#Wuzhiqi shengmu

[muffinsouffle]

Wuzhiqi Shengmu, goddess of the Huai river and Sun Wukong's long-lost older sister.

I wanted to make a character out of the chinese mythology. Then, I even made a backstory for her with the information that I gathered up.

I hope you liked this post and have a nice day 💖

[ghostly-creator]

Heaven is spiralling cause these Yao didn't even EARN their titles. the audacity, I'll tell you what!

[wuzhiqi-enj0yer]

Finally made a design I liked for Sun Wukong’s sisters , Lishan Laomu (離山老母, Venerable Mother of Mount Li) and Wuzhiqi Shengmu (巫支祇聖母, Holy Mother Wuzhiqi) after reading this article by @journeytothewestresearch

[the-monkey-ruler]

omg and in the play before the novel wukong had an older sister called holy mother wuzhiqi!

She was! Another good reason to remember the prototype Wukong (Xingzhe) was that he had SIBLINGS.

I always thought how cool it would have been if the celestial primates were inspired by them but considering that Xingzhe had four siblings making them five altogether would be one too many. And that there only seem to be 3 Monkey Sages and Wukong being one of them, making them 1 monkey too few.

The number four really never gets touched... damn.

But if there was a way to combine the lore together it could be that three of his four siblings are actually monkeys (Wuzhiqi Shengmu, Qitian Dasheng, and Shuashua Sanlang) while his first sister is more human in her description in other sources (Lishan Laomu).

If I would have to somehow combine Xingzhe's lore with the Spiritual Primates then I think I would do it something like this.

Great Sage Equaling Heaven (Qitian Dasheng) 齊天大聖 - Changed to Sun Wukong

Great Sage Reaching Heaven (Tongtian Dasheng) 通天大聖, - Six Eared Macaque getting Xinghe's original title, maybe even hinting that he was the turbulent Sun Xingzhe prototype.

Playful Third (?) (Shuashua Sanlang) 耍耍三郎 - Red Bottom Horse Monkey

Holy Mother Wuzhiqi 巫支祇聖母 Wuzhiqi Shengmu- Long Armed Gibbon

I would think that maybe switching Xingzhe's original title with the 齊天大聖 would just highlight how different the Yuan Sun Xingshe and the Ming Sun Wukong were written. Giving a little meta-outlook that perhaps the Yuan tale was inspired by the Six-Eared Macaque all along which for an adaption I would find SUCH a cool reference.

There is a lot that could go into this kind of adaption, especially since there are still other monkey gods that are known about today that could be tied into giving the Primordial Primates some more background and lore, connecting them that they were all once monkeys of legend but eventually lost their prestige through time as their eldest brother overtook the spotlight.

It would just be awesome to give the Primates just more attention in that they had just vague backgrounds I get directors would want to just have fun with them, but having real ties to past Xiyouji adaptions just... would be so meaningful really.

Though another interesting tie-in (and might be more of a stretch) could be giving the other three celestial primates with the Three Monkey Sages.

That kind of adaption could be suggesting that the other three Sages were sticking together and making their own name until one of them gave in and wanted to imitate Sun Wukong.

Cinnabar Cloud Great Sage (DanXia DaSheng) 丹霞大圣 - The Red Face Monkey Sage - Six Earred Macaque

Great Sage Reaching Heaven (TongTian DaSheng) 通天大圣- The Black Face Monkey Sage - Long Armed Gibbon

Playful Third ShuaShua SanLang (耍耍三郎) - The White Face Monkey Sage - Red Bottom Horse Monkey

This is more based on the looks and the particular reason that I think that Six Ears being the Cinnabar Cloud Great Sage is better here since the Cinnabar Cloud Great Sage actually DID steal Wukong's identity in the Pacification of the Demons of Linshui 臨水平妖傳. Also, the Black Faced Monkey Sage looks more like a Gibbon and the White Face Monkey Sage looks more like a Baboon to me.

This has made me go on such a tangent but this is all to say that there could be SO MUCH MORE LORE in adaptions given to the primordial primate with how many AWESOME legends there are out there.

[journeytothewestresearch]

The Evolution of Sun Wukong's Title

1. Great Sage Steel Muscles and Iron Bones (Gangjin tiegu dasheng, 鋼筋鐵骨大聖) - 13th-century "Kozanji version" "Emperor T'ai Tsung later enfeoffed Monkey Pilgrim as 'Great Sage Steel Muscles and Iron Bones'" (Wivell, 1994, p. 1207). [1] 2. Great Sage Reaching Heaven (Tongtian dasheng, 通天大聖) - 15th-century Xiyouji zaju play

"We are five brothers and sisters: my elder sister is Lishan Laomu [離山老母, Venerable Mother of Mount Li], my second sister Wuzhiqi Shengmu [巫支祇聖母, Holy Mother Wuzhiqi]; my older brother is Qitian Dasheng [齊天大聖, Great Sage Equaling Heaven], I myself am Tongtian Dasheng [通天大聖, Great Sage Reaching Heaven], and my younger brother Shuashua Sanlang [耍耍三郎, Shuashua the Third Son]" (Dudbridge, 1970, p. 110). 3. Great Sage Equaling Heaven (Qitian dasheng, 齊天大聖) - 1592 edition of the novel

"…What is there to stop you from assuming the rank of the Great Sage, Equal to Heaven?" When the Monkey King heard these words, he could not conceal his delight, shouting repeatedly, "Bravo! Bravo!" "Make me a banner immediately." he ordered the four mighty commanders, "and inscribe on it in large letters, 'The Great Sage, Equal to Heaven.' Erect a pole to hang it on. From now on, address me only as the Great Sage, Equal to Heaven, and the title Great King will no longer be permitted. The Monster Kings of the various caves will also be informed so that it will be known to all" (Wu & Yu, 2012, p. 151).  

Note:

1. The translation actually says "Bronze"; however, the original Chinese says "Steel" (see here).

Sources:

Dudbridge, G. (1970). The Hsi-yu Chi: A Study of Antecedents to the Sixteenth-Century Chinese Novel. Cambridge: Cambridge Univ. Press.

Wivell, C.S. (1994). The Story of How the Monk Tripitaka of the Great Country of T’ang Brought Back the Sūtras. In V. Mair (Ed.), The Columbia Anthology of Traditional Chinese Literature (pp. 1181-1207). New York: Columbia University Press.

Wu, C., & Yu, A. C. (2012). The Journey to the West (Vol. 1). Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

[ghostly-creator]

SHENGMU!! next up, Xinghe (aka our Six-eared favorite)

[muffinsouffle]

What is MKs and Wuzhiqi Shengmus relationship like ? Friends, aunt and nephew, siblings oooor something else ?

Their relationship in the beginning was very distant since Wuzhiqi isn't very social and MK, meeting someone who "probably" is one of the eldest yaoguai in this realm and historians didn't have many information about her, want to help her open up and befriend him and the monkie kid crew. But then she starts to be protective, like Monkey King to MK and his friends, but she's still learning to be interactive since it's her first time to see someone who's the same as her species (even the little monkeys), been locked under a mountain for mostly thousands of years without any social interaction and her family being no longer in this realm.

And I'm here to say in my perspective, if Monkey King and MK's relationship is kind of an uncle and nephew/brothers vibes to me, then Wuzhiqi would be his aunt/sister.