In Chinese Taoist fairy tales, there lived a goddess called Wangmu. She is believed to be the goddess of fertility, immortality, and life. She was initially depicted as a bugbear with a panther’s tail and a tiger’s tooth. She was initially associated with death and pestilences. She was also believed to make terrible noises and lived in the Kunlun Mountains. Towards the end of the Han Dynasty in 206 BC, she evolved into a graceful beauty who also became a goddess.
Who is the Queen mother in Chinese Mythology?
In the heavens, there lived a Jade emperor. He lived in heaven with his wife Xiwangmu and his large family. Today, the queen mother is a goddess worshipped not only in China but also in neighboring Asian countries.
Due to her origin in Mount Kunlun found in Western China, she was called the Queen mother of the west. She is held in high esteem in Chinese mythology as the goddess in charge of all goddesses. The Queen mother’s palace is depicted as perfect and beautiful. She was believed to host Deities and other goddesses in this palace. The goddess was always surrounded by spiritual attendants and prominent goddesses.
Goddess of Immortality
The Queen mother of the West had a garden of magical peaches. These peaches were believed to make people immortal and they ripened once every three thousand years. She would serve her guests with these peaches that would make them immortal. This character is depicted by a headdress with peaches hanging on it.
The queen mother was first mentioned in the Shang dynasty in 1766 to1122 BCE. The people in this century made rituals for a Western deity and it’s believed to be the Queen Mother of the West. The goddess’s peaches had the power to give and retain youth. Her courts were believed to have a cosmic pillar that enabled communication between deities and humans.
The Queen Mother and Daoist Women
Wangmu Niangniang was believed to have a special relationship with females as she was the highest goddess in the religion of the Taoists and the ruler of all female deities. Ancient writings and poetry quoted that all women who ascended in the transcendence became her dependents. She is believed to have cared for the Daoist women and was their judge, teacher, registrar, and guardian.
The Queen mother was held in high esteem by Chinese women who disagreed with the societal norms of a submissive woman. She was the most powerful representation of the females and the ultimate controller of immortality and the afterlife. She would visit human Emperors with a flower bouquet and special teachings. If he failed to practice these teachings, the Emperor would end up dead.
Conclusion
The Queen Mother continues to be worshipped to date. This worship is organized in Taiwan and is known as Yaochidao meaning the Way of the Mother- of- Pearl Lake. Members are required to wear blue and perform rituals, divination, and chanting of scriptures.
