This tradition continues today, as many people leave annual offerings to Chang’e during the Mid-Autumn Festival. He continued this practice until the day he died. In the hopes that it might make Chang’e feel less alone (and to show that he was no longer mad at her), Hou Yi started leaving her favorite desserts and fruits out every night. He would often stare up at the moon and think about how lonely Chang’e must be. As time went by, Hou Yi’s anger subsided and he began to miss his wife. Hou Yi was so angry that he grabbed his bow and tried to shoot Chang’e down he missed every shot. Realizing that his wife was not in bed with him, Hou Yi ran outside to find her drifting into the night sky. That night, she found the elixir under their bed and drank every last drop. Ultimately, Hou Yi decided to remain mortal and hide the elixir under his bed.Ĭhang’e soon discovered her husband’s gift and began to devise a plan. Xiwangmu had only given him enough elixir for one person, and he did not wish to be immortal if his wife could not live at his side for eternity. While Hou Yi was grateful for the gift, he felt conflicted. To reward him for his heroic deeds, the goddess Xiwangmu (西王母) gave him an elixir of immortality, a prize typically reserved for immortals who had achieved enlightenment. He raised his bow to the heavens and shot down nine of the ten suns. One day, a skilled archer named Hou Yi (后羿) decided that enough was enough. The extreme heat made it hard to farm crops and endangered entire populations. It was extremely hot all the time and there was no such thing as night. When the earth was still young, there were ten suns in the sky. This text recounts her deeds as such: “In the past Chang’e took the Western Queen Mother’s medicine of immortality and ate it, and subsequently fled to the moon, becoming the essence of the moon.” Chang’e Drinks the Elixir of Immortality One of Chang’e’s earliest appearances is in the ancient divination text the Gui Cang (歸藏). In all versions, however, Chang’e drinks the potion, becomes immortal, and flees to the moon. In others, Chang’e is simply a greedy women who steals the elixir out of selfishness. In some retellings, Chang’e is forced to drink the elixir when her husband’s apprentice tries to steal it for himself. This is a myth that features a few variations. While Chang’e is associated with a number of different myths, she is best known for stealing the elixir of immortality. Some historians believe that Chang’e may be Changxi’s mother due to their similar names and status as moon goddesses. In some versions of her myth, Chang’e served the Jade Emperor before being condemned to live as a mortal for accidentally breaking a porcelain pot.Ĭhang’e is often confused with the less popular lunar goddess, Changxi, who gave birth to twelve moons. FamilyĬhang’e is married to the legendary archer hero Hou Yi. Occasionally, Chang’e may be depicted as an ugly toad. She is sometimes shown holding an elegant white rabbit. In art, Chang’e is consistently depicted as a graceful young lady wearing stylish hair ornaments and long, flowing robes. She had pale, milky skin, hair as black as night, and lips like cherry blossoms. Prior to becoming the spirit of the moon, Chang’e was a woman renowned throughout China for her beauty. Thus, the name “Heng’e” was changed to “Chang’e.” Attributes An emperor’s name was supposed to be unique, and having a name so similar to another Chinese cultural figure would have been considered very taboo. Her original name was changed, however, because the emperor Liu Heng (劉恆) used a similar character in his name. In other styles of romanization, Chang’e (嫦娥) is sometimes referred to as Chang’o.Ĭhang’e was once known as Heng’e (姮娥). The goddess Chang’e’s name is comprised of cháng (嫦), a character completely unique to her name, and é (娥), meaning “pretty, young woman”.

Mtg elixir of immortality explained