang.
One of Wukong's senior advisors had told him to seek out the dragon-kin in order to get a powerful weapon befitting his skill. There in the dragon palace, he tried out several kinds of ancient heavenly weapons, many of which bent or completely broke as he wielded them. Ao Guang's wife then suggested the "pillar" (thinking he would not be able to lift it). But when Wukong neared the pillar, it began to glow, signifying that the monkey king was its true owner. It obediently listened to his commands and shrank to a manageable size so Wukong could wield it effectively. This not only awed the dragon and his wife, it also threw the sea into confusion, since the monkey king had removed the only thing controlling the ebb and flow of the ocean's tides. In addition to the magic staff, Wukong also forced Ao Guang to give him other magical gifts; including golden chain mail, a phoenix-feather cap, and cloud-walking boots.
Notes
[1] Fengshen Yanyi Chapter 12.
[2] Journey to the West Chapter 3.
Links
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ao_Guang
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_mythology
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Chinese_mythology
Fengshen Yanyi characters | Chinese gods | Journey to the West
Alternative Names (異名):
东海龙王, Dōnghǎi Lóngwáng, Dragon King of the East Sea, 敖光[1], Ào Guǎng, 敖广[2]
The Dragon King of the East Sea (Chinese: 东海龙王; Pinyin: Dōnghǎi Lóngwáng), named Ao Guang (Chinese: 敖广 or 敖光; Pinyin: Ào Guǎng) is the Dragon King of the East Sea in Chinese mythology. He appeared in different works including Fengshen Yanyi and Journey to the West.
Fengshen Yanyi
In Fengshen Yanyi, following the passage of many years, Ao Guang had brought chaos to the world by forming disastrous droughts, storms, and so forth. Due to the people's immense fear towards the dragon king and his sons, they never reported Ao Guang's actions to the Jade Emperor. Thus, Ao Guang enjoyed countless offerings by the people throughout a time interval of many years. After Nezha cleansed himself at a neighboring stream of the East Sea, Ao Guang's palace began to shake at an annoying level. After Ao Guang's favorite investigator Li Gen and third son Ao Bing were both killed by the hands of Nezha, Ao Guang would set out to talk to Nezha's father, Li Jing. After discussing the matter with his friend for a long period of time in his state of great anger, he transformed himself back into a dragon and ascended to the heavens to state the issue to the supreme Jade Emperor. After the cruel Nezha appeared in heaven, he began to beat Ao Guang very violently. Nezha even began to tear scales from Ao Guang's dragon skin, which caused for blood to profusely spill out. In the end, the unfortunate Ao Guang was forced to turn himself into a small snake and come with Nezha back to the Old Pond Pass to forget about the incident completely.
Later on within this chapter following Ao Guang's leave from Nezha, he would once again see the Jade Emperor. Soon enough, Ao Guang, along with three other dragon kings would come to Old Pond Pass and take both Li Jing and his wife Lady Yin. Nezha however would quickly appear and claims that he will cut out every internal organ from his body as to save his parents. Ao Guang personally agrees to Nezha's resolution with happiness and brings his internal organs to the Jade Emperor. Following this point, the Eastern Dragon King Ao Guang's fate is unknown.
Journey to the West
In Journey to the West, Sun Wukong obtained Ruyi Jingu Bang from Ao Guang. This weapon was originally a stick for measuring sea water depth by Da Yu in his flood control and treatment efforts, hence its ability to vary its shape and length. After Da Yu left, it remained in the sea and became the "Pillar holding down the sea", an unmovable treasure of the undersea palace of the Ao Guang.
One of Wukong's senior advisors had told him to seek out the dragon-kin in order to get a powerful weapon befitting his skill. There in the dragon palace, he tried out several kinds of ancient heavenly weapons, many of which bent or completely broke as he wielded them. Ao Guang's wife then suggested the "pillar" (thinking he would not be able to lift it). But when Wukong neared the pillar, it began to glow, signifying that the monkey king was its true owner. It obediently listened to his commands and shrank to a manageable size so Wukong could wield it effectively. This not only awed the dragon and his wife, it also threw the sea into confusion, since the monkey king had removed the only thing controlling the ebb and flow of the ocean's tides. In addition to the magic staff, Wukong also forced Ao Guang to give him other magical gifts; including golden chain mail, a phoenix-feather cap, and cloud-walking boots.
Notes
[1] Fengshen Yanyi Chapter 12.
[2] Journey to the West Chapter 3.
Links
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ao_Guang
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_mythology
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Chinese_mythology
Fengshen Yanyi characters | Chinese gods | Journey to the West
Dragon King (龍王)
Dragon King (龍王)
Alternative Names (異名):
龍王, Lóng Wáng, Dragon King
The four Dragon Kings (龍王; pinyin: Lóng Wáng) are, in Chinese mythology, the divine rulers of the four seas (each sea corresponds to one of the cardinal directions). Although Dragon Kings appear in their true forms as dragons, they have the ability to shapeshift into human form. The Dragon Kings live in crystal palaces, guarded by shrimp soldiers and crab generals.
Besides ruling over the aquatic life, the Dragon Kings also manipulate clouds and rain. When enraged, they can flood cities. According to The Short Stories on the Tang People (唐人傳奇 Tangren Chuanqi), the Qian Tang Dragon King did just that when he found out his niece had been abused by her husband. Qian Tang also ate the abusive husband.
The Dragon King of the Eastern Sea (Donghai) is said to have the largest territory.
Dragon Kings appeared commonly in literature. Detailed descriptions were given of the finery of their crystal palaces. In the Chinese classical novel Journey to the West, a Dragon King is one of the main characters in the tenth chapter.
Dragon of the East: Ao Guang (敖廣)
Dragon of the South: Ao Qin (敖欽)
Dragon of the West: Ao Run (敖閏)
Dragon of the North: Ao Shun (敖順)
The four Dragon Kings also appeared in Fengshen Yanyi. But their names are different from those in Journey to the West.
Temples
There are numerous temples dedicated to Dragon Kings in China. One temple in Beijing was built during the Yuan Dynasty and renovated in the early 21st century. Chao-Tian Palace (朝天宮) of Beigang Township (北港鎮), Yunlin, devoted to the Goddess Mazu, also has human-shaped statues for the four Dragon Kings, each riding on a dragon. In contrast to the Dragon Kings, Mazu, although also a deity of sea, is a motherly figure who never wreaks havoc.
See also
Nagaraja
Huang Long
Links
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dragon_King
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_mythology
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Chinese_mythology
Chinese mythology stubs | Chinese mythology | Chinese gods | Chinese dragons | Sea and river gods | Journey to the West
Alternative Names (異名):
龍王, Lóng Wáng, Dragon King
The four Dragon Kings (龍王; pinyin: Lóng Wáng) are, in Chinese mythology, the divine rulers of the four seas (each sea corresponds to one of the cardinal directions). Although Dragon Kings appear in their true forms as dragons, they have the ability to shapeshift into human form. The Dragon Kings live in crystal palaces, guarded by shrimp soldiers and crab generals.
Besides ruling over the aquatic life, the Dragon Kings also manipulate clouds and rain. When enraged, they can flood cities. According to The Short Stories on the Tang People (唐人傳奇 Tangren Chuanqi), the Qian Tang Dragon King did just that when he found out his niece had been abused by her husband. Qian Tang also ate the abusive husband.
The Dragon King of the Eastern Sea (Donghai) is said to have the largest territory.
Dragon Kings appeared commonly in literature. Detailed descriptions were given of the finery of their crystal palaces. In the Chinese classical novel Journey to the West, a Dragon King is one of the main characters in the tenth chapter.
Dragon of the East: Ao Guang (敖廣)
Dragon of the South: Ao Qin (敖欽)
Dragon of the West: Ao Run (敖閏)
Dragon of the North: Ao Shun (敖順)
The four Dragon Kings also appeared in Fengshen Yanyi. But their names are different from those in Journey to the West.
Temples
There are numerous temples dedicated to Dragon Kings in China. One temple in Beijing was built during the Yuan Dynasty and renovated in the early 21st century. Chao-Tian Palace (朝天宮) of Beigang Township (北港鎮), Yunlin, devoted to the Goddess Mazu, also has human-shaped statues for the four Dragon Kings, each riding on a dragon. In contrast to the Dragon Kings, Mazu, although also a deity of sea, is a motherly figure who never wreaks havoc.
See also
Nagaraja
Huang Long
Links
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dragon_King
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_mythology
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Chinese_mythology
Chinese mythology stubs | Chinese mythology | Chinese gods | Chinese dragons | Sea and river gods | Journey to the West
Tuesday, August 9, 2005
Chinese deities
Chinese gods & goddesses
Ch'eng-Huang - god of Moats and Walls
Kuan Ti - god of War, the Great Judge
Kwan Yin - goddess of Mercy and Compassion
Lei Kun - god of Thunder; chases evil away
P'an-Chin-Lien - goddess of Prostitutes
Ti-Tsang Wang - god of Mercy
T'shai-shen - god of Wealth
Tsao Wang - god of the Hearth and Family
Yeng-Wang-Yeh - Lord of Judgment and Death
Yu-Huang-Shang-Ti - god of the Sky, Father of Heaven
Ch'eng-Huang - god of Moats and Walls
Kuan Ti - god of War, the Great Judge
Kwan Yin - goddess of Mercy and Compassion
Lei Kun - god of Thunder; chases evil away
P'an-Chin-Lien - goddess of Prostitutes
Ti-Tsang Wang - god of Mercy
T'shai-shen - god of Wealth
Tsao Wang - god of the Hearth and Family
Yeng-Wang-Yeh - Lord of Judgment and Death
Yu-Huang-Shang-Ti - god of the Sky, Father of Heaven
Monday, August 1, 2005
Chaos (混沌), Chinese god
Chaos (混沌), Chinese god
Alternative Names (異名):
浑沌, húndùn, Hun-Tun, 混沌, 渾沌, 혼돈, Chaos
In Chinese mythology, Chaos (浑沌, Hun-Tun) is the name of a god.
According to the Daoist classic Zhuangzi by the eponymous author, the king of the North Sea met the king of the South Sea in Hun Tun's house. Hun Tun was very kind to them. They did not know how to return the kindness. Then they told each other, "all men have seven holes in the head, with which they see, hear, smell and breathe, only this poor man lacks them". So they decided to carve one hole a day in Hun Tun's head. By the seventh day, Hun Tun died.
Links
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_mythology
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Chinese_mythology
Chinese mythology | Chinese mythology stubs
Alternative Names (異名):
浑沌, húndùn, Hun-Tun, 混沌, 渾沌, 혼돈, Chaos
In Chinese mythology, Chaos (浑沌, Hun-Tun) is the name of a god.
According to the Daoist classic Zhuangzi by the eponymous author, the king of the North Sea met the king of the South Sea in Hun Tun's house. Hun Tun was very kind to them. They did not know how to return the kindness. Then they told each other, "all men have seven holes in the head, with which they see, hear, smell and breathe, only this poor man lacks them". So they decided to carve one hole a day in Hun Tun's head. By the seventh day, Hun Tun died.
Links
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_mythology
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Chinese_mythology
Chinese mythology | Chinese mythology stubs
Chang'e (嫦娥)
Chang'e (嫦娥)
Alternative Names (異名):
嫦娥, Chang'e, 姮娥, Heng-O
Chang'e, Ch'ang-O or Chang-Ngo (Chinese: 嫦娥; pinyin: Cháng'é), also known as Heng-E or Heng-O (姮娥; Héng'é), is the Chinese goddess of the moon. Unlike many lunar deities in other cultures who personify the moon, Chang'e only lives on the moon. As the "woman on the Moon", Chang'e could be considered the Chinese complement to the Western notion of a man in the moon. The lunar crater Chang-Ngo is named after her.
Chang'e is the subject of several legends in Chinese mythology, most of which incorporate several of the following elements: Houyi the Archer, a benevolent or malevolent emperor, an elixir of life, and the moon.
Story
Chang'e and Houyi the Archer (Version 1)
According to legend, Chang'e and her husband Houyi were immortals living in heaven. One day, the ten sons of the Jade Emperor transformed into ten suns, causing the earth to scorch. Having failed to order his sons to stop ruining the earth, the Jade Emperor summoned Houyi for help. Houyi, using his legendary archery skills, shot down nine of the sons, but spared one son to be the sun. The Jade Emperor was obviously not pleased with Houyi's solution to save the earth: nine of his sons were dead. As punishment, the Jade Emperor banished Houyi and Chang’e to live as mere mortals on earth.
Seeing that Chang'e felt extremely miserable over her loss of immortality, Houyi decided to journey on a long, perilous quest to find the pill of immortality so that the couple could be immortals again. At the end of his quest he met the Queen Mother of the West who agreed to give him the pill, but warned him that each person would only need half the pill to become immortal.
Houyi brought the pill home and stored it in a case. He warned Chang'e not to open the case and then left home for a while. Like Pandora in Greek mythology, Chang'e became too curious: she opened up the case and found the pill just as Houyi was returning home. Nervous that Houyi would catch her discovering the contents of the case, she accidentally swallowed the entire pill. She started to float into the sky because of the overdose. Although Houyi wanted to shoot her in order to prevent her from floating further, he could not bear to aim the arrow at her. Chang'e kept on floating until she landed on the moon.
While she became lonely on the moon without her husband, she did have company. A jade rabbit, who manufactured elixirs, also lived on the moon. The mythologies of Japan and Korea also feature references about rabbits living on the moon.
Another companion is the woodcutter Wu Gang. The woodcutter offended the gods in his attempt to achieve immortality and was therefore banished on the moon. Wu Gang was allowed to leave the moon if he could cut down a tree that grew there. The problem was that each time he chopped the tree, the tree would instantly grow back, effectively condemning him to live on the moon for eternity.
Chang'e and Houyi the Archer (Version 2)
Chang'e was a beautiful young girl working in the Jade Emperor's palace in heaven, where immortals, good people and fairies lived. One day, she accidentally broke a precious porcelain jar. Angered, the Jade Emperor banished her to live on earth, where ordinary people lived. She could return to the Heaven, if she contributed a valuable service on earth.
Chang'e was transformed into a member of a poor farming family. When she was 18, a young hunter named Houyi from another village spotted her, now a beautiful young woman. They became friends.
One day, a strange phenomenon occurred -- 10 suns arose in the sky instead of one, blazing the earth. Houyi, an expert archer, stepped forward to try to save the earth. He successfully shot down nine of the suns, becoming an instant hero. He eventually became king and married Chang'e.
But Houyi grew to become a tyrant. He sought immortality by ordering an elixir be created to prolong his life. The elixir in the form of a single pill was almost ready when Chang'e came upon it. She either accidentally or purposely swallowed the pill. This angered King Houyi, who went after his wife. Trying to flee, she jumped out the window of a chamber at the top of palace -- and, instead of falling, she floated into the sky toward the moon.
King Houyi tried to shoot her down with arrows, but without success. Her companion, a rabbit, is constantly pounding the elixir of immortality in a large mortar.
The moon is also inhabited by a woodcutter who tries to cut down the cassia tree, giver of life. But as fast as he cuts into the tree, it heals itself, and he never makes any progress. The Chinese use this image of the cassia tree to explain mortal life on earth -- the limbs are constantly being cut away by death, but new buds continually appear.
Meanwhile, King Houyi ascended to the sun and built a palace. So Chang'e and Houyi came to represent the yin and yang, the moon and the sun.
Chang'e and the Cruel Emperor (Version 3)
Many years after she was already the moon goddess, Chang'e looked down upon Earth and saw that a terribly cruel emperor sat on the throne. To help the people, she allowed herself to be reborn into the mortal world. The other members of her mortal family were either killed or enslaved by the emperor, but Chang'e managed to escape to the countryside.
Meanwhile, the emperor was aging and obsessed with discovering the elixir of life. He had people all over the land brought to him and demanded of them how to find the elixir of life; nobody knew, of course, but the emperor would not accept ignorance for an answer and executed all those who could not answer.
In the countryside, Chang'e met the Buddhist goddess of compassion, Guan Yin, who proceeded to give Chang'e a small elixir. Chang'e brought the elixir to the emperor. The suspicious emperor worried that it was poison and demanded that Chang'e taste the elixir first. She did, showing no ill effects, so then the emperor took the elixir and promptly died. Then, Chang'e also left the mortal world; the effects of the elixir had only been delayed for her. However, instead of dying, she ascended to the moon to retake her place as a goddess.
Chang'e and Houyi the Archer (Version 4)
This version is very similar to Version 1, although in this instance Chang'e is bitter and abusive towards Yi for their exile from heaven. When Houyi obtains the Elixir of Immortality from the Queen Mother of the West, he is told that, if both he and his wife take half of it each, they will avoid death but remain on Earth. He informs Chang'e of this arrangement and trusts her with the knowledge of the Elixir's hiding place and goes out hunting to prepare a feast when they will both take the Elixir. Chang'e, however, is not content to simply avoid death so she swallows the entire Elixir herself and immediately begins to float up to Heaven. En route, she fears the wrath of the other gods for her selfishness in taking the Elixir and floats to the moon instead. Yet another variant of the story ends with Chang'e imprisoned on the moon in the form of a frog by the Queen Mother of the West as punishment for her selfishness.
Worship of Chang'e
On Mid-Autumn day, the fullmoon night of the 8th lunar month, an altar is set up on the open air facing the moon to worship her. New toiletries are put on the altar for Her to bless. She endows her worshippers with beauty.
Literature and adaptation
This story was adapted in 2003 into a Chinese TV period drama titled Moon Fairy, starring Singapore actors Fann Wong and Christopher Lee.
Chang'e appears in Wu Cheng'en's novel Journey to the West and also TV adaptions of the novel. Her story slightly changed from her going to the moon on her first try to going to the heavens, and would later be rewarded to live in the moon after an incident which involved her and Zhu Bajie.
The legend of Lady Chang-O plays a prominent role in Amy Tan's children's book, The Moon Lady, retold from her more adult novel The Joy Luck Club.
See also
Lunar deity
Links
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_mythology
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Chinese_mythology
Chinese goddesses | Lunar goddesses
Alternative Names (異名):
嫦娥, Chang'e, 姮娥, Heng-O
Chang'e, Ch'ang-O or Chang-Ngo (Chinese: 嫦娥; pinyin: Cháng'é), also known as Heng-E or Heng-O (姮娥; Héng'é), is the Chinese goddess of the moon. Unlike many lunar deities in other cultures who personify the moon, Chang'e only lives on the moon. As the "woman on the Moon", Chang'e could be considered the Chinese complement to the Western notion of a man in the moon. The lunar crater Chang-Ngo is named after her.
Chang'e is the subject of several legends in Chinese mythology, most of which incorporate several of the following elements: Houyi the Archer, a benevolent or malevolent emperor, an elixir of life, and the moon.
Story
Chang'e and Houyi the Archer (Version 1)
According to legend, Chang'e and her husband Houyi were immortals living in heaven. One day, the ten sons of the Jade Emperor transformed into ten suns, causing the earth to scorch. Having failed to order his sons to stop ruining the earth, the Jade Emperor summoned Houyi for help. Houyi, using his legendary archery skills, shot down nine of the sons, but spared one son to be the sun. The Jade Emperor was obviously not pleased with Houyi's solution to save the earth: nine of his sons were dead. As punishment, the Jade Emperor banished Houyi and Chang’e to live as mere mortals on earth.
Seeing that Chang'e felt extremely miserable over her loss of immortality, Houyi decided to journey on a long, perilous quest to find the pill of immortality so that the couple could be immortals again. At the end of his quest he met the Queen Mother of the West who agreed to give him the pill, but warned him that each person would only need half the pill to become immortal.
Houyi brought the pill home and stored it in a case. He warned Chang'e not to open the case and then left home for a while. Like Pandora in Greek mythology, Chang'e became too curious: she opened up the case and found the pill just as Houyi was returning home. Nervous that Houyi would catch her discovering the contents of the case, she accidentally swallowed the entire pill. She started to float into the sky because of the overdose. Although Houyi wanted to shoot her in order to prevent her from floating further, he could not bear to aim the arrow at her. Chang'e kept on floating until she landed on the moon.
While she became lonely on the moon without her husband, she did have company. A jade rabbit, who manufactured elixirs, also lived on the moon. The mythologies of Japan and Korea also feature references about rabbits living on the moon.
Another companion is the woodcutter Wu Gang. The woodcutter offended the gods in his attempt to achieve immortality and was therefore banished on the moon. Wu Gang was allowed to leave the moon if he could cut down a tree that grew there. The problem was that each time he chopped the tree, the tree would instantly grow back, effectively condemning him to live on the moon for eternity.
Chang'e and Houyi the Archer (Version 2)
Chang'e was a beautiful young girl working in the Jade Emperor's palace in heaven, where immortals, good people and fairies lived. One day, she accidentally broke a precious porcelain jar. Angered, the Jade Emperor banished her to live on earth, where ordinary people lived. She could return to the Heaven, if she contributed a valuable service on earth.
Chang'e was transformed into a member of a poor farming family. When she was 18, a young hunter named Houyi from another village spotted her, now a beautiful young woman. They became friends.
One day, a strange phenomenon occurred -- 10 suns arose in the sky instead of one, blazing the earth. Houyi, an expert archer, stepped forward to try to save the earth. He successfully shot down nine of the suns, becoming an instant hero. He eventually became king and married Chang'e.
But Houyi grew to become a tyrant. He sought immortality by ordering an elixir be created to prolong his life. The elixir in the form of a single pill was almost ready when Chang'e came upon it. She either accidentally or purposely swallowed the pill. This angered King Houyi, who went after his wife. Trying to flee, she jumped out the window of a chamber at the top of palace -- and, instead of falling, she floated into the sky toward the moon.
King Houyi tried to shoot her down with arrows, but without success. Her companion, a rabbit, is constantly pounding the elixir of immortality in a large mortar.
The moon is also inhabited by a woodcutter who tries to cut down the cassia tree, giver of life. But as fast as he cuts into the tree, it heals itself, and he never makes any progress. The Chinese use this image of the cassia tree to explain mortal life on earth -- the limbs are constantly being cut away by death, but new buds continually appear.
Meanwhile, King Houyi ascended to the sun and built a palace. So Chang'e and Houyi came to represent the yin and yang, the moon and the sun.
Chang'e and the Cruel Emperor (Version 3)
Many years after she was already the moon goddess, Chang'e looked down upon Earth and saw that a terribly cruel emperor sat on the throne. To help the people, she allowed herself to be reborn into the mortal world. The other members of her mortal family were either killed or enslaved by the emperor, but Chang'e managed to escape to the countryside.
Meanwhile, the emperor was aging and obsessed with discovering the elixir of life. He had people all over the land brought to him and demanded of them how to find the elixir of life; nobody knew, of course, but the emperor would not accept ignorance for an answer and executed all those who could not answer.
In the countryside, Chang'e met the Buddhist goddess of compassion, Guan Yin, who proceeded to give Chang'e a small elixir. Chang'e brought the elixir to the emperor. The suspicious emperor worried that it was poison and demanded that Chang'e taste the elixir first. She did, showing no ill effects, so then the emperor took the elixir and promptly died. Then, Chang'e also left the mortal world; the effects of the elixir had only been delayed for her. However, instead of dying, she ascended to the moon to retake her place as a goddess.
Chang'e and Houyi the Archer (Version 4)
This version is very similar to Version 1, although in this instance Chang'e is bitter and abusive towards Yi for their exile from heaven. When Houyi obtains the Elixir of Immortality from the Queen Mother of the West, he is told that, if both he and his wife take half of it each, they will avoid death but remain on Earth. He informs Chang'e of this arrangement and trusts her with the knowledge of the Elixir's hiding place and goes out hunting to prepare a feast when they will both take the Elixir. Chang'e, however, is not content to simply avoid death so she swallows the entire Elixir herself and immediately begins to float up to Heaven. En route, she fears the wrath of the other gods for her selfishness in taking the Elixir and floats to the moon instead. Yet another variant of the story ends with Chang'e imprisoned on the moon in the form of a frog by the Queen Mother of the West as punishment for her selfishness.
Worship of Chang'e
On Mid-Autumn day, the fullmoon night of the 8th lunar month, an altar is set up on the open air facing the moon to worship her. New toiletries are put on the altar for Her to bless. She endows her worshippers with beauty.
Literature and adaptation
This story was adapted in 2003 into a Chinese TV period drama titled Moon Fairy, starring Singapore actors Fann Wong and Christopher Lee.
Chang'e appears in Wu Cheng'en's novel Journey to the West and also TV adaptions of the novel. Her story slightly changed from her going to the moon on her first try to going to the heavens, and would later be rewarded to live in the moon after an incident which involved her and Zhu Bajie.
The legend of Lady Chang-O plays a prominent role in Amy Tan's children's book, The Moon Lady, retold from her more adult novel The Joy Luck Club.
See also
Lunar deity
Links
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_mythology
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Chinese_mythology
Chinese goddesses | Lunar goddesses
Sunday, September 14, 2003
Qingxu Daode Zhenjun (清虛道德真君)
Qingxu Daode Zhenjun (清虛道德真君)
Alternative Names (異名):
清虛道德真君, Qingxu Daode Zhenjun
Qingxu Daode Zhenju (Chinese: 清虛道德真君; Pinyin: Qīngxū Dàodé Zhēnjūn) a character featured within the famed ancient Chinese novel Investiture of the Gods.
Daode Zhenjun is the renowned superiorman of Mount Green Top, Purple Cave. At one point in time during the Yang Ren incident, Zhenjun would realize that Yang Ren's time is not yet over, and he thus needs to exist for a longer period of time. Due to this, Insouciant would unleash his Yellow Kerchiefed Genie to scoop up Yang Ren and effectively bring him to his mountain by creating a large dust storm. Next, Insouciant would place a set amount of magic on both of Yang Ren's eyes (because Yang Ren previously had his eyes removed as punishment by King Zhou of Shang). Following this, Zhenjun would blow on Yang Ren's face and tell him to awaken. Following this point, Zhenjun would have Yang Ren as his disciple for the remainder of his alloted time.
At one point in time when Huang Feihu had been completely surrounded by Wen Zhong's forces, Zhenjun would engulf Huang and his entourage in a sleep-inducing fog and would then move them outside the valley. As seen following this, Zhenjun has the ability to create clone forms of any individual at will (due to his magic gourd). Some time later when Huang had been struck in the arm by Chen Tong's magical dart, Zhenjun would summon his disciple, Huang Tianhua, and tell him to quickly save his father -- who is in difficulty. Before the leave of his disciple, Zhenjun would first hand Tianhua a flower basket, his Non-Evil Sword, and tell him to hurry back once his objective is completed
Superiormen of Fengshen Yanyi | Fengshen Yanyi characters | Taoism | Chinese gods | Chinese mythology
Alternative Names (異名):
清虛道德真君, Qingxu Daode Zhenjun
Qingxu Daode Zhenju (Chinese: 清虛道德真君; Pinyin: Qīngxū Dàodé Zhēnjūn) a character featured within the famed ancient Chinese novel Investiture of the Gods.
Daode Zhenjun is the renowned superiorman of Mount Green Top, Purple Cave. At one point in time during the Yang Ren incident, Zhenjun would realize that Yang Ren's time is not yet over, and he thus needs to exist for a longer period of time. Due to this, Insouciant would unleash his Yellow Kerchiefed Genie to scoop up Yang Ren and effectively bring him to his mountain by creating a large dust storm. Next, Insouciant would place a set amount of magic on both of Yang Ren's eyes (because Yang Ren previously had his eyes removed as punishment by King Zhou of Shang). Following this, Zhenjun would blow on Yang Ren's face and tell him to awaken. Following this point, Zhenjun would have Yang Ren as his disciple for the remainder of his alloted time.
At one point in time when Huang Feihu had been completely surrounded by Wen Zhong's forces, Zhenjun would engulf Huang and his entourage in a sleep-inducing fog and would then move them outside the valley. As seen following this, Zhenjun has the ability to create clone forms of any individual at will (due to his magic gourd). Some time later when Huang had been struck in the arm by Chen Tong's magical dart, Zhenjun would summon his disciple, Huang Tianhua, and tell him to quickly save his father -- who is in difficulty. Before the leave of his disciple, Zhenjun would first hand Tianhua a flower basket, his Non-Evil Sword, and tell him to hurry back once his objective is completed
Superiormen of Fengshen Yanyi | Fengshen Yanyi characters | Taoism | Chinese gods | Chinese mythology
Wednesday, September 23, 1998
Nüwa (女媧, Chinese)
Nüwa (女媧), Chinese creator goddess
Nüwa (Traditional Chinese: 女媧; Simplified Chinese: 女娲; Pinyin: nǚwā, also Nü Gua or Nügua) is a goddess in ancient Chinese mythology best known for creating mankind and repairing the wall of heaven. Later traditions attribute mankind's creation to either Pangu (盤古) or Yu Huang (玉皇).
Nüwa primary sources
Nüwa was referred to in many books of songs. Below are some of the common sources that describe Nüwa, tabled in chronological order. The list below did not include those of local tribal stories or modern reinterpretations, often adapted for screenplay.
1) [Warring States (戰國時代) - early Han (漢)] editor: Liu Xiang (劉向), book: Shan Hai Jing (山海經), chapter 16, account: Nüwa's intestines scatter into ten spirits. Not to be confused with Nǚwá (女娃) also known as Jingwei (精衛).
2) [475 - 221 BC] author: Lie Yukou (列禦寇), book: Liezi (列子), chapter 5: "Questions of Tang" (卷第五 湯問篇), paragraph 1: account: "Nüwa repairs the heavens" detail: Describes Nüwa repairing the imperfect heaven,. detail: The heaven was imperfect at the beginning, Nüwa uses five colored stones to repair the heaven, cut the legs of a tortoise and use them as struts to hold up the sky. But later, Gong Gong bumps into the mountain "buzhou"---- which holds up the sky, so the world inclines again, all river run to the east and stars begin to move.
3) [340 - 278 BC] author: Qu Yuan (屈原), book: "Elegies of Chu" (Chuci, 楚辭), chapter 3: "Asking Heaven" (问天, or Wentian), account: "Nüwa Mends The Firmament" detail: The name Nüwa first appeared here. This story states that Nüwa molded figures from the yellow earth, giving them life and the ability to bear children. Demons then fought and broke the pillars of the heavens. Nüwa worked unceasingly to repair the damage, melting down the five-coloured stones to mend the heavens.
4) [179 - 122 BC] author: Liu An (劉安), book: Huainanzi (淮南子), chapter 6: Lanmingxun (覽冥訓), account: "Nüwa Mended the Sky" detail: In remote antiquity, the four poles of the Universe collapsed, and the world descended into chaos: the firmament was no longer able to cover everything, and the earth was no longer able to support itself; fire burned wild, and waters flooded the land. Fierce beasts ate common people, and ferocious birds attacked the old and the weak. Hence, Nüwa tempered the five-colored stone to mend the heavens, cut off the feet of the great turtle to support the four poles, killed the black dragon to help the earth, and gathered the ash of reed to stop the flood. Variation: The four corners of the sky collapsed and the world with its nine regions split open.
5) (58 - 147 AD) author: Xu Shen, book: Shuowen Jiezi, entry: Nüwa detail: The Shuowen is China's earliest dictionary. In it, Nüwa is said to have been both the sister and the wife of Fuxi. Nüwa and Fuxi were pictured as having snake like tails interlocked in an Eastern Han dynasty (+25 +220) mural in the Wuliang Temple in Jiaxiang county, Shandong province.
6) (618 - 907 AD) author: Li Rong, book: Duyi Zhi (獨異志); vol 3, account: "opening of the universe"[citation needed] detail: There was a brother and a sister living on the Kunlun Mountain, and there were no ordinary people at that time. The sister's name was Nüwa. The brother and sister wished to become husband and wife, but felt shy and guilty about this desire. So the brother took his younger sister to the top of the Kunlun Mounatain and prayed: "If the heavens allow us to be man and wife, please let the smoke before us gather; if not, please let the smoke scatter." The smoke before them gathered together. So Nüwa came to live with her elder brother. She made a fan with grass to hide her face. (The present custom of women covering their faces with fans originated from this story.)
7) (618 - 907 AD) author: Lu Tong, book: Yuchuan Ziji (玉川子集), chapter 3[citation needed] detail: characters: "與馬異結交詩" 也稱 "女媧本是伏羲婦", pinyin: "Yu Mayi Jie Jiao Shi" YeCheng "Nüwa ben shi Fuxi fu", English: "NuWa originally is Fuxi wife" (note late date)
8) (618 - 907 AD) author: Sima Zhen, book: Four Branches of Literature Complete Library (Siku Quanshu) , prologue chapter to Sima Qian's Shiji: "Supplemental to the Historic Record – History of the Three August Ones" detail: The three August Ones (San Huang) are: Fuxi, Nüwa, Shennong; Fuxi & Nüwa have the same last name Feng (風). note: Sima Zhen's commentary in included with the later Siku Quanshu compiled by Ji Yun (紀昀) & Lu Xixiong (陸錫熊).
9) (960 - 1279 AD) author: Li Fang, collection: Songsi Dashu, series: Taiping Anthologies for the Emperor (Taiping Yulan), book: Vol 78, chapter "Customs by Yingshao of the Han Dynasty" detail: States that there were no men when the sky and the earth were separated. Nüwa used yellow clay to make people. The clay was not strong enough, so she put ropes into the clay to make the bodies erect. It was also said that she prayed to gods to let her be the goddess of marital affairs. (Variations of this story exist.)
Nüwa in various roles
Since Nüwa is presented differently in so many myths, it is not accurate to tie her down as a creator, mother, or goddess. Depending on the myth, she is responsible for being a wife, sister, man, tribal leader (or even emperor), creator, maintainer, etc. It is not clear from the evidence which view came first. Regardless of the origins, most myths present Nüwa as female in a procreative role after a calamity.
Nüwa as a repairer
The earliest literary role seems to be the upkeep and maintenance of the Wall of Heaven, whose collapse would obliterate everything.
There was a quarrel between two of the more powerful gods, and they decided to settle it with a fight. When the water god Gong Gong saw that he was losing, he smashed his head against Mount Buzhou (不周山), a pillar holding up the sky. The pillar collapsed and caused the sky to tilt towards the northwest and the earth to shift to the southeast. This caused great calamities, such as unending fires, vast floods, and the appearance of fierce man-eating beasts. Nüwa cut off the legs of a giant tortoise and used them to supplant the fallen pillar, alleviating the situation and sealing the broken sky using stones of seven different colours, but she was unable to fully correct the tilted sky. This explains the phenomenon that sun, moon, and stars move towards the northwest, and that rivers in China flow southeast into the Pacific Ocean. (this account is similar to the Huainanzi account; it was added as The Upkeep and Maintenance of Heaven)
Other versions of the story describe Nüwa going up to heaven and filling the gap with her body (half human half serpent) and thus stopping the flood.[citation needed] According to this legend some of the minorities in South-Western China hail Nüwa as their goddess and some festivals such as the 'Water-Splashing Festival' are in part a tribute to her sacrifices.
Nüwa as a creator
The next major role of Nüwa is of a creator deity. However, not many stories ascribe to her the creation of everything; they usually confine her to the creation of mankind. It is said[citation needed] that Nüwa existed in the beginning of the world. She felt lonely as there were no animals so she began the creation of animals and humans. On the first day she created chickens. On the second day she created dogs. On the third day she created sheep. On the fourth day she created pigs. On the fifth day she created cows. On the sixth day she created horses. On the seventh day she began creating men from yellow clay, sculpting each one individually, yet after she had created hundreds of figures in this way she still had more to make but had grown tired of the laborious process.
So instead of hand crafting each figure, she dipped a rope in clay and flicked it so blobs of clay landed everywhere; each of these blobs became a common person. Nüwa still laboriously crafted some people out of clay, who became nobles.
Nüwa as wife or sister
By the Han Dynasty, she is described in literature with her husband Fuxi as the first of the San Huang, and often called the "parents of humankind". However, paintings depicting them joined as half people - half snake or dragon date to the Warring States period.
Nüwa as a goddess for Miao (苗) people
Nüwa is also the traditional divine goddess of the Miao (苗) people.
Nüwa in history
Herbert James Allen erroneously translated Tang dynasty historian Sima Zhen's interpolated prologue to the Han dynasty Sima Qian's Shiji. In one of his more serious flaws, Nüwa was described as male even though the Nü (女) in the name means female and the wa (媧) also contains the female radical.
Appearance in Fengshen Yanyi
Nüwa is featured within the famed Ming dynasty novel Fengshen Yanyi. As featured within this novel, Nüwa is very highly respected since the time of the Xia Dynasty for being the daughter of the Jade Emperor; Nüwa is also regularly called the "Snake Goddess". After the Shang Dynasty had been created, Nu Wa created the Five-colored stones to protect the dynasty with occasional seasonal rains and other enhancing qualities. Thus in time, Shang Rong asked King Zhou of Shang to pay her a visit as a sign of deep respect. After King Zhou was completely overcome with lust at the very sight of the beautiful ancient goddess Nüwa (who had been sitting behind a light curtain), he would write a small poem on a neighboring wall and take his leave. When Nüwa later returned to her temple after visiting the Yellow Emperor, Nüwa would see the foulness of King Zhou's words. In her anger, she swore that the Shang Dynasty will end in payment for his foulness. In her rage, Nüwa would personally ascend to the palace in an attempt to kill the king, but was suddenly struck back by two large beams of red light.
After Nüwa realized that King Zhou was already destined to rule the kingdom for twenty-six more years, Nüwa would summon her three subordinates—the Thousand-Year Vixen (later becoming Daji), the Fat-Belly Guitar Jade Pipa, and the Nine-Headed Pheasant. With these words, Nu Wa would bring destined chaos to the Shang Dynasty, "The luck Cheng Tang won six hundred years ago is dimming. I speak to you of a new mandate of heaven which sets the destiny for all. You three are to enter King Zhou's palace, where you are to bewitch him. Whatever you do, do not harm anyone else. If you do my bidding, and do it well, you will be permitted to reincarnate as human beings." Thus, with these words, Nüwa would never be heard of again, but would still be a major indirect factor towards the Shang Dynasty's fall.
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Nuwa2.jpg
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/N%C3%BCwa
Chinese mythology | Chinese goddesses | Creation myths | Creator goddesses | Mother goddesses | Mythological queens
Nüwa primary sources
Nüwa was referred to in many books of songs. Below are some of the common sources that describe Nüwa, tabled in chronological order. The list below did not include those of local tribal stories or modern reinterpretations, often adapted for screenplay.
1) [Warring States (戰國時代) - early Han (漢)] editor: Liu Xiang (劉向), book: Shan Hai Jing (山海經), chapter 16, account: Nüwa's intestines scatter into ten spirits. Not to be confused with Nǚwá (女娃) also known as Jingwei (精衛).
2) [475 - 221 BC] author: Lie Yukou (列禦寇), book: Liezi (列子), chapter 5: "Questions of Tang" (卷第五 湯問篇), paragraph 1: account: "Nüwa repairs the heavens" detail: Describes Nüwa repairing the imperfect heaven,. detail: The heaven was imperfect at the beginning, Nüwa uses five colored stones to repair the heaven, cut the legs of a tortoise and use them as struts to hold up the sky. But later, Gong Gong bumps into the mountain "buzhou"---- which holds up the sky, so the world inclines again, all river run to the east and stars begin to move.
3) [340 - 278 BC] author: Qu Yuan (屈原), book: "Elegies of Chu" (Chuci, 楚辭), chapter 3: "Asking Heaven" (问天, or Wentian), account: "Nüwa Mends The Firmament" detail: The name Nüwa first appeared here. This story states that Nüwa molded figures from the yellow earth, giving them life and the ability to bear children. Demons then fought and broke the pillars of the heavens. Nüwa worked unceasingly to repair the damage, melting down the five-coloured stones to mend the heavens.
4) [179 - 122 BC] author: Liu An (劉安), book: Huainanzi (淮南子), chapter 6: Lanmingxun (覽冥訓), account: "Nüwa Mended the Sky" detail: In remote antiquity, the four poles of the Universe collapsed, and the world descended into chaos: the firmament was no longer able to cover everything, and the earth was no longer able to support itself; fire burned wild, and waters flooded the land. Fierce beasts ate common people, and ferocious birds attacked the old and the weak. Hence, Nüwa tempered the five-colored stone to mend the heavens, cut off the feet of the great turtle to support the four poles, killed the black dragon to help the earth, and gathered the ash of reed to stop the flood. Variation: The four corners of the sky collapsed and the world with its nine regions split open.
5) (58 - 147 AD) author: Xu Shen, book: Shuowen Jiezi, entry: Nüwa detail: The Shuowen is China's earliest dictionary. In it, Nüwa is said to have been both the sister and the wife of Fuxi. Nüwa and Fuxi were pictured as having snake like tails interlocked in an Eastern Han dynasty (+25 +220) mural in the Wuliang Temple in Jiaxiang county, Shandong province.
6) (618 - 907 AD) author: Li Rong, book: Duyi Zhi (獨異志); vol 3, account: "opening of the universe"[citation needed] detail: There was a brother and a sister living on the Kunlun Mountain, and there were no ordinary people at that time. The sister's name was Nüwa. The brother and sister wished to become husband and wife, but felt shy and guilty about this desire. So the brother took his younger sister to the top of the Kunlun Mounatain and prayed: "If the heavens allow us to be man and wife, please let the smoke before us gather; if not, please let the smoke scatter." The smoke before them gathered together. So Nüwa came to live with her elder brother. She made a fan with grass to hide her face. (The present custom of women covering their faces with fans originated from this story.)
7) (618 - 907 AD) author: Lu Tong, book: Yuchuan Ziji (玉川子集), chapter 3[citation needed] detail: characters: "與馬異結交詩" 也稱 "女媧本是伏羲婦", pinyin: "Yu Mayi Jie Jiao Shi" YeCheng "Nüwa ben shi Fuxi fu", English: "NuWa originally is Fuxi wife" (note late date)
8) (618 - 907 AD) author: Sima Zhen, book: Four Branches of Literature Complete Library (Siku Quanshu) , prologue chapter to Sima Qian's Shiji: "Supplemental to the Historic Record – History of the Three August Ones" detail: The three August Ones (San Huang) are: Fuxi, Nüwa, Shennong; Fuxi & Nüwa have the same last name Feng (風). note: Sima Zhen's commentary in included with the later Siku Quanshu compiled by Ji Yun (紀昀) & Lu Xixiong (陸錫熊).
9) (960 - 1279 AD) author: Li Fang, collection: Songsi Dashu, series: Taiping Anthologies for the Emperor (Taiping Yulan), book: Vol 78, chapter "Customs by Yingshao of the Han Dynasty" detail: States that there were no men when the sky and the earth were separated. Nüwa used yellow clay to make people. The clay was not strong enough, so she put ropes into the clay to make the bodies erect. It was also said that she prayed to gods to let her be the goddess of marital affairs. (Variations of this story exist.)
Nüwa in various roles
Since Nüwa is presented differently in so many myths, it is not accurate to tie her down as a creator, mother, or goddess. Depending on the myth, she is responsible for being a wife, sister, man, tribal leader (or even emperor), creator, maintainer, etc. It is not clear from the evidence which view came first. Regardless of the origins, most myths present Nüwa as female in a procreative role after a calamity.
Nüwa as a repairer
The earliest literary role seems to be the upkeep and maintenance of the Wall of Heaven, whose collapse would obliterate everything.
There was a quarrel between two of the more powerful gods, and they decided to settle it with a fight. When the water god Gong Gong saw that he was losing, he smashed his head against Mount Buzhou (不周山), a pillar holding up the sky. The pillar collapsed and caused the sky to tilt towards the northwest and the earth to shift to the southeast. This caused great calamities, such as unending fires, vast floods, and the appearance of fierce man-eating beasts. Nüwa cut off the legs of a giant tortoise and used them to supplant the fallen pillar, alleviating the situation and sealing the broken sky using stones of seven different colours, but she was unable to fully correct the tilted sky. This explains the phenomenon that sun, moon, and stars move towards the northwest, and that rivers in China flow southeast into the Pacific Ocean. (this account is similar to the Huainanzi account; it was added as The Upkeep and Maintenance of Heaven)
Other versions of the story describe Nüwa going up to heaven and filling the gap with her body (half human half serpent) and thus stopping the flood.[citation needed] According to this legend some of the minorities in South-Western China hail Nüwa as their goddess and some festivals such as the 'Water-Splashing Festival' are in part a tribute to her sacrifices.
Nüwa as a creator
The next major role of Nüwa is of a creator deity. However, not many stories ascribe to her the creation of everything; they usually confine her to the creation of mankind. It is said[citation needed] that Nüwa existed in the beginning of the world. She felt lonely as there were no animals so she began the creation of animals and humans. On the first day she created chickens. On the second day she created dogs. On the third day she created sheep. On the fourth day she created pigs. On the fifth day she created cows. On the sixth day she created horses. On the seventh day she began creating men from yellow clay, sculpting each one individually, yet after she had created hundreds of figures in this way she still had more to make but had grown tired of the laborious process.
So instead of hand crafting each figure, she dipped a rope in clay and flicked it so blobs of clay landed everywhere; each of these blobs became a common person. Nüwa still laboriously crafted some people out of clay, who became nobles.
Nüwa as wife or sister
By the Han Dynasty, she is described in literature with her husband Fuxi as the first of the San Huang, and often called the "parents of humankind". However, paintings depicting them joined as half people - half snake or dragon date to the Warring States period.
Nüwa as a goddess for Miao (苗) people
Nüwa is also the traditional divine goddess of the Miao (苗) people.
Nüwa in history
Herbert James Allen erroneously translated Tang dynasty historian Sima Zhen's interpolated prologue to the Han dynasty Sima Qian's Shiji. In one of his more serious flaws, Nüwa was described as male even though the Nü (女) in the name means female and the wa (媧) also contains the female radical.
Appearance in Fengshen Yanyi
Nüwa is featured within the famed Ming dynasty novel Fengshen Yanyi. As featured within this novel, Nüwa is very highly respected since the time of the Xia Dynasty for being the daughter of the Jade Emperor; Nüwa is also regularly called the "Snake Goddess". After the Shang Dynasty had been created, Nu Wa created the Five-colored stones to protect the dynasty with occasional seasonal rains and other enhancing qualities. Thus in time, Shang Rong asked King Zhou of Shang to pay her a visit as a sign of deep respect. After King Zhou was completely overcome with lust at the very sight of the beautiful ancient goddess Nüwa (who had been sitting behind a light curtain), he would write a small poem on a neighboring wall and take his leave. When Nüwa later returned to her temple after visiting the Yellow Emperor, Nüwa would see the foulness of King Zhou's words. In her anger, she swore that the Shang Dynasty will end in payment for his foulness. In her rage, Nüwa would personally ascend to the palace in an attempt to kill the king, but was suddenly struck back by two large beams of red light.
After Nüwa realized that King Zhou was already destined to rule the kingdom for twenty-six more years, Nüwa would summon her three subordinates—the Thousand-Year Vixen (later becoming Daji), the Fat-Belly Guitar Jade Pipa, and the Nine-Headed Pheasant. With these words, Nu Wa would bring destined chaos to the Shang Dynasty, "The luck Cheng Tang won six hundred years ago is dimming. I speak to you of a new mandate of heaven which sets the destiny for all. You three are to enter King Zhou's palace, where you are to bewitch him. Whatever you do, do not harm anyone else. If you do my bidding, and do it well, you will be permitted to reincarnate as human beings." Thus, with these words, Nüwa would never be heard of again, but would still be a major indirect factor towards the Shang Dynasty's fall.
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Nuwa2.jpg
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/N%C3%BCwa
Chinese mythology | Chinese goddesses | Creation myths | Creator goddesses | Mother goddesses | Mythological queens
Monday, May 26, 1997
Nezha (哪吒)
Nezha (哪吒)
Alternative Names (異名):
哪吒(Chinese), Nézhā(pinyin), Nezha, Na Zha, 中壇元帥(official Taoist), Zhongtan Yuanshuai, 哪吒千歲, Nezha Qiansui, Nataku(Japanese), Nata
Nezha or Na Zha (Chinese: 哪吒; pinyin: Nézhā; Japanese: Nataku or Nata) is a deity, the enfant terrible trickster, originally of Chinese mythology, though in the West he is perhaps more well known from Japanese anime. His official Taoist deity name is Zhongtan Yuanshuai (中壇元帥) or Nezha Qiansui (哪吒千歲).
Life
Nezha is often depicted flying in the sky with a wheel of fire under each foot, a golden hoop, the "cosmic ring", around his shoulder and a spear in his hands. Sometimes he is given multiple arms. Nezha is usually depicted as a youth and rarely as an adult.
As the third son of a military commander called Li Jing, a military leader in Chentangguan Fortress, his birth was peculiar. When his mother Lady Yin got pregnant, she waited for three years and six months to deliver the boy, but unfortunately a meat ball was born. His father got so angry that he split it with a sword, which caused Nezha to jump out and grow fully, even though his mind and temperament were that of a child.
After he killed Li Gen, a yaksha, and Ao Bing, the third son of East Sea Dragon King Ao Guang, Nezha flayed and disemboweled himself, but was brought back to life by his master, Taiyi Zhenren, a Taoist immortal sage who used lotus blossoms to reconstruct a body for his soul to inhabit.
Nezha's two elder brothers are also powerful warriors. The eldest is Jinzha (金吒), who is a disciple of Manjusri Bodhisattva, and the second eldest is Muzha (木吒), a disciple of Samantabhadra Bodhisattva.
Some traced his origins to the Vedic god Nalakuvara, and legend goes that he was born in the Shang dynasty.
Appearance in ancient Chinese mythology and literature
Nezha has frequently appeared in Chinese Mythology and ancient Chinese Literature such as the Fengshen Yanyi (or Investiture of the Gods), although the story of Nezha conquering the sea is the most famous among Chinese households. In Journey to the West, Nezha was a general under the leadership of his father Li Jing. He entered into combat against Sun Wukong when the later rebeled against the Jade Emperor, ruler of Heaven, but Nezha was beaten by Sun Wukong and had to retreat. At one point in his life, Nezha was infatuated with the Dragon King's daughter.
In most incarnations, Nezha is able to grow additional heads and limbs.
Animated films
The story of Nezha has been made into several animated films. One of the most well-known is the 1979 production of Nezha Nao Hai (哪吒鬧海) (63 minutes), translated into English on the recent DVD release as Nezha Conquers the Dragon King, which won international award and recognition in the former USSR.
In the Chinese VCD, Nezha is shown with fire wheels, a red ribbon, and a golden ring.
Also, Nezha appears in the popular Japanese manga/anime series Saiyuki as Nataku, a half-mortal war god who won the then-divine Son Goku (Sun Wukong)'s friendship. Unfortunately, Nataku falls into a catactonic state (the reasons for this are not disclosed in the anime) and sits in the divine garden of heaven with only the Goddess of Mercy to keep him company staring blankly ahead for all time. In the series, Nataku is decidedly more somber than Goku and is resigned to being a puppet (he was 'given the honor' of being the War prince, a role which is later passed onto Homura) to the Gods. Furthermore, Nataku goes by a different title, but his background is still very much the same--right down to a Commander father and spear weapon. (However, it is glaringly obvious as the series goes on that the Commander is exploiting his son for fame and recognition from the Gods, reversing the roles that Nataku is to blame for misfortune) Nataku's father however, is then lectured by the past reincarnation of Cho Hakkai (Field Marshal Tenpou) and further mis-treatment of his son is then yet to be seen in the series.
In the anime series Gundam Wing, Meilan Long, Chang Wufei's wife, insists on calling herself Nataku (the Japanese pronunciation of the kanji for "Nezha"). After her death, Wufei would give his mobile suits, the Shenglong and Altron Gundams the nickname Nataku in her honor.
Nezha, renamed Nata, appeared in the animated version of Monkey Magic as the main character's first major opponent. In this version Nezha was defeated more by trickery than power or skill.
See also
Chinese animation
List of animated feature films
Shi Jinsong
Links
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_mythology
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Chinese_mythology
Chinese mythology | Chinese animation | Chinese gods | Journey to the West | Trickster gods | Fengshen Yanyi characters
Alternative Names (異名):
哪吒(Chinese), Nézhā(pinyin), Nezha, Na Zha, 中壇元帥(official Taoist), Zhongtan Yuanshuai, 哪吒千歲, Nezha Qiansui, Nataku(Japanese), Nata
Nezha or Na Zha (Chinese: 哪吒; pinyin: Nézhā; Japanese: Nataku or Nata) is a deity, the enfant terrible trickster, originally of Chinese mythology, though in the West he is perhaps more well known from Japanese anime. His official Taoist deity name is Zhongtan Yuanshuai (中壇元帥) or Nezha Qiansui (哪吒千歲).
Life
Nezha is often depicted flying in the sky with a wheel of fire under each foot, a golden hoop, the "cosmic ring", around his shoulder and a spear in his hands. Sometimes he is given multiple arms. Nezha is usually depicted as a youth and rarely as an adult.
As the third son of a military commander called Li Jing, a military leader in Chentangguan Fortress, his birth was peculiar. When his mother Lady Yin got pregnant, she waited for three years and six months to deliver the boy, but unfortunately a meat ball was born. His father got so angry that he split it with a sword, which caused Nezha to jump out and grow fully, even though his mind and temperament were that of a child.
After he killed Li Gen, a yaksha, and Ao Bing, the third son of East Sea Dragon King Ao Guang, Nezha flayed and disemboweled himself, but was brought back to life by his master, Taiyi Zhenren, a Taoist immortal sage who used lotus blossoms to reconstruct a body for his soul to inhabit.
Nezha's two elder brothers are also powerful warriors. The eldest is Jinzha (金吒), who is a disciple of Manjusri Bodhisattva, and the second eldest is Muzha (木吒), a disciple of Samantabhadra Bodhisattva.
Some traced his origins to the Vedic god Nalakuvara, and legend goes that he was born in the Shang dynasty.
Appearance in ancient Chinese mythology and literature
Nezha has frequently appeared in Chinese Mythology and ancient Chinese Literature such as the Fengshen Yanyi (or Investiture of the Gods), although the story of Nezha conquering the sea is the most famous among Chinese households. In Journey to the West, Nezha was a general under the leadership of his father Li Jing. He entered into combat against Sun Wukong when the later rebeled against the Jade Emperor, ruler of Heaven, but Nezha was beaten by Sun Wukong and had to retreat. At one point in his life, Nezha was infatuated with the Dragon King's daughter.
In most incarnations, Nezha is able to grow additional heads and limbs.
Animated films
The story of Nezha has been made into several animated films. One of the most well-known is the 1979 production of Nezha Nao Hai (哪吒鬧海) (63 minutes), translated into English on the recent DVD release as Nezha Conquers the Dragon King, which won international award and recognition in the former USSR.
In the Chinese VCD, Nezha is shown with fire wheels, a red ribbon, and a golden ring.
Also, Nezha appears in the popular Japanese manga/anime series Saiyuki as Nataku, a half-mortal war god who won the then-divine Son Goku (Sun Wukong)'s friendship. Unfortunately, Nataku falls into a catactonic state (the reasons for this are not disclosed in the anime) and sits in the divine garden of heaven with only the Goddess of Mercy to keep him company staring blankly ahead for all time. In the series, Nataku is decidedly more somber than Goku and is resigned to being a puppet (he was 'given the honor' of being the War prince, a role which is later passed onto Homura) to the Gods. Furthermore, Nataku goes by a different title, but his background is still very much the same--right down to a Commander father and spear weapon. (However, it is glaringly obvious as the series goes on that the Commander is exploiting his son for fame and recognition from the Gods, reversing the roles that Nataku is to blame for misfortune) Nataku's father however, is then lectured by the past reincarnation of Cho Hakkai (Field Marshal Tenpou) and further mis-treatment of his son is then yet to be seen in the series.
In the anime series Gundam Wing, Meilan Long, Chang Wufei's wife, insists on calling herself Nataku (the Japanese pronunciation of the kanji for "Nezha"). After her death, Wufei would give his mobile suits, the Shenglong and Altron Gundams the nickname Nataku in her honor.
Nezha, renamed Nata, appeared in the animated version of Monkey Magic as the main character's first major opponent. In this version Nezha was defeated more by trickery than power or skill.
See also
Chinese animation
List of animated feature films
Shi Jinsong
Links
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_mythology
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Chinese_mythology
Chinese mythology | Chinese animation | Chinese gods | Journey to the West | Trickster gods | Fengshen Yanyi characters
Thursday, January 26, 1995
Mazu (媽祖)
Mazu (媽祖)
Alternative Names (異名):
媽祖(traditional Chinese), Māzǔ(Hanyu Pinyin), Ma-tsu(Wade-Giles), Má-chó(Pe̍h-ōe-jī), Mazu, Matsu, Mother-Ancestor(literally)
Mazu (traditional Chinese: 媽祖; Hanyu Pinyin: Māzǔ; Wade-Giles: Ma-tsu; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Má-chó·; literally "Mother-Ancestor"), also spelt Matsu, is the Taoist goddess of the sea who protects fishermen and sailors, and is revered as the patron saint who protects East Asians who are associated with the ocean.
Her mortal name is Lin Moniang (Chinese: 林默娘; pinyin: Lín Mòniáng; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Lîm Be̍k-niû).
She is widely worshipped in the south-eastern coastal areas of China and neighbouring areas, especially Zhejiang, Fujian, Taiwan, Guangdong, and Vietnam, all of which have strong sea-faring traditions, as well as migrant communities elsewhere with sizeable populations from these areas.
Names
Popular names:
Mazu (媽祖, literally "Mother-Ancestor"), or Mazu-po (媽祖婆, "Elder Lady Mazu")
Tian Hou (天后, literally "Heavenly Empress" or "Heavenly Queen") or Thiên Hậu in Vietnamese
Tian Fei (天妃, literally "Heavenly Princess Consort")
A-Ma (阿媽, "Grandmother")
Tianshang Shengmu or Tianhou Shengmu (天上聖母, 天后聖母, both meaning "Heavenly Holy Mother") or Thiên Hậu Thánh Mẫu in Vietnamese
Official titles:
In Southern Song Danasty, she was given the first Title as "Princess of Supernatural Favour" in A.D. 1155 by Emperor Gaozong of Song.
In the Yuan Dynasty, she was officially the "Protector of the Empire and the Brilliantly Outstanding Heavenly Princess" (護國明著天妃 Huguo Mingzhu Tianfei).
In Ming Dynasty, she was given as "Holy Mother of Heaven Above" in 1417 by the Yongle Emperor.
In the Qing Dynasty, she was made the "Heavenly Empress" (天后; Mandarin: Tiān Hòu; Cantonese: Tin Hau'). Her last imperial title was given as "Holy Mother in Heaven" in 1839 by the Daoguang Emperor.
The person
According to legend, Lin Moniang was born in 960 (during the early Northern Song Dynasty) as the seventh daughter of Lin Yuan (林愿) on Meizhou Island, Fujian. She did not cry when she was born, and thus her given name means "Silent Girl."
There are many legends about her and the sea.
Although she started swimming relatively late at the age of 15, she soon became an excellent swimmer. She wore red standing on the shore to guide fishing boats home, even in the most dangerous and harsh weather.
According to one legend, Lin Moniang's father and brothers were fishermen. One day, a terrible typhoon arose while they were out at sea, and the rest of her family feared that those at sea had perished. In the midst of this storm, depending on the version of the legend, she either fell into a trance while praying for the lives of her father and brothers or dreamed of her father and brothers while she was sleeping. In either the trance or the dream, her father and brothers were drowning, and she reached out to them, holding her brothers up with her hands and her father up with her mouth. However, Moniang's mother now discovered her and tried to wake her, but Moniang was in such a deep trance or dream that it seemed like she was dead. Moniang's mother, already believing the rest of their family dead, now broke down, crying, believing that Moniang had also just died. Hearing her mother's cries, in pity, Moniang gave a small cry to let her mother know she was alive, but in opening her mouth, she was forced to drop her father. Consequently, Moniang's brothers returned alive (sadly without their father) and told the other villagers that a miracle had happened and that they had somehow been held up in the water as a typhoon raged.
There are at least two versions of Lin Moniang's death. In one version, she died in 987 at the age of 28, when she climbed a mountain alone and flew to heaven and became a goddess. Another version of the legend says that she died at age 16 of exhaustion after swimming far into the ocean trying to find her lost father and that her corpse later washed ashore in Nankan Island of the Matsu Islands.
Lin Moniang (2000), a minor Fujianese TV series, is a dramatization of the life of Mazu as a mortal.
The goddess
After her death, the families of many fishermen and sailors began to pray to her in honor of her acts of courage in trying to save those at sea. Her worship spread quickly. Much of her popularity in comparison to other sea deities resulted from her role as a compassionate motherly protector, in contrast to authoritarian father figures like the Dragon Kings. She is usually depicted wearing a red robe, and sitting on a throne. As often happens to revered folk heroes in Chinese culture, she became an empress figure during the Yuan Dynasty.
Worship
Starting from Fujian, worship of Mazu spread to the neighbouring coastal provinces of Zhejiang and Guangdong, and thence to all coastal areas of mainland China. With emigration and especially the Chinese diaspora of the 19th and 20th centuries, it further spread to Taiwan, Vietnam, Ryukyu, Japan, and South East Asia; the role of Mazu as patron of the seas ensured that newly arrived immigrants often erected temples to her first, to give thanks for arriving safely. Today, worship of Mazu is also found in other countries with sizeable populations from these regions. In total, there are around 1,500 Mazu temples in 26 countries of the world.
Hong Kong
In Hong Kong, around 60 temples are dedicated, at least partially to Tin Hau. The temple in the Tin Hau area, east of Victoria Park, in Eastern District, on Hong Kong Island, has given its name to the area and to the MTR station serving it (Island Line). The Tin Hau Temple is one of the declared monuments of Hong Kong. Because of their historic significance, many Tin Hau Temples in Hong Kong were graded historic buildings.
Macau
Macau has three Tin Hau temples (one per Coloane, Macau Peninsula, and Taipa). The name Macau is thought to be derived from the Templo de A-Má (A-Ma Temple) (媽閣廟, Cantonese Jyutping: Maa1 Gok3 Miu6, local pronunciation: Maa5 Gok3 Miu6 or Maa5 Gok3 Miu5), a still-existing landmark built in 1448 dedicated to the goddess Mazu.
Mainland China
Aside from Fujian, there are more than 40 temples dedicated to Mazu in Guangdong and Hainan, and more than 30 in Jiangsu and Zhejiang. In northern China, there are large Mazu temples in Tianjin, Weihai, Yingkou, Qinhuangdao, Qingdao, Changdao Islands (also named "Temple Islands" after the Mazu temple there), and Penglai.
In Nanjing, the Tian Fei Palace was built by the Yongle Emperor in the Ming Dynasty, at the instigation of Admiral Zheng He after returning from his first expedition. Before and after each expedition, Zheng He would worship at the temple for Mazu's protection. Because it was a state temple built by the Emperor, this temple was the largest and enjoyed the highest status of all Mazu temples in the country. The temple was largely destroyed by Japanese bombings in 1937, but is currently being rebuilt.
In Shanghai, historically here were three principal Tian Hou Temples. During the Qing Dynasty, it was customary for diplomats departing by sea to worship at the Tian Hou Palace in the old city. All of these were progressively destroyed. The last, on the banks of the Suzhou Creek, was moved to Songjiang. This temple is now dedicated to the "Mazu of the Huangpu River". The City God Temple in the old city is also partially dedicated to Mazu.
Fujian
In Putian, the legendary birthplace of Mazu, there are hundreds of temples dedicated to the goddess, including about 20 on Meizhou island alone.
Elsewhere in Fujian, there are about 70 temples dedicated to Mazu, mostly concentrated in the coastal areas.
Heavenly Empress Temple-Meizhou Ancestral Temple (天后宮湄洲祖廟) is on her native Meizhou Island.
Malaysia
Malaysia has a long history of Taoist religion ever since the Chinese from Southern China settled in South East Asia region. The famous Thean Hou Temple(Chinese:马来西亚吉隆坡天后宫) situated in the heart of Kuala Lumpur, Capital of Malaysia is a famous tourist destination in Asia. Few tenths thousand of other temples and statues are found throughout the country.
Every year, the Nine Emperor Gods Festival is celebrated heavily especially in Penang; and the Birthday of Mazu celebrated throughout the country.
A mega project to build the world tallest Mazu statue at Northernmost tip of Borneo, Kudat was officially launched by the leader and people of Sabah recently . The statue was to measure at 10-storey high and would draw millions of tourists to the country every year. This project has however been cancelled due to protests from a few Muslims in Sabah and some political interference.
Singapore
The worship of Mazu was brought to Singapore from China by the influx of Chinese immigrants during the 19th century, a large proportion of whom came from Fujian. Two of the oldest and best known Chinese temples in Singapore, Thian Hock Keng and Yueh Hai Ching Temple, were both dedicated mainly to Mazu, and in the 19th century were frequented by immigrants who came to give thanks after a safe sea voyage from China.
Taiwan
There are about 800 to 1000 Taiwanese temples dedicated entirely or--more often--partly to Mazu. The oldest one is Great Queen of Heaven Temple (zh:大天后宮), Tainan City.
Chenlan Temple (zh:鎮瀾宮) in Tachia, Taichung County, is the most famous Mazu temple in Taiwan, and an annual pilgrimage takes place there each spring. Chaotian Temple (朝天宮) of Peikang Township (北港鎮) in Yunlin is another popular temple of Mazu in Taiwan.
There is also a major temple in Makung, on the Pescadores Islands.
Thailand
In Thailand, there are a lots of Mazu temples too, especially in cities near the sea such as Bangkok, Chonburi, Pattani, and Phuket. Many Thai Chinese worship the goddess, and some visit Fujian, China to worship her at her place of origin.
United States
Chùa Bà Thiên HậuMazu has gained popularity in the west as well. Many temples are dedicated to Mazu in Chinatowns in the United States. The oldest Taoist temple in the United States, Tin How Temple in San Francisco, built in 1852, is dedicated to Mazu. Another Mazu temple that has gained popularity in the west is located in Los Angeles, where many South East Asians are known to reside in or nearby. Known as Chùa Bà Thiên Hậu and home to the Camau Association of America, a Chinese/Vietnamese/Teochew benevolent association, it has become an immensely popular tourist attraction in Chinatown after being completed on September 5, 2005 after two years of building and an investment of around $2m. It features such attrtactions as annual 24-hour lion dances and a legal firecracker display on Chinese New Year's Eve.
Animation
媽祖 - 海之傳說
See also
Chinese mythology
Tin Hau, Hong Kong
Guan Yin
Links
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mazu
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_mythology
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Chinese_mythology
Chinese mythology | Chinese goddesses | Mother goddesses | Sea and river goddesses
Alternative Names (異名):
媽祖(traditional Chinese), Māzǔ(Hanyu Pinyin), Ma-tsu(Wade-Giles), Má-chó(Pe̍h-ōe-jī), Mazu, Matsu, Mother-Ancestor(literally)
Mazu (traditional Chinese: 媽祖; Hanyu Pinyin: Māzǔ; Wade-Giles: Ma-tsu; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Má-chó·; literally "Mother-Ancestor"), also spelt Matsu, is the Taoist goddess of the sea who protects fishermen and sailors, and is revered as the patron saint who protects East Asians who are associated with the ocean.
Her mortal name is Lin Moniang (Chinese: 林默娘; pinyin: Lín Mòniáng; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Lîm Be̍k-niû).
She is widely worshipped in the south-eastern coastal areas of China and neighbouring areas, especially Zhejiang, Fujian, Taiwan, Guangdong, and Vietnam, all of which have strong sea-faring traditions, as well as migrant communities elsewhere with sizeable populations from these areas.
Names
Popular names:
Mazu (媽祖, literally "Mother-Ancestor"), or Mazu-po (媽祖婆, "Elder Lady Mazu")
Tian Hou (天后, literally "Heavenly Empress" or "Heavenly Queen") or Thiên Hậu in Vietnamese
Tian Fei (天妃, literally "Heavenly Princess Consort")
A-Ma (阿媽, "Grandmother")
Tianshang Shengmu or Tianhou Shengmu (天上聖母, 天后聖母, both meaning "Heavenly Holy Mother") or Thiên Hậu Thánh Mẫu in Vietnamese
Official titles:
In Southern Song Danasty, she was given the first Title as "Princess of Supernatural Favour" in A.D. 1155 by Emperor Gaozong of Song.
In the Yuan Dynasty, she was officially the "Protector of the Empire and the Brilliantly Outstanding Heavenly Princess" (護國明著天妃 Huguo Mingzhu Tianfei).
In Ming Dynasty, she was given as "Holy Mother of Heaven Above" in 1417 by the Yongle Emperor.
In the Qing Dynasty, she was made the "Heavenly Empress" (天后; Mandarin: Tiān Hòu; Cantonese: Tin Hau'). Her last imperial title was given as "Holy Mother in Heaven" in 1839 by the Daoguang Emperor.
The person
According to legend, Lin Moniang was born in 960 (during the early Northern Song Dynasty) as the seventh daughter of Lin Yuan (林愿) on Meizhou Island, Fujian. She did not cry when she was born, and thus her given name means "Silent Girl."
There are many legends about her and the sea.
Although she started swimming relatively late at the age of 15, she soon became an excellent swimmer. She wore red standing on the shore to guide fishing boats home, even in the most dangerous and harsh weather.
According to one legend, Lin Moniang's father and brothers were fishermen. One day, a terrible typhoon arose while they were out at sea, and the rest of her family feared that those at sea had perished. In the midst of this storm, depending on the version of the legend, she either fell into a trance while praying for the lives of her father and brothers or dreamed of her father and brothers while she was sleeping. In either the trance or the dream, her father and brothers were drowning, and she reached out to them, holding her brothers up with her hands and her father up with her mouth. However, Moniang's mother now discovered her and tried to wake her, but Moniang was in such a deep trance or dream that it seemed like she was dead. Moniang's mother, already believing the rest of their family dead, now broke down, crying, believing that Moniang had also just died. Hearing her mother's cries, in pity, Moniang gave a small cry to let her mother know she was alive, but in opening her mouth, she was forced to drop her father. Consequently, Moniang's brothers returned alive (sadly without their father) and told the other villagers that a miracle had happened and that they had somehow been held up in the water as a typhoon raged.
There are at least two versions of Lin Moniang's death. In one version, she died in 987 at the age of 28, when she climbed a mountain alone and flew to heaven and became a goddess. Another version of the legend says that she died at age 16 of exhaustion after swimming far into the ocean trying to find her lost father and that her corpse later washed ashore in Nankan Island of the Matsu Islands.
Lin Moniang (2000), a minor Fujianese TV series, is a dramatization of the life of Mazu as a mortal.
The goddess
After her death, the families of many fishermen and sailors began to pray to her in honor of her acts of courage in trying to save those at sea. Her worship spread quickly. Much of her popularity in comparison to other sea deities resulted from her role as a compassionate motherly protector, in contrast to authoritarian father figures like the Dragon Kings. She is usually depicted wearing a red robe, and sitting on a throne. As often happens to revered folk heroes in Chinese culture, she became an empress figure during the Yuan Dynasty.
Worship
Starting from Fujian, worship of Mazu spread to the neighbouring coastal provinces of Zhejiang and Guangdong, and thence to all coastal areas of mainland China. With emigration and especially the Chinese diaspora of the 19th and 20th centuries, it further spread to Taiwan, Vietnam, Ryukyu, Japan, and South East Asia; the role of Mazu as patron of the seas ensured that newly arrived immigrants often erected temples to her first, to give thanks for arriving safely. Today, worship of Mazu is also found in other countries with sizeable populations from these regions. In total, there are around 1,500 Mazu temples in 26 countries of the world.
Hong Kong
In Hong Kong, around 60 temples are dedicated, at least partially to Tin Hau. The temple in the Tin Hau area, east of Victoria Park, in Eastern District, on Hong Kong Island, has given its name to the area and to the MTR station serving it (Island Line). The Tin Hau Temple is one of the declared monuments of Hong Kong. Because of their historic significance, many Tin Hau Temples in Hong Kong were graded historic buildings.
Macau
Macau has three Tin Hau temples (one per Coloane, Macau Peninsula, and Taipa). The name Macau is thought to be derived from the Templo de A-Má (A-Ma Temple) (媽閣廟, Cantonese Jyutping: Maa1 Gok3 Miu6, local pronunciation: Maa5 Gok3 Miu6 or Maa5 Gok3 Miu5), a still-existing landmark built in 1448 dedicated to the goddess Mazu.
Mainland China
Aside from Fujian, there are more than 40 temples dedicated to Mazu in Guangdong and Hainan, and more than 30 in Jiangsu and Zhejiang. In northern China, there are large Mazu temples in Tianjin, Weihai, Yingkou, Qinhuangdao, Qingdao, Changdao Islands (also named "Temple Islands" after the Mazu temple there), and Penglai.
In Nanjing, the Tian Fei Palace was built by the Yongle Emperor in the Ming Dynasty, at the instigation of Admiral Zheng He after returning from his first expedition. Before and after each expedition, Zheng He would worship at the temple for Mazu's protection. Because it was a state temple built by the Emperor, this temple was the largest and enjoyed the highest status of all Mazu temples in the country. The temple was largely destroyed by Japanese bombings in 1937, but is currently being rebuilt.
In Shanghai, historically here were three principal Tian Hou Temples. During the Qing Dynasty, it was customary for diplomats departing by sea to worship at the Tian Hou Palace in the old city. All of these were progressively destroyed. The last, on the banks of the Suzhou Creek, was moved to Songjiang. This temple is now dedicated to the "Mazu of the Huangpu River". The City God Temple in the old city is also partially dedicated to Mazu.
Fujian
In Putian, the legendary birthplace of Mazu, there are hundreds of temples dedicated to the goddess, including about 20 on Meizhou island alone.
Elsewhere in Fujian, there are about 70 temples dedicated to Mazu, mostly concentrated in the coastal areas.
Heavenly Empress Temple-Meizhou Ancestral Temple (天后宮湄洲祖廟) is on her native Meizhou Island.
Malaysia
Malaysia has a long history of Taoist religion ever since the Chinese from Southern China settled in South East Asia region. The famous Thean Hou Temple(Chinese:马来西亚吉隆坡天后宫) situated in the heart of Kuala Lumpur, Capital of Malaysia is a famous tourist destination in Asia. Few tenths thousand of other temples and statues are found throughout the country.
Every year, the Nine Emperor Gods Festival is celebrated heavily especially in Penang; and the Birthday of Mazu celebrated throughout the country.
A mega project to build the world tallest Mazu statue at Northernmost tip of Borneo, Kudat was officially launched by the leader and people of Sabah recently . The statue was to measure at 10-storey high and would draw millions of tourists to the country every year. This project has however been cancelled due to protests from a few Muslims in Sabah and some political interference.
Singapore
The worship of Mazu was brought to Singapore from China by the influx of Chinese immigrants during the 19th century, a large proportion of whom came from Fujian. Two of the oldest and best known Chinese temples in Singapore, Thian Hock Keng and Yueh Hai Ching Temple, were both dedicated mainly to Mazu, and in the 19th century were frequented by immigrants who came to give thanks after a safe sea voyage from China.
Taiwan
There are about 800 to 1000 Taiwanese temples dedicated entirely or--more often--partly to Mazu. The oldest one is Great Queen of Heaven Temple (zh:大天后宮), Tainan City.
Chenlan Temple (zh:鎮瀾宮) in Tachia, Taichung County, is the most famous Mazu temple in Taiwan, and an annual pilgrimage takes place there each spring. Chaotian Temple (朝天宮) of Peikang Township (北港鎮) in Yunlin is another popular temple of Mazu in Taiwan.
There is also a major temple in Makung, on the Pescadores Islands.
Thailand
In Thailand, there are a lots of Mazu temples too, especially in cities near the sea such as Bangkok, Chonburi, Pattani, and Phuket. Many Thai Chinese worship the goddess, and some visit Fujian, China to worship her at her place of origin.
United States
Chùa Bà Thiên HậuMazu has gained popularity in the west as well. Many temples are dedicated to Mazu in Chinatowns in the United States. The oldest Taoist temple in the United States, Tin How Temple in San Francisco, built in 1852, is dedicated to Mazu. Another Mazu temple that has gained popularity in the west is located in Los Angeles, where many South East Asians are known to reside in or nearby. Known as Chùa Bà Thiên Hậu and home to the Camau Association of America, a Chinese/Vietnamese/Teochew benevolent association, it has become an immensely popular tourist attraction in Chinatown after being completed on September 5, 2005 after two years of building and an investment of around $2m. It features such attrtactions as annual 24-hour lion dances and a legal firecracker display on Chinese New Year's Eve.
Animation
See also
Chinese mythology
Tin Hau, Hong Kong
Guan Yin
Links
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mazu
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_mythology
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Chinese_mythology
Chinese mythology | Chinese goddesses | Mother goddesses | Sea and river goddesses
Monday, March 14, 1994
Long Mu (龍母)
Long Mu (龙母)
Alternative Names (異名):
龍母, 龙母, lóng mǔ, lung mo, Long Mu, Mother of Dragons
In Chinese mythology, Long Mu (simplified Chinese: 龙母; traditional Chinese: 龍母; pinyin: lóng mǔ; Wade-Giles: lung mo) or Mother of Dragons was a Chinese woman who was deified as a goddess after raising five infant dragons. Long Mu and her dragons developed a strong bond for each other, and have thus become an example of filial devotion and parental love, an important virtue in Chinese culture
The legend
The historic name of Long Mu was Wen Shi(溫氏). She was born in 290 BC (during the Qin Dynasty) in Guangdong province, near the Xi River (西江). Her family's ancestral home was in the Teng District (藤縣) in Guangxi province. She was the second of three daughters of Wen Tianrui (溫天瑞) and Liang Shi (梁氏).
Wen Shi frequently went to the Xi River to fish and wash clothes for her family. One day, she found a large smooth white stone along the banks of the river. She took the beautiful stone home, but later discovered that the stone was actually an egg, from which hatched five baby snakes (an alternate version says one). Wen Shi's family was poor, but Wen Shi saved the best food she had for her baby snakes and fed them by hand. As the snakes grew, they helped Wen Shi catch fish at the Xi River. The snakes were natural swimmers and became very good at catching fish.
As the snakes grew even more, it became apparent that they weren't snakes at all. The snakes eventually matured into five powerful dragons. In Chinese culture, dragons are considered spirits of water, and have the power to control the weather. During a drought, Wen Shi asked her dragon children to summon the rain for her village. When rain came and ended the drought, the grateful villagers gave Wen Shi the name "Mother of Dragons" (龍母) or "Divine Human" (神人).
Qin Shihuang, the Emperor of the Qin Dynasty, received word of Wen Shi and her dragons. The Emperor sent her gifts of gold and jade and requested her presence at Xianyang, the imperial capital city near the Yellow River, far to the north. By this time, Wen Shi was an elderly women in frail health. Her adult dragons feared for her safety and did not want her to travel so far from her village. Wen Shi boarded a boat to comply with the Emperor's commandment, but her dragons hid under the boat and dragged the boat backward so that the boat could never pass Guilin. Eventually, the frustrated imperial officials relented and allowed Wen Shi to remain home.
After Wen Shi died, the dragons were overwhelmed with sadness and took human form, known as the Five Scholars (五秀才). They buried her on the northern side of Zhu Mountain (珠山).
Legacy
Everyone who heard the story of Long Mu was touched by the filial devotion of the dragons. During the early Han Dynasty, the Xiaotong Temple (孝通廟), later known as the Longmu Ancestral Temple (龍母祖廟), was built in her honor. The temple is in Yuecheng in Deqing County (德慶縣悅城鎮) of Guangdong province. It features calligraphy dedicated to the goddess written by the Emperor Hong Wu of the Ming Dynasty. The temple remains very popular and has been renovated 13 times over the centuries, most recently in 1905-1912 and 1985.
Another temple dedicated to Long Mu is the Baisha Temple in Zhaoqing, south of the Xi River in the Ruizhou District, also in Guangdong province. The temple was built in 1587, but it is not as well preserved as the Xiaotong Temple. The city declared the temple a cultural site in 1982.
Long Mu's festival is in the first week of the fifth month of the Chinese Lunar Calendar. She is a patron goddess of parents and children, and remains a popular deity throughout China.
Links
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long_Mu
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_mythology
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Chinese_mythology
Chinese mythology | Mother goddesses | Chinese goddesses | Chinese dragons
Alternative Names (異名):
龍母, 龙母, lóng mǔ, lung mo, Long Mu, Mother of Dragons
In Chinese mythology, Long Mu (simplified Chinese: 龙母; traditional Chinese: 龍母; pinyin: lóng mǔ; Wade-Giles: lung mo) or Mother of Dragons was a Chinese woman who was deified as a goddess after raising five infant dragons. Long Mu and her dragons developed a strong bond for each other, and have thus become an example of filial devotion and parental love, an important virtue in Chinese culture
The legend
The historic name of Long Mu was Wen Shi(溫氏). She was born in 290 BC (during the Qin Dynasty) in Guangdong province, near the Xi River (西江). Her family's ancestral home was in the Teng District (藤縣) in Guangxi province. She was the second of three daughters of Wen Tianrui (溫天瑞) and Liang Shi (梁氏).
Wen Shi frequently went to the Xi River to fish and wash clothes for her family. One day, she found a large smooth white stone along the banks of the river. She took the beautiful stone home, but later discovered that the stone was actually an egg, from which hatched five baby snakes (an alternate version says one). Wen Shi's family was poor, but Wen Shi saved the best food she had for her baby snakes and fed them by hand. As the snakes grew, they helped Wen Shi catch fish at the Xi River. The snakes were natural swimmers and became very good at catching fish.
As the snakes grew even more, it became apparent that they weren't snakes at all. The snakes eventually matured into five powerful dragons. In Chinese culture, dragons are considered spirits of water, and have the power to control the weather. During a drought, Wen Shi asked her dragon children to summon the rain for her village. When rain came and ended the drought, the grateful villagers gave Wen Shi the name "Mother of Dragons" (龍母) or "Divine Human" (神人).
Qin Shihuang, the Emperor of the Qin Dynasty, received word of Wen Shi and her dragons. The Emperor sent her gifts of gold and jade and requested her presence at Xianyang, the imperial capital city near the Yellow River, far to the north. By this time, Wen Shi was an elderly women in frail health. Her adult dragons feared for her safety and did not want her to travel so far from her village. Wen Shi boarded a boat to comply with the Emperor's commandment, but her dragons hid under the boat and dragged the boat backward so that the boat could never pass Guilin. Eventually, the frustrated imperial officials relented and allowed Wen Shi to remain home.
After Wen Shi died, the dragons were overwhelmed with sadness and took human form, known as the Five Scholars (五秀才). They buried her on the northern side of Zhu Mountain (珠山).
Legacy
Everyone who heard the story of Long Mu was touched by the filial devotion of the dragons. During the early Han Dynasty, the Xiaotong Temple (孝通廟), later known as the Longmu Ancestral Temple (龍母祖廟), was built in her honor. The temple is in Yuecheng in Deqing County (德慶縣悅城鎮) of Guangdong province. It features calligraphy dedicated to the goddess written by the Emperor Hong Wu of the Ming Dynasty. The temple remains very popular and has been renovated 13 times over the centuries, most recently in 1905-1912 and 1985.
Another temple dedicated to Long Mu is the Baisha Temple in Zhaoqing, south of the Xi River in the Ruizhou District, also in Guangdong province. The temple was built in 1587, but it is not as well preserved as the Xiaotong Temple. The city declared the temple a cultural site in 1982.
Long Mu's festival is in the first week of the fifth month of the Chinese Lunar Calendar. She is a patron goddess of parents and children, and remains a popular deity throughout China.
Links
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long_Mu
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_mythology
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Chinese_mythology
Chinese mythology | Mother goddesses | Chinese goddesses | Chinese dragons
Monday, September 1, 1986
Huang Long (黃龍, Chinese)
Huang Long (Four Symbols)
Alternative names:
Yellow Dragon, 黃龍, 黄龙, 黄竜
Huang Long (黃龍，黄龙 or 黄竜, Yellow Dragon, Mandarin: huang2 long2, Cantonese: wong4 lung4, Japanese: Kōryū or Ōryū, Korean: Hwang-Ryong, Vietnamese: Hoàng Long) is a hornless dragon who once emerged from the River Luo and presented the legendary Emperor Fu Xi with the elements of writing. According to legend, when it appeared before Fu Xi, it filled a hole in the sky made by the monster Gong Gong. Its waking, sleeping and breathing determined day and night, season and weather.
In East Asian culture, there is sometimes a fifth Guardian Beast of the Si Ling. This deity is the guardian of the center and it represents the element earth, the Chinese quintessence, as well as the changing of the seasons.
Huang Long does not appear in Japanese mythology: the fifth element in the Japanese elemental system is Void, so there cannot be an animal representing it. Because of this, Huang Long is often forgotten. However, some consider the Ouryu (Ōryū, yellow dragon) as the Japanese counterpart of Huang Long since they share some similarities.
At the end of his reign, the first legendary Emperor Huang Di was said to have been immortalized into a dragon that resembled his emblem, and ascended to Heaven. Since the Chinese consider Huang Di as their ancestor, they sometimes refer to themselves as "the descendants of the dragon". This legend also contributed towards the use of the Chinese dragon as a symbol of imperial power.
Chinese constellations
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huanglong_(mythology)
Chinese mythology | Chinese dragons | Chinese legendary creatures
Alternative names:
Yellow Dragon, 黃龍, 黄龙, 黄竜
Huang Long (黃龍，黄龙 or 黄竜, Yellow Dragon, Mandarin: huang2 long2, Cantonese: wong4 lung4, Japanese: Kōryū or Ōryū, Korean: Hwang-Ryong, Vietnamese: Hoàng Long) is a hornless dragon who once emerged from the River Luo and presented the legendary Emperor Fu Xi with the elements of writing. According to legend, when it appeared before Fu Xi, it filled a hole in the sky made by the monster Gong Gong. Its waking, sleeping and breathing determined day and night, season and weather.
In East Asian culture, there is sometimes a fifth Guardian Beast of the Si Ling. This deity is the guardian of the center and it represents the element earth, the Chinese quintessence, as well as the changing of the seasons.
Huang Long does not appear in Japanese mythology: the fifth element in the Japanese elemental system is Void, so there cannot be an animal representing it. Because of this, Huang Long is often forgotten. However, some consider the Ouryu (Ōryū, yellow dragon) as the Japanese counterpart of Huang Long since they share some similarities.
At the end of his reign, the first legendary Emperor Huang Di was said to have been immortalized into a dragon that resembled his emblem, and ascended to Heaven. Since the Chinese consider Huang Di as their ancestor, they sometimes refer to themselves as "the descendants of the dragon". This legend also contributed towards the use of the Chinese dragon as a symbol of imperial power.
Chinese constellations
| Three enclosures (三垣) | Purple Forbidden enclosure (紫微垣) | Supreme Palace enclosure (太微垣) | Heavenly Market enclosure (天市垣) | ||
| Four Symbols (四象) and Twenty-eight mansions (二十八宿) | East | Azure Dragon (青龍) | Horn (角) | Neck (亢) | Root (氐) | Room (房) | Heart (心) | Tail (尾) | Winnowing Basket (箕) |
| South | Vermilion Bird (朱雀) | Well (井) | Ghost (鬼) | Willow (柳) | Star (星) | Extended Net (張) | Wings (翼) | Chariot (軫) | |
| West | White Tiger (白虎) | Legs (奎) | Bond (婁) | Stomach (胃) | Hairy Head (昴) | Net (畢) | Turtle Beak (觜) | Three Stars (參) | |
| North | Black Tortoise (玄武) | Dipper (斗) | Ox (牛) | Girl (女) | Emptiness (虛) | Rooftop (危) | Encampment (室) | Wall (壁) | |
| Center | Yellow Dragon (黃龍) | ||
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huanglong_(mythology)
Chinese mythology | Chinese dragons | Chinese legendary creatures
Huang feihu (黃飛虎, Chinese)
Huang feihu
Alternative Names (異名):
黃飛虎, 黄飞虎, Huáng Fēihǔ, Huang Feihu
Huang Feihu (Chinese tradition: 黃飛虎; simplify: 黄飞虎; Pinyin: Huáng Fēihǔ) is a major character featured within the famed ancient Chinese novel Fengshen Yanyi (封神演義).
Huang Feihu is the son of Huang Gun (黄滚). He is renowned as the top general throughout the whole Shang Dynasty (商朝). When Daji (妲己) had effectively convinced the idiotic King Zhou (商紂王) that it would be best to retrieve the two fleeing princes after slaying an official, Huang Feihu would make his first true appearance.
When the princes had both been stolen by the giant Fang Brothers before Huang Feihu's very own eyes, Huang Feihu was pleased to see that the capital was still possessed of at least a few truly justified individuals. Following this, the king, along with the Chao Twins (Chao Tian [晁田] and Chao Lei [晁雷]) would decide it best that Huang Feihu himself should pursue the Fang Brothers -- who are present with the two princes. Thus, he heads out on his purple mystic bull with the duel Dragon-Phoenix Sword (龙凤剑) given by the twins.
Huang Feihu was appointed as the Great Emperor of Mount Tai (泰山大帝) in the end
Links
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huang_Feihu
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_mythology
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Chinese_mythology
Fengshen Yanyi characters | Taoism | Chinese gods | Chinese mythology
Alternative Names (異名):
黃飛虎, 黄飞虎, Huáng Fēihǔ, Huang Feihu
Huang Feihu (Chinese tradition: 黃飛虎; simplify: 黄飞虎; Pinyin: Huáng Fēihǔ) is a major character featured within the famed ancient Chinese novel Fengshen Yanyi (封神演義).
Huang Feihu is the son of Huang Gun (黄滚). He is renowned as the top general throughout the whole Shang Dynasty (商朝). When Daji (妲己) had effectively convinced the idiotic King Zhou (商紂王) that it would be best to retrieve the two fleeing princes after slaying an official, Huang Feihu would make his first true appearance.
When the princes had both been stolen by the giant Fang Brothers before Huang Feihu's very own eyes, Huang Feihu was pleased to see that the capital was still possessed of at least a few truly justified individuals. Following this, the king, along with the Chao Twins (Chao Tian [晁田] and Chao Lei [晁雷]) would decide it best that Huang Feihu himself should pursue the Fang Brothers -- who are present with the two princes. Thus, he heads out on his purple mystic bull with the duel Dragon-Phoenix Sword (龙凤剑) given by the twins.
Huang Feihu was appointed as the Great Emperor of Mount Tai (泰山大帝) in the end
Links
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huang_Feihu
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_mythology
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Chinese_mythology
Fengshen Yanyi characters | Taoism | Chinese gods | Chinese mythology
Friday, March 14, 1986
Hongjun Laozu (鸿钧老祖, Chinese)
Hongjun Laozu (鸿钧老祖)
Alternative Names (異名):
鸿钧老祖, 洪钧老祖, 鸿元老祖, 洪元老祖, Hóngjūn Lǎozǔ, Hongjun Laozu
Hongjun Laozu (Chinese: 鸿钧老祖, or 洪钧老祖, 鸿元老祖, 洪元老祖; Pinyin: Hóngjūn Lǎozǔ) is said to be the teacher of the Three Pure Ones in some branches of Taoism. His name means the "The Great Primal Originator" or "The Great Primal Homogeneity". There is a saying that " there was Hong-Jun before there was heaven". He could be said to be the Head of Taoist immortals, but he seldom shows up on earth
See also
Chinese mythology
Religion in China
Taoism
Links
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hongjun_Laozu
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_mythology
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Chinese_mythology
Religion stubs | Chinese mythology stubs | Chinese mythology | Taoism | Triune gods | Chinese gods
Alternative Names (異名):
鸿钧老祖, 洪钧老祖, 鸿元老祖, 洪元老祖, Hóngjūn Lǎozǔ, Hongjun Laozu
Hongjun Laozu (Chinese: 鸿钧老祖, or 洪钧老祖, 鸿元老祖, 洪元老祖; Pinyin: Hóngjūn Lǎozǔ) is said to be the teacher of the Three Pure Ones in some branches of Taoism. His name means the "The Great Primal Originator" or "The Great Primal Homogeneity". There is a saying that " there was Hong-Jun before there was heaven". He could be said to be the Head of Taoist immortals, but he seldom shows up on earth
See also
Chinese mythology
Religion in China
Taoism
Links
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hongjun_Laozu
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_mythology
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Chinese_mythology
Religion stubs | Chinese mythology stubs | Chinese mythology | Taoism | Triune gods | Chinese gods
Saturday, September 1, 1984
Guangchengzi (广成子, Chinese)
Guangchengzi (广成子)
Alternative Names (異名):
广成子, Guangchengzi
Guangchengzi (Chinese: 广成子; Pinyin: Guǎngchéngzǐ) is a character featured within the famed ancient Chinese novel Fengshen Yanyi.
He has sacrificed many upon many of years to solitude and has emerged as an immortal. Originally, this superiorman had been within the Peach Stream Cave of Mount Nine Elves. After he, along with his fellow immortal by the name of Red Nudeu had been passing by King Zhou's capital, Zhaoge, two very large beams of red light from heaven had impeeded Guangchengzi's path. After Guangchengzi personally saw beneath him the unfortunate events taking place - the near execution of both the crown princes - Guangchengzi would say that it would be best to create a very large tornado over the capital and use the confusion to steal both of the princes -- as to ensure the creation of the new dynasty. Thus, this action is effectively performed, and Guangchengzi has vowed to heaven that he won't stop until both of the princes are well trained in the art of rulership -- a fundamental obviously not enforced by the fool, King Zhou.
Links
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Investiture_of_the_Gods
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_mythology
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Chinese_mythology
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guangchengzi
Superiormen of Fengshen Yanyi | Fengshen Yanyi characters | Taoism | Chinese gods | Chinese mythology
Alternative Names (異名):
广成子, Guangchengzi
Guangchengzi (Chinese: 广成子; Pinyin: Guǎngchéngzǐ) is a character featured within the famed ancient Chinese novel Fengshen Yanyi.
He has sacrificed many upon many of years to solitude and has emerged as an immortal. Originally, this superiorman had been within the Peach Stream Cave of Mount Nine Elves. After he, along with his fellow immortal by the name of Red Nudeu had been passing by King Zhou's capital, Zhaoge, two very large beams of red light from heaven had impeeded Guangchengzi's path. After Guangchengzi personally saw beneath him the unfortunate events taking place - the near execution of both the crown princes - Guangchengzi would say that it would be best to create a very large tornado over the capital and use the confusion to steal both of the princes -- as to ensure the creation of the new dynasty. Thus, this action is effectively performed, and Guangchengzi has vowed to heaven that he won't stop until both of the princes are well trained in the art of rulership -- a fundamental obviously not enforced by the fool, King Zhou.
Links
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Investiture_of_the_Gods
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_mythology
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Chinese_mythology
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guangchengzi
Superiormen of Fengshen Yanyi | Fengshen Yanyi characters | Taoism | Chinese gods | Chinese mythology
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