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). No such potion has ever been discovered though alchemists in ancient China, India, and the Western world spent a great deal of time and effort on it.Īn elixir can be referred to as the 'Quintessence of life' or by other names - quintessence being reference to the five elements of Chinese alchemical philosophy or a theorized fifth element in European alchemy.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”. In other cultures, alchemical philosophy would deem less or more elements (four in most of Europe, thirty-six in India). In Ancient China, various emperors sought for the fabled elixir with various results. In the Qin Dynasty, Qin Shi Huang sent Taoist alchemist Xu Fu with 500 boys and 500 girls to the eastern seas to find the elixir, but he never came back (legend has it that he found Japan instead). The ancient Chinese believed that ingesting long-lasting precious substances such as jade, cinnabar or hematite would confer some of that longevity on the person who consumed them. Gold was considered particularly potent, as it was a non-tarnishing precious metal the idea of potable or drinkable gold is found in China by the end of the third century BC. The most famous Chinese alchemical book, the Tan Chin Yao Ch’eh ("Great Secrets of Alchemy," dating from approximately 650 AD), discusses in detail the creation of elixirs for immortality (mercury, sulfur, and the salts of mercury and arsenic are prominent) as well as those for curing certain diseases and the fabrication of precious stones. Many of these substances, far from contributing to longevity, were actively toxic. Jiajing Emperor in the Ming Dynasty died from ingesting a lethal dosage of mercury in the supposed "Elixir of Life" conjured by alchemists. Chinese interest in alchemy and the elixir of life declined in proportion to the rise of Buddhism, which claimed to have alternate routes to immortality.īritish historian Joseph Needham compiled a list of Chinese emperors whose death was likely due to elixir poisoning.
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