Mythological Throwback Thursday: Mazu
Hello all! This Mythological Throwback Thursday is dedicated to the legend of Mazu (媽祖), the fisherman’s daughter who became a Taoist goddess and patron of an island of over 20 million people. Let’s dive in!
In the 10th century, on Meizhou Island in what is now China’s Fujian Province, a very quiet girl was born and given the name Lin Moniang (林默娘) which means ‘Silent Girl’. Moniang was the youngest daughter of a fisherman and she would stand at the shore all in red to guide fishing boats home in harsh weather.
One day, a terrible typhoon raged while Moniang’s father and brother were at sea. Her whole family feared them drowned, but Moniang prayed for their safe return and fell into a trance. In her trance she saved her father from drowning and was in the process of saving her brother when she was disturbed by her mother. Her brother drowned at sea, but her father returned, speaking of a miracle.
Moniang was an excellent swimmer, and an accomplished martial artist. Stories tell of her defeating two demon suitors called Qianli Yan (Thousand Miles Eye) and Shunfeng Er (With-the-wind Ear). Rather than marrying her as they had hoped, they instead became her companions and bodyguards.
Various stories are told of her death. One is that she climbed a mountain alone, and on reaching the top flew up to heaven. Others say she swam too far into the ocean searching for her lost relatives and drowned. Regardless, she became a goddess to whom people prayed for protection at sea. Fisherman particularly sought her protection.
When early 20th century settlers came to Taiwan by boat, one of the first things they would do on arrival was build a shrine to Moniang, now called Mazu (sometimes romanized as Matsu), which means Mother-Ancestor. Soon Mazu was being turned to for all of their concerns. Every year, during the third lunar month, pilgrims take a palanquin bearing a statue of Mazu around Taiwan, to spread blessings and repel evil from her temple. It’s a big job, with over a hundred of Mazu’s thousand Taiwanese temples to visit.
The Daija Mazu pilgrimage is one of the world’s largest, and hundreds of thousands follow Mazu by foot on her 185 mile journey. Not bad for the daughter of a fisherman. Don’t miss us next Thursday, for another Mythological Throwback!
