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Xiwangmu near Kaohsiung, Taiwan

The Queen Mother of the West (Chinese: 西王母; pinyin: Xīwángmǔ; Japanese: Seiōbo), in Chinese mythology, is the ruler of the western paradise and goddess of immortality. She is charged with overseeing the Wall of Heaven. Her official Taoist title is Yaochi Jinmu (瑤池金母), or the Golden Mother of the Shining Lake. Historical (T'ang dynasty) biographers name her: Chin mu yüan chün, The Primordial Ruler, Metal (Gold) Mother; Metal (Gold) Mother of Tortoise Mountain, She of the Nine Numina and the Grand Marvel; and the Perfected Marvel of the Western Florescence and the Ultimate Worthy of the Grotto Yin. Commoners and poets of the T'ang dynasty referred to her more simply as Queen Mother; Divine Mother; or by the ancient, familiar expression for "mother" or "nanny", Amah.

History

In popular Chinese mythology, the Queen Mother of the West lived with white cranes and red phoenixes in a golden palace by a lake at the summit of Mount K'un-lun (Kunlun Mountains), where she grew peaches. Mount K'un-lun was believed to be the cosmic center of the universe, joining heaven and earth. It was said the fragrance of the peaches of the Queen Mother's palace could be smelled miles away, and the fragrance could put even the unhappiest person to sleep. She also possesses a peach tree which, every 3,000 years, produces peaches, known as p'an-t'ao (Chinese: flat peach), that grant immortality. Every 3,000 years she invites all the other gods to partake of a banquet with peaches for dessert.

Originally, from the earliest known depictions of her in the "Guideways of Mountains and Seas" during the Zhou Dynasty, she was a ferocious goddess with the teeth of a tiger, who sent plagues down upon the world. In ancient Chinese symbolism, the tiger is associated with death. As a goddess with tiger-like attributes, the Queen Mother was seen as the principle deity governing the passage through death and possibly rebirth. After she was adopted into the Taoist pantheon, she was transformed into the goddess of life and immortality.

Iconography and Representation

Queen Mother of the West, earthenware, 2nd century, Han Dynasty

The Queen Mother of the West, called Xiwangmu in Chinese, is usually depicted holding court within her palace in Kunlun or the Western Paradise, surrounded by a female retinue of prominent goddesses and spiritual attendants. This court is depicted as being nearby to the orchard of the Peaches of Immortality.

She normally wears a distinctive headdress, called a sheng (not to be confused with the Chinese musical instrument, the shêng). The shape of her headdress has changed over time. Early depictions show what resembles an axle with two wheels attached, and it has been suggested that it represents the brake mechanism of the loom. Originally, the sheng may have been a crown of stars. Han dynasty art shows that the sheng resembles conventional Chinese depictions of constellations, showing stars as circles connected by straight lines. These two associations (the loom and stars) suggest the Queen Mother was seen as the creator of the heavens, "weaving" the stars into existence. The sheng is also shown with the Peaches of Immortality suspended from it. Later (T'ang) depictions of the Queen Mother's headdress show a crown of nine stars.

The Queen Mother's physical appearance changed greatly over time. Originally depicted as a shamanic deity with tiger-like attributes and disheveled hair, by the time of the T'ang dynasty she had completely lost these associations and was depicted as a noblewoman. By the T'ang, she is dignified and graceful, arrayed in moon-colored vestments and adorned with jade bracelets, rings and pendants. In T'ang literature, her appearance is cold and frostlike, though she is said to be a radiant beauty, eclipsing all other celestials.

Role

Xiwangmu's role within the system of Heaven is highly contested. Some legends claim that she is the mother of Jade Emperor whilst others claim that she is his wife.

References

• "Queen of Sheba and Biblical Scholarship" by Bernard Leeman (Queensland Academic Press) Westbrook Australia 2005 ISBN 0-9758022-0-8

[1]

• Suzanne E Cahill: Transcendence & Divine Passion. The Queen Mother of the West in Medieval China, Stanford University Press, Stanford, 1993, ISBN 0-8047-2584-5

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