I'm currently working on a comprehensive list of Sun Wukong's magic powers. Here is just a taste from chapters two to four.
Bold black = magic power
Bold red = acquired non-magic skill
Bold green = claimed magic power that is never actually demonstrated
Bold orange = inborn talent?
Ch. 2
Early education #1: human skills - “[H]e began to learn from his [senior immortal] schoolmates the arts of language and etiquette” (與眾師兄學言語禮貌) (Wu & Yu, 2012, vol. 1, p. 116).
- Note: We all know that Monkey failed his etiquette classes.
Early education #2: religious skills - “He discussed with them the scriptures and the doctrines; he practiced calligraphy and burned incense” (講經論道、習字焚香; i.e. ritual procedure) (Wu & Yu, 2012, vol. 1, p. 116).
Wukong’s knowledge of scripture and philosophy pops up a few times in the novel. For example, he subsequently becomes enraptured by Subodhi's lecture on the Dao and Chan (Wu & Yu, 2012, vol. 1, p. 116).
Early education #3: gardening skills - “In more leisurely moments he would be … hoeing the garden, planting flowers or pruning trees” (閑時即...鋤園、養花修樹) (Wu & Yu, 2012, vol. 1, p. 116).
Immorality (1st category) [1] - This is achieved via oral formulas (口訣) and breathing exercises (自己調息) at prescribed times (Wu & Yu, 2012, vol. 1, pp. 120-121).
- The stipulated Chinese hours are before zi (12:00-14:00) and after wu (12:00-02:00) (i.e. noon to midnight) (子前午後). However, historical real world practice is reversed: after zi and before wu (i.e. midnight to noon).
Adeptness (i.e. quick learning) - “But this Monkey King was someone who, knowing one thing, could understand a hundred!” (這猴王也是他一竅通時百竅通) (Wu & Yu, 2012, vol. 1, p. 122).
First learns the “Multitude of Terrestrial Killers” (地煞數; a.k.a. “72 changes,” 七十二般變化) - This requires oral formulas (口訣, a.k.a. “oral spells,” 咒語) (Wu & Yu, 2012, vol. 1, p. 122).
- This sometimes requires a magic hand sign and a shake of the body (see below).
First attempt at “Cloud-Soaring” (騰雲) - Subodhi mockingly calls this “Cloud-Climbing” (爬雲) (Wu & Yu, 2012, vol. 1, p. 122).
First learns the “cloud somersault” (觔斗雲) - This requires a magic sign, an oral spell, a fist clinch, and a body shake (捻著訣,念動真言,攢緊了拳,將身一抖). It takes him 108,000 li (里) in a single leap (Wu & Yu, 2012, vol. 1, p. 123).
- 108,000 li = 33,554 mi or 54,000 km [2]
Multitude of Terrestrial Killers (i.e. 72 changes) - This requires a magic sign (捻著訣) and an oral spell (咒語). He transforms into a pine tree (Wu & Yu, 2012, vol. 1, p. 124).
Cloud somersault - He flies from the Western Continent to Flower-Fruit Mountain (i.e. from one side of the world to the other) “in less than an hour” (消一個時辰) (Wu & Yu, 2012, vol. 1, p. 125).
First use of the “body beyond body” (身外身法; a.k.a. “magic of body division,” 分身法) (i.e. hair clones) - This requires chewing and a “change!” (變) command. Small clone monkeys are used to overwhelm and beat up a monster who is three zhang (三丈) (31.29 ft / 9.53 m) tall (Wu & Yu, 2012, vol. 1, p. 128). [3] A passage explains:
- “For you see, when someone acquires the body of an immortal, he can project his spirit, change his form, and perform all kinds of wonders [出神變化無方]. Since the Monkey King had become accomplished in the Way, every one of the eighty-four thousand hairs on his body could change into whatever shape or substance he desired” (Wu & Yu, 2012, vol. 1, p. 128).
- 原來人得仙體,出神變化無方。不知這猴王自從了道之後,身上有八萬四千毛羽,根根能變,應物隨心。
Cloud somersault - He flies 30 or 50 monkeys and property (pots, bowls, utensils, etc.) home from captivity to Flower-Fruit Mountain (Wu & Yu, 2012, vol. 1, p. 129).
Ch. 3
Martial arts (武藝) - He “teach[es his monkeys] how to sharpen bamboos for making spears, file wood for making swords, arrange flags and banners, go on patrol, advance or retreat, and pitch camp” (Wu & Yu, 2012, vol. 1, pp. 131-132).
- 教小猴砍竹為標,削木為刀,治旗幡,打哨子,一進一退,安營下寨 …
Cloud Somersault - He flies east from Flower-Fruit Mountain over “200 li of water in no time” (霎時間過了二百里水面) to the Eastern Continent (Wu & Yu, 2012, vol. 1, p. 131).
Blows a mighty wind (陣風) - This requires a magic sign (捻起訣來), an oral spell (咒語), and taking a deep breath (Wu & Yu, 2012, vol. 1, pp. 131-132). A poem states that it puts the world into chaos:
- Thick clouds in vast formation moved o'er the world;
Black fog and dusky vapor darkened the Earth;
Waves churned in seas and rivers, afrighting fishes and crabs; Boughs broke in mountain forests, wolves and tigers taking flight.
Traders and merchants were gone from stores and shops.
No single man was seen at sundry marts and malls.
The king retreated to his chamber from the royal court.
Officials, martial and civil, returned to their homes.
This wind toppled Buddha's throne of a thousand years
And shook to its foundations the Five-Phoenix Tower (Wu & Yu, 2012, vol. 1, p. 132).
- 炮雲起處蕩乾坤,黑霧陰霾大地昏。
江海波翻魚蟹怕,山林樹折虎狼奔。
諸般買賣無商旅,各樣生涯不見人。
殿上君王歸內院,階前文武轉衙門。
千秋寶座都吹倒,五鳳高樓幌動根。
Body beyond body (i.e. hair clones) - This requires chewing and a “change!” (變) command. The small clone monkeys carry an armory’s worth of weapons (Wu & Yu, 2012, vol. 1, p. 132).
Magic of displacement (攝法) - This is a spell that carries the weapon-laden monkeys on wind (Wu & Yu, 2012, vol. 1, p. 132).
Monkey claims to have a number of supernatural powers:
- “I have the ability of seventy-two transformations. The cloud somersault has unlimited power. I am familiar with the magic of body concealment (身遯身, a.k.a. 隱身法) and the magic of displacement. I can find my way to Heaven or I can enter the Earth. I can walk past the sun and the moon without casting a shadow, and I can penetrate stone and metal without hindrance. Water cannot drown me, nor fire burn me” (Wu & Yu, 2012, vol. 1, p. 133).
- 我自聞道之後,有七十二般地煞變化之功,觔斗雲有莫大的神通;善能隱身遯身,起法攝法。上天有路,入地有門;步日月無影,入金石無礙;水不能溺,火不能焚。
Magic of water restriction (閉水法) - He travels to the Dragon Kingdom (Wu & Yu, 2012, vol. 1, p. 133).
Super strength - He effortlessly toys with a 3,600 catty (斤) (4,682.61 lbs / 2,124 kg) battle fork and a 7,200 catty (9,365.23 lbs / 4,248 kg) halberd (Wu & Yu, 2012, vol. 1, p. 134). [4]
Super strength - He lifts the 13,500 catty (斤) (17,559.81 lbs / 7,965 kg) iron pillar in the dragon treasury (Wu & Yu, 2012, vol. 1, p. 135).
Opens a waterway (開水道) - He uses the magic of water restriction to return to Flower-Fruit Mountain (Wu & Yu, 2012, vol. 1, p. 137).
First use of the “Magic Method of Modeling Heaven on Earth” (法天像地的神通), a 10,000 zhang (萬丈) (104,300 ft / 31,800 m) tall giant form - This requires bending over and screaming “grow!” [長!]. This form has:
- “[A] head like the Tai Mountain and a chest like a rugged peak, eyes like lightning and a mouth like a blood bowl, and teeth like swords and halberds” (Wu & Yu, 2012, vol. 1, p. 138).
- 頭如泰山,腰如峻嶺,眼如閃電,口似血盆,牙如劍戟
Immorality (2nd category) - This is achieved by inking out his name from the ledgers of hell [生死簿子] (Wu & Yu, 2012, vol. 1, p. 141).
Ch. 4
Cloud somersault - It is much faster than those of ordinary immortals (Wu & Yu, 2012, vol. 1, p. 145).
Travel to heaven - Refer back to ch. 3-#6A (Wu & Yu, 2012, vol. 1, p. 145).
First use of “three-headed and six-armed” (三頭六臂) war form - This requires a “change!” (變) command (Wu & Yu, 2012, vol. 1, p. 155).
Staff multiplication - This is done millions of times over (以一化千千化萬) to face Nezha’s own countless weapons (Wu & Yu, 2012, vol. 1, p. 156).
- The multitude of armaments are said to “clash like horned-dragons flying in the air” (cf. Wu & Yu, 2012, vol. 1, p. 156).
Body beyond body (i.e. hair clones) - This requires a “change!” (變) command. Monkey creates an autonomous decoy to distract Nezha while he slips behind him to land a staff blow (Wu & Yu, 2012, vol. 1, p. 156).
Immortality (3rd category) - This is achieved via heavenly imperial wine (御酒, a.k.a. “Immortal wine,” 仙酒 and “juices of jade,” 玉液瓊漿) (Wu & Yu, vol. 1, p. 159, 165, and 167).
I'm currently on chapter 16, so it will take me a while to finish, especially since I'm simultaneously gathering info for several other articles, including mirrored essays for Zhu Bajie and Sha Wujing.
Once I've gone through all 100 chapters, I will put each instance of a particular power into its own category (transformation, super strength, hair clones/tools, etc.) and then analyze everything as a whole. The Google Doc containing the list of powers will be attached to the analysis.
This project was partly inspired by a previous effort made by @the-monkey-ruler.
I'm open to feedback.
Notes:
1) In place of using “layer” or “level,” I’m choosing to designate his various immortalities as “categories.” This is because a new layer of divine longevity or durability would surely be added for each immortal peach, elixir pill, or cup/jug of heavenly wine consumed. Hence, eating multiple peaches would be one category, eating multiple elixir pills would be one category, and so on and so forth.
2) It’s important to note that 108,000 li is a metaphor for instant enlightenment (see section III here). Therefore, power-scalers should not use any instance of this as a feat.
3) One zhang (丈) comprises ten chi (尺, a.k.a. "Chinese feet"), and during the Ming Dynasty, one chi was roughly 12.3 in or 31.8 cm. This makes one zhang 10.43 ft or 3.18 m (Jiang, 2005, p. xxxi).
4) During the Ming, one catty (jin, 斤) was 590 grams (Elvin, 2004, p. 491 n. 133).
Source:
Elvin, M. (2004). The Retreat of the Elephants: An Environmental History of China. New Haven (Conn.): Yale University Press.
Wu, C., & Yu, A. C. (2012). The Journey to the West (Vols. 1-4) (Rev. ed.). Chicago, Illinois: University of Chicago Press.
The world of the Estonians’ ancestors – Mythical motifs in Estonian runic songs
The Estonian literary mythology describes the following pantheon: The supreme god, the god of all living things, is Taara (variations of the name include Tooru, Tharapita and Tarapitha), also known as Uku or Jumal, is a prominent god in Estonian mythology, with a strong resemblance to the Finnish Ukko and the Germanic Thor. He is celebrated in sacred oak forests around Tartu. The god of thunder is Uku. Uku's daughters are Linda and Jutta, the queen of the birds. Uku has two sons: Kõu (Thunder) and Pikker (Lightning). Pikker possesses a powerful musical instrument, which makes demons tremble and flee. He has a naughty daughter, Ilmatütar (Weather Maiden).
Estonian legends about giants (Kalevipoeg, Suur Tõll, Leiger) may be a reflection of Germanic (especially Scandinavian) influences. Giants themselves in some stories stood as protectors against such Germanic influences, such as invasion. There are numerous legends interpreting various natural objects and features as traces of Kalevipoeg's deeds. The giant has merged with Christian Devil, giving birth to a new character – Vanapagan (a cunning demon living on his farm or manor) and his farm hand Kaval-Ants ("Crafty Hans").
Other mythical motifs from Estonian runic songs:
a mighty oak grows into the sky, is then felled and turned into various mythical objects
Sun, Moon and Star are the suitors of a young maiden, she finally accepts the Star
a crafty blacksmith forges a woman of gold but is not able to give her a soul or a mind
a holy grove starts to wither after having been desecrated by a love-making couple; only sacrificing nine brothers cleanses it
mighty heroes are not able to kill a terrible giant ox, but a little brother is
a woman is forced to kill her daughter who then goes to live in the heaven as the Air Maiden
a girl finds a fish and asks her brother to kill it – there is a woman inside the fish
young girls go out at night and young men from the holy grove (or the land of the dead) seduce them by offering them riches
a lake travels to another place when it has been desecrated by an inconsiderate woman or an incestuous couple
(Below is a cleaned up machine translation. Please note that due to the nature of machine translation, the text may not be wholly accurate or may read oddly. Japanese is included after English for reference. The text was lifted from the images using this site, and though there's been care taken to make sure everything is correct, there is a chance of unintentional typos.)
With the Only one prince + superb honeymoon in paradise♡
Only oneの王子様と+楽園で極上ハネムーン♡
▼ Spade offers a handkerchief to Joker, who is soaking wet from the rain. Phoenix is in a panic because of the rain, which he doesn't like!
Joker dressed up as a woman to participate in the World Bride Grand Prix. The exotic dress suits him ♪
世界花嫁グランプリ出場のため、ジョーカーが女装した姿。 エキゾチックなドレスがお似合い ♪
--Producer Mabuchi Yoshiki Interview
Joker and new characters such as Phoenix (Akai Tsubasa) and members of the "Devil Fang" organization led by President D continue their unpredictable adventures in "Kaitou Joker" Season 3. I'm sure your hearts are racing with excitement, but how about another thing that makes your heart flutter♥
This time, we have a fantasy of newlywed life with Joker and friends ♪ We also have special cooking tips for the future brides. Of course, the excitement will be even more intense in the full-length anime! We received the following secret information from producer Yoshiki Mabuchi of Shin-Ei Animation! The main highlights are Phoenix and Hosshi. Their mysteries will be gradually revealed during the 16 episodes between Season 3 and the upcoming Season 4. In Season 1 and Season 2, the story was rather complete, but in Season 3 and Season 4, the mystery will be solved by watching all the episodes. Also, the tricks this time were supervised by a real magician, RYOTA, who came up with the ideas for the tricks.
Let's explore the charms of Season 3 from various angles, such as the concepts of new characters and the event report manga, with Producer Mabuchi still with us. ♪
Tsubasa: "Hm, I've never cooked before… Well, here's the question: if I were to cook, what would it be? 1. Super spicy curry, 2. Super spicy mapo tofu, 3. Konpeito Southern Cross style (very spicy). By the way, I like very spicy food."
Spade: "I guess it's hard to decide between cooking and eating. Dark Eye makes delicious food, so I leave it up to him, but when I'm stuck in a writing dilemma, sometimes I just make French food."
Mabuchi P big prediction★
What if you let the phantom thieves do your housework!?
馬渕P大予想★
怪盗たちに家事を任せるなら!?
Joker
"Likely has the ability to select good things, so it could be shopping."
ジョーカー
「良い物を選別する力 があると思うので、 ショッピングでしょうか」
Hachi
"All the housework. He's the ideal wife that everyone wants (laughs)"
ハチ
「家事すべて。 もはや 誰もが欲しがる、 理想の嫁ですね (笑)」
Phoenix
"He's sleeping all the time, so I feel like he's going to be a lazy house-husband (laughs)"
フェニックス
「ずっと寝ているので、 ダラダラした主夫になりそうです (笑)」
Shadow
"He seems to take good care of people, so I guess it would be picking up the kids and taking out the trash."
シャドウ
「面倒見は良さそうなので、子どものお迎えやゴミ出しでしょうか」
Spade
"He's also a novelist, so perhaps he might not do well with housework."
スペード
「小説家もやっている ので、家事向きではないかもしれないですね」
--Mini Talk
Reverse Proposal Tips! Phantom Thief Mini Talk ♪
What gift makes you happiest?
逆プロポーズのヒント!? 怪盗ミニトーク♪
プレゼントされて一番嬉しいものは?
Joker & Tsubasa: "A game!!"
Spade: "You guys are so in-tune…"
Joker: "No way! Okay, if you like games, let's play an action game!"
Tsubasa: "That sounds fun!"
Spade: "I'll pass. You really do like that sort of thing, you're like children."
Tsubasa: "You just don't like losing, do you?"
Joker: "Yeah, right!"
Spade: "That isn't the case! Fine then, let's do it!"
Wings: "By the way, what's an action game?"
Joker & Spade: "Eh……"
Mabuchi P's Big Prediction ★
What kind of brides will the female phantom thieves be!?
"Queen is rough around the edges and wants to do the housework but often fails. She will need someone like Roko to follow her through. Ai is versatile, and she also cooks when in her Dark Eye form, so I think she will make the best bride. Rose seems surprisingly caring; However, she has been asleep for a long time, so I think she will be studying and learning modern common sense."
The characters are fundamentally the same as in Seasons 1 and 2, but we asked Miho Shimogasa to design them with a slightly more adult or "cool" look in mind. Phoenix, Hosshi, and "Devil Fang" became the main characters at the suggestion of director Yukiyo Teramoto and series director Dai Sato. Originally, the original author, Hideyasu Takahashi, had an idea for the Phoenix and the Divine Beast, and we pulled the concepts from a rough draft of that idea. There are still many mysteries about President D, but by creating an organization called "Devil Fang" and having rival thieves belong to it, it became easier to bring out various characters in the anime. There are many fascinating characters in the original story, and we want to include them in the anime as much as possible.
In Season 3, you seem to have included a number of concepts that are original to the anime.
Yes, that's right. The concept of Hosshi eating treasures and laying eggs, where key items of the story come out of, is also an original concept of the anime. On the other hand, Akai's three-choice questions are a concept that existed in the original story, and we decided to make use of it in the anime as well, so Akai always says the three-choice question every time he appears in the story. Mr. Sato raised the bar himself, saying, "I want the questions to rhyme nicely" (laughs). He had a hard time thinking about it.
Speaking of originality, Kaneko transformed into a murderous woman in episode 30. I was surprised because this was an idea that Director Teramoto had mentioned in the August 2015 issue of Otomedia.
It was an idea that Director Teramoto had been working on for a long time. The transformation scene was quite forced, but since it was a gag episode, I thought it would be okay (laughs). The next episode, episode 31, "Shadow and Eyes and Fakes" was also a gag episode, and everyone on the staff wanted to do it. Shadow also made an appearance for the first time in a while, and he too became more of a gag (laugh). We also introduced Fake Silver Heart and fake Roko, who were not in the original work. Fake-Silver is a robot and Fake-Roko is a skunk. In the original, Fake-Queen is the character who farts, but in the anime, we switched that concept to Fake-Roko. The cast is also spectacular, with Kenichi Suzumura as fake Joker, Toshiyuki Toyonaga as fake Spade, and Kaori Nazuka as fake Queen. The casting was done after asking Ayumu Murase, who plays Joker, who he would like to play a fake version of his character.
The opening and ending sequences were just as impressive as the previous and the OP was storyboarded by Takashi Otsuka, who also directed the previous season's OP, to match Arukara's "Miracle Shounen Boy 2" with an emphasis on coolness. Tasuke Inamura, the vocalist of Arukara, came up with the idea for the intro of the song, which includes the call "Hachi!" The ED is innovative, with Joker in red and the Hachi in blue, each running on a road in their image color. The ED is sung by Fuki Commune and fits perfectly with the song "Welcome to the Shining Night!"
What are the upcoming episodes and characters?
There are stories featuring DJ Peacock and Ali Baba. Stay tuned for a rendition of "Ali Baba and the Four Detectives." The story of Rainbow Justice will also involve the Devil Fang. In addition, watch for the original anime episode "The Sky Joker in Peril"! The story and tricks are completely original, and it takes place on Joker's airship, the Sky Joker. You will also see Joker's treasure room and learn about the inside of the ship.