Jinling_Shengmu

Jinling Shengmu

Jinling Shengmu

Taoist deity and character in the 16th-century Chinese novel


Jinling Shengmu (simplified Chinese: 金灵圣母; traditional Chinese: 金靈聖母; pinyin: Jīnlíng Shèngmǔ; lit. 'Saint Mother (of) Golden Spirit') is a character in the 16th-century Chinese novel, Fengshen Yanyi, which is also known as The Investiture of the Gods.[1]

Jinling Shengmu

Legend

In Fengshen Yanyi, Jinling Shengmu is one of the four chief disciples of Tongtian Jiaozhu. She is said to be more powerful than the Twelve Golden Immortals of Chanjiao. Jinling Shengmu has two disciples: Wen Zhong and Yu Yuan.[2][3][4][5]

The battle between Jinling Shengmu and the three great immortals

During the Battle of the Ten Thousand Immortals, she defeated Princess Longji and Hong Jin, and she faced off against the three great immortals: Wenshu Guangfa Tianzun, Puxian Zhenren, and Cihang Zhenren. Although she emerged victorious in her battle against the great immortals, she ultimately met her demise at the hands of the powerful weapon, Dinghai Shenzhu, wielded by Randeng Daoren.[6][7]

She was appointed as the God of Kangong Doumu, the head of Ziwei Zhizun (紫薇之尊), who has 84,000 stars and spirits under her command. Her position is of great importance and high rank in heaven. She is in charge of Jin Que, resides in the Dou Mansion, and holds the highest position among the places in Zhou Tian.[3] In the esoteric teachings of Taoism, she is identified as the same as Doumu.[8][9][10]

Worship

Jinling Shengmu is one of the principal deities in the village of Molangfang in Haidong, Tian Dalishi. She is venerated as the goddess of fertility in this village, and her attire is adorned with myriad characters. Scholars consider these characters to be a clear symbol of fertility, signifying the community's prayers for abundant and prosperous life.[11]


References

  1. 封神演义 (in Chinese). Beijing Book Co. Inc. September 2019. ISBN 978-7-5455-4857-0.
  2. 神神鬼鬼:眾生萬象,神鬼亦然 (in Chinese). 北京時代華文書局. 1 January 2018. ISBN 978-7-5699-2348-3.
  3. 中国神话人物辞典 (in Chinese). 陝西人民出版社. 1998. ISBN 978-7-224-04279-5.
  4. 明清文学史: 明代卷 (in Chinese). 武汉大学出版社. 1992. ISBN 978-7-307-00990-5.
  5. 許姬传七十年见闻录 (in Chinese). 中华书局. 1985.
  6. 搖篮边的祝福: 中国诞生礼 (in Chinese). 上海文艺出版社. 2001. ISBN 978-7-5321-2310-0.

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