Episode 41 - Chang'e

You knew something was wrong when you woke up. Everything was too bright, too warm. You made your way outside, and there, to your horror you saw something that could be the doom of humanity. All ten suns had risen together. Their combined heat and light scorching the surface of the world. You knew already, that if this were to continue, there would be nothing left of your town, your people, or anyone else. They would all be burned away.

There was only one thing to do, you had to get the help of the king. You ran toward the palace. You arrived to the palace to find some among the guards in chaos. Enough going on to slip through the gates and make your way toward the audience chamber. You entered, shouting about the terrible fate that you could imagine if the suns did not stop their assault. The king listened intently, nodding along, and then he wrote a short letter and handed it to you.

He commanded that you would carry his message to the archer Hou Yi. He could help, the king was certain of it. So you took the letter and hearing where Hou Yi could be found, started running again. You left the palace behind, the village too. You found yourself in a forest nearby, and within the forest, you found a house.

In Chinese mythology, there were 10 suns. Each would take its turn passing over the world, crossing the sky. But one day all 10 rose together and began to scorch the earth. This terrible dilemma was faced by the mythic hero, Hou Yi. And in exchange he received an elixir of immortality. But we are not telling his story today. Today, we are going to talk about the other prominent character in these myths. Hou Yi’s wife, Chang’e. She who would eventually become the goddess of the moon.

Chang’e is honored every year during the Mid-Autumn Festival, a tradition stretching back centuries. Sacrifices are made, offerings are given, prayers are whispered, all in the name of a woman who became a goddess to prevent tragedy.

Although Hou Yi is the hero of the myth in which we meet Chang’e, she is by far the more beloved character. She is beautiful, and kind, and wise. She makes hard decisions to prevent greater tragedy.

Her story inspires the Mid-Autumn festival, which centers during the time of the harvest, and the full moon. It is held on the fifteenth day of the eighth month of the lunar calendar each year. It is known by a few different names including the Moon Festival, and its purpose is grounded in Gathering of family and friends, Thanksgiving for the harvest and for harmony, and Praying for satisfaction of various causes.

In spite of her myth being around for millennia, she finds ways to influence our world to this day.

I am Andrew Eagle, and I am excited to invite you to join me in exploration of the Chinese myths of Hou Yi and his wife Chang’e, who would become a moon goddess.

The house was well-crafted, but humble. Not overly large, or grandiose like the palace. You slowed to a halt and then walked carefully up the small path to the door. You knocked. There was a short pause and then the door opened. A tall and powerfully built man stood in the door frame. This must by Hou Yi. You explained to him the situation. He nodded, seeming to understand the consequences of inaction by the grim look on his face. He collected his bow and quiver of arrows, handing the latter to you to carry. He said goodbye to his wife, Chang’e; and then you followed him out the door and back toward the village.

He was silent during your walk, leading you in the growing heat to the highest hill near the village. And there, he set his bow and called out to the suns. He first pleaded with them, asking them to withdraw, to resume their normal course across the sky so that the world may live. But they would not answer him.

So he tried to negotiate, offering them sacrifices in exchange for sparing the world. Still they were silent.

Hou Yi called out one more time. This time to warn them. If they did not abate, he would be forced to shoot them down. He drew his bow back, demonstrating for all who could witness the power of the weapon he held. When the suns did not respond to this intimidation. He sighed heavily and held his hand out for an arrow. You placed one of the arrows in his hands, he nocked, pulled, and fired. The arrow vanished it moved so fast. Disappearing into the sky. Then one of the suns shuddered and fell, crashing down to the world in the form of a three-legged crow. The town’s people were astonished, so were you. This man was powerful enough to destroy suns.

He fired eight more times, each time felling one of the suns, causing it to take the form of a three-legged crow and fly away. Finally there was only one sun left. He stuck out his hand for the last arrow, but as you went to hand it to him a voice barked a command for you to stop.

The king himself was walking up the hill.

He thanked Hou Yi for shooting down the suns, but begged him to spare the last sun. For without the light of any suns, the people would surely perish as well. Hou Yi simply nodded, retrieved his arrows and left back to the woods. You were in awe.

There are several legends about Chang’e and her origins as the goddess of the moon. Although the variables are significant, some pieces are consistently present in one form or another.

Hou Yi, the legendary archer; a king or emperor, depending on the version, this king is either benevolent or tyrannical; an elixir of immortality, and eventually the moon.

In each of the common versions, the archer Hou Yi, and husband of Chang’e, shoots down nine of the ten suns. For this monumental task, he is rewarded by the gods. His reward, a potion or elixir of immortality. A draft that will allow him to join the ranks of the gods. He refused to drink it because he does not wish to become an immortal without Chang’e.

In one version of the story, the people raise Hou Yi up to be a hero-king. This is where things diverge significantly between these two versions.

In the first, Hou Yi’s apprentice Fengmeng learns of the elixir, and one day, while Hou Yi is out hunting, he attacks Chang’e and attempts to steal the potion.

To prevent him from obtaining it, Chang’e drinks the elixir and becomes a goddess. She chooses the moon as her home. Discovering what had occurred, Hou Yi put out some of Chang’e’s favorite foods. Fruits and cakes as sacrifices to her. This tradition was adopted by the people who adored him and eventually would become the Mid-Autumn Moon Festival.

In the second, Hou Yi becomes a king, and he is quickly corrupted by the power, becoming a brutal tyrant. Fearing that he may become an immortal, and extend his fearful reign forever, Chang’e steals the elixir and drinks it to keep it from him. Angry, Hou Yi fired arrows after her, but missed several times. He was overcome by a great rage, and he soon was overcome by it and died. The people, grateful that he was gone, began to offer sacrifices to Chang’e to thank and commemorate her for her actions.

You followed Hou Yi home. Where you found a gift for him from the gods. For sparing all the people of the world by shooting down the suns, the gods had left an elixir of immortality. An invitation to become immortal… Endless as the gods. Chang’e, Hou Yi’s wife, was keeping it safe until you both arrived.

Hou Yi, seeing the elixir, and knowing what it was, told Chang’e to keep it. He would not become an immortal without her. She placed the elixir aside, and you said your goodbyes to both of them, and of course your thank yous to Hou Yi for saving everyone.

You left and went back to your life.

A few days later, in the early hours of the night, you were passing near the woods and heard a terrible clamor. Your heart sank as you realize… The sound is coming from the direction of Hou Yi’s house. You start running through the forest toward the house. When you arrive, the door was being battered down, splintering as you came into sight.

You saw Hou Yi’s apprentice breaking into Hou Yi’s house. Yelling, commanding Chang’e to give him the elixir. You rushed forward, trying to stop the man. You got between him and Chang’e, but he was much stronger than you and a better warrior. He threw you aside in short order. But as you rolled and clattered across the room, you saw Chang’e drink the elixir. The apprentice shouted, trying to get her to stop, but you knew she wouldn’t. You knew why she had to drink the elixir. It was the only way to prevent such a traitorous and cruel man from becoming a god.

Quickly she started ascending toward the heavens, a serene light surrounding her and filling the room. Then she was gone, flying up through the air toward the moon.

The Mid-Autumn Festival is one of the largest holiday festivals in the world. It is celebrated primarily in China and Vietnam, with similar or related festivals held in Korea, Japan, Singapore, and Cambodia; among others.

It celebrates gathering together of loved ones, giving thanks and gratitude, and praying for the future. It is held on the 15th day of the eighth month of the lunar calendar. That places it in mid September to early October on the Gregorian calendar.

A traditional dish, the mooncake, is made and eaten during the festival. It is a rich pastry filled with sweet-bean or lotus-seed paste and they are incredibly popular. Incense is burned and paper lanterns are lit. Riddles and stories are swapped. Performances in southern China and Vietnam include dragon and lion dances, traditional dances that are supposed to bring good luck, and demonstrate power and dignity.

The festival is considered a perfect time for match-making, and many of the traditions involve young couples meeting or getting to know one another.

Hou Yi returned shortly thereafter. His apprentice long gone, and you trying to set his house right.

He walked in and saw the state of the place. It seemed he knew what had occurred almost instantly. He simply asked you where Chang’e was.

You walked outside and pointed to the moon. He nodded and silently went inside and began moving about, collecting a small number of objects and ingredients. He began cooking something.

While he cooked, you explained to him what had happened, explained that his apprentice had tried to steal the elixir, and to help avoid a disaster, Chang’e had drank it instead. He nodded along. Then he was done. He had made a small cake. Her favorite, he explained. Then he carried it outside, made a small shrine facing the moon from a few larger, flat rocks, and he placed the cake upon it and prayed to his wife.

You left him to his prayer, and when you got home, you decided to follow his example. You could not make such a cake, but you had fruits you knew Chang’e enjoyed. So you made a shrine and left them where the moon could see them. Where she could see them.

Chang’e is not just a myth now. Not just the inspiration for a festival that has spread across eastern Asia. She is now immortalized in a few ways.

In 1969, just before the first Moon landing, Houston CAPCOM sent Apollo 11’s crew a message about a headline that had been published about Apollo that morning.

Ronald Evans, the CC, reported that the headline asked the astronauts to keep their eye out for a Chinese woman and her pet rabbit. While it is unclear to me why the rabbit was involved in this headline, Evans went on to describe that Chang’e was banished to the moon after consuming the pill of immortality where she had apparently been living for 4000 years. Michael Collins, the Command Module Pilot, simply replied: “Okay. We’ll keep a close eye out for the bunny girl.”

In more recent history, China named its lunar probe programs after the goddess. With a total now of 4 Chang’e robotic spacecraft touching down from 2007 to 2019. Chang’e 3 and 4 each delivered a rover to the surface, which were named Yutu, meaning Jade Rabbit, and Yutu 2.

The Mid-Autumn Moon Festival celebrates so many things. Of course, the moon and its goddess Cheng’e, but it is also a celebration of the harvest. Of community and family. It was a time to reflect and give thanks for all the blessings in life, and to look ahead to the coming year.

Whatever name it has, in each region it’s celebrated, the harvest and the festival attached to it brings people together. To work toward a common goal, to play and dance and sing. To accept the gifts the year had to offer.

It is simply about recognizing all they had, and finding more than one source to offer gratitude to.

Thank you for joining me for this episode of Through the Veil. I hope you enjoyed. I encourage you to subscribe to receive new episodes weekly wherever you listen as we continue our exploration of folklore, myth, and magic.

The music this week was The Spaces Betwewen by Scott Buckley.

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As always, thank you, for listening.