Shuimu (Chinese: 水母), or Shuimu Niangniang (Chinese: 水母娘娘), is a water demon, spirit or witch of Buddhist and Taoist origin in Chinese mythology.[1] She is also identified with the youngest sister of the transcendent White Elephant (Buddha's gate-warder).[2] According to Chinese folklore, she is responsible for submerging Sizhou (an ancient Chinese city located in today's Anhui Province) under the waters of Hongze Lake in 1574 A.D. and is currently sealed at the foot of a mountain in Xuyi District.[3] However, different tales of Shuimu exist in different regions of China. For example, in Suzhou, Anhui she may be a demon goddess,[3] while in Taiyuan, Shanxi it is believed that she was a woman who was gifted a magical whip by an old man.[4] In Mandarin, the word "Shui" means 'water', "mu" is 'mother', and "niangniang" may mean a goddess. Shuimu is also referred to as The Old Mother of Waters,[3] Fountain Goddess,[4] and Sea Goddess.[5]
- ^ Fontenrose, Joseph Eddy. Python: A Study of Delphic Myth and Its Origins. University of California Press, 1959. Print.
- ^ Doré, Henri. Researches into Chinese Superstitions. Vol 9. Túsewei Printing Press. Internet Archive. Web. 19 Apr. 2017.
- ^ a b c Werner, Edward Theodore Chalmers (1922). Myths and Legends of China (PDF). Courier Corporation. pp. 166–168.
- ^ a b Hoevels, Fritz Erik (1999). Mass Neurosis Religion: Colleted Essays about the Psychoanalysis of Religion. Ahriman-Verlag GmbH. pp. 196–197. ISBN 978-83-911763-2-0.
- ^ Salmonson, Jessica Amanda (2015). The Encyclopedia of Amazons: Women Warriors from Antiquity to the Modern Era. Open Road Media. ISBN 978-1-4532-9364-5.