In Chinese mythology, Chang'e is the goddess of the moon who was married to the famous archer Hou Yi. Legend goes that there were originally ten suns. Tired of taking turns to cross the sky they decided to appear together causing excess heat and...
#LegendaryWednesday
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...destruction. Hou Yi shot down nine of the suns leaving just one to sustain life on earth. As a result, he was given the elixir of immortality. But he stored it in his home because he didn't want to become immortal & be separated from his beloved wife. There are several...
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...versions of this tale. In one, his wife Chang-e takes the elixir herself and rises to live on the moon as an immortal goddess. In another, thieves try to steal the elixir and so she drinks it instead thus gaining immortality. Her grief-stricken husband stares up at the...
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...moon pining for her and leaves out her favourite cakes. This myth is the origin of the Mid-Autumn moon festival celebrated in China each year. Today people still eat moon cakes and gaze at the full moon where the goddess Chang'e is believed to reside with the Jade Rabbit.
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🎨1. 'Moon Goddess Chang E with Rabbits' - Kimpodo, 1831
2. 'Houyi' depicted in Xiao Yuncong's Illustrated 'Inquiry of the Heavens', 1645
3. 'Chang-E Flees to the Moon' from the series '100 Aspects of the Moon' - Tsukioka Yoshitoshi, 1885
5. 'Chang E' - unknown, 14th C.
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