Queen Mother of the West | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
![]() The Queen Mother of the West in a detail from a painting by Xie Wenli | |||||||||
Abode | Mount Kunlun, or Tortoise Mountain | ||||||||
Consort | Dongwanggong | ||||||||
Chinese name | |||||||||
Chinese | 西王母 | ||||||||
| |||||||||
Golden Mother of the Jade Pond | |||||||||
Traditional Chinese | 瑤池金母 | ||||||||
Simplified Chinese | 瑶池金母 | ||||||||
| |||||||||
Golden Mother the First Ruler | |||||||||
Chinese | 金母元君 | ||||||||
| |||||||||
Lady Queen Mother | |||||||||
Chinese | 王母娘娘 | ||||||||
|
The Queen Mother of the West, known by various local names, is a mother goddess in Chinese religion and mythology, also worshipped later in neighbouring Asian countries. She is attested from ancient times.
The first historical information on her can be traced back to Shang dynasty oracle bone inscriptions that record sacrifices to a "Western Mother".[1] Even though these inscriptions illustrate that she predates organized Taoism, she is most often associated with Taoism. The growing popularity of the Queen Mother of the West, as well as the beliefs that she was the dispenser of prosperity, longevity, and eternal bliss, took place during Han dynasty, in the 2nd century BCE, when the northern and western parts of China became more accessible through the opening of the Silk Road.[2][3]
© MMXXIII Rich X Search. We shall prevail. All rights reserved. Rich X Search