Chinese Fairy Tales
THE QUEEN OF HEAVEN
THE Queen of Heaven, who is also known as
the Holy Mother, was in mortal life a maiden of Fukien, named Lin. She
was pure, reverential and pious in her ways and died at the age of
seventeen. She shows her power on the seas and for this reason the
seamen worship her. When they are unexpectedly attacked by wind and
waves, they call on her and she is always ready to hear their pleas.
There
are many seamen in Fukien, and every year people are lost at sea. And
because of this, most likely, the Queen of Heaven took pity on the
distress of her people during her lifetime on earth. And since her
thoughts are uninterruptedly turned toward aiding the drowning in their
distress, she now appears frequently on the seas.
In every ship
that sails a picture of the Queen of Heaven hangs in the cabin, and
three paper talismans are also kept on shipboard. On the first she is
painted with crown and scepter, on the second as a maiden in ordinary
dress, and on the third she is pictured with flowing hair, barefoot,
standing with a sword in her hand. When the ship is in danger the first
talisman [59] is burnt, and help comes. But if this is of no avail,
then the second and finally the third picture is burned. And if no help
comes then there is nothing more to be done.
When seamen lose
their course among wind and waves and darkling clouds, they pray
devoutly to the Queen of Heaven. Then a red lantern appears on the face
of the waters. And if they follow the lantern they will win safe out of
all danger. The Queen of Heaven may often be seen standing in the
skies, dividing the wind with her sword. When she does this the wind
departs for the North and South, and the waves grow smooth.
A
wooden wand is always kept before her holy picture in the cabin. It
often happens that the fish-dragons play in the seas. They are two
giant fish who spout up water against one another till the sun in the
sky is obscured, and the seas are shrouded in profound darkness. And
often, in the distance, one may see a bright opening in the darkness.
If the ship holds a course straight for this opening it will win
through, and is suddenly floating in calm waters again. Looking back,
one may see the two fishes still spouting water, and the ship will have
passed directly beneath their jaws. But a storm is always near when the
fish dragons swim; therefore it is well to burn paper or wool so that
the dragons do not draw the ship down into the depths. Or the Master of
the Wand may burn incense before the wand in the cabin. Then he must
take the wand and swing it over the water three times, in a circle. If
he does so the dragons will draw in their tails and disappear.
When
the ashes in the censer fly up into the air without any cause, and are
scattered about, it is a sign that great danger is threatening.
[60]
Nearly two-hundred years ago an army was fitted out to subdue the
island of Formosa. The captain’s banner had been dedicated with the
blood of a white horse. Suddenly the Queen of Heaven appeared at the
tip of the banner-staff. In another moment she had disappeared, but the
invasion was successful.
On another occasion, in the days of
Kien Lung, the minister Dschou Ling was ordered to install a new king
in the Liu-Kiu Islands. When the fleet was sailing by south of Korea, a
storm arose, and his ship was driven toward the Black Whirlpool. The
water had the color of ink, sun and moon lost their radiance, and the
word was passed about that the ship had been caught in the Black
Whirlpool, from which no living man had ever returned. The seaman and
travelers awaited their end with lamentations. Suddenly an untold
number of lights, like red lanterns, appeared on the surface of the
water. Then the seamen were overjoyed and prayed in the cabins. “Our
lives are saved!” they cried, “the Holy Mother has come to our aid!”
And truly, a beautiful maiden with golden earrings appeared. She waved
her hand in the air and the winds became still and the waves grew even.
And it seemed as though the ship were being drawn along by a mighty
hand. It moved plashing through the waves, and suddenly it was beyond
the limits of the Black Whirlpool.
Dschou Ling on his return
told of this happening, and begged that temples be erected in honor of
the Queen of Heaven, and that she be included in the list of the gods.
And the emperor granted his prayer.
Since then temples of the
Queen of Heaven are to be found in all sea-port towns, and her birthday
is celebrated on the eighth day of the fourth month with spectacles and
sacrifices.
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