These daughters include Zhu-sheng-niang-niang (注生娘娘), a fertility goddess that helps couples in need of children, Yen-kuang nian-niang (眼光娘娘), the protector of the blind who could grant eyesight to those in need, and Zhinü (織女). While they are said to have an enormous amount of children, three of their daughters take prominence above all others. Xiwangmu is married to the Jade Emperor (玉帝). Xiwangmu is often depicted wearing a headdress that she uses to hide her wild, untamed hair. Texts now described her as having the appearance of a human woman, though she retained some beastly traits-notably, tiger’s teeth and a leopard’s tail. Around the Tang Dynasty, however, popular opinion surrounding Xiwangmu began to shift dramatically. In early Chinese texts, Xiwangmu had a wild, almost feral appearance befitting her ferocious personality. Xiwangmu is also referred to as jīn mǔ (金母) or “Golden Mother.” Colloquially, she is often called “Aunt Mother Queen” or wáng mǔ niáng niang (王母娘娘). Wáng mǔ is also a way of saying “grandmother,” and Xiwangmu’s name could thus be interpreted as “Western Grandmother.” Wáng mǔ can also mean “deceased female relative,” and Xiwangmu’s name is sometimes interpreted as “Spirit (or Ghost) Mother of the West” as a result. The phrase “wáng mǔ” has several alternate meanings, however. Xī (西) is the Chinese character for West, wáng (王) is an honorific title reserved for gods and emperors, and mǔ (母) simply means “mother.” Xiwangmu’s name is most often interpreted as “Queen Mother of the West.” Her most common name is simply xī wáng mǔ (西王母). Like other high ranking deities, Xiwangmu has many names and honorary titles. They are found to the north of the Kunlun mountains. In the south, there are three birds from which Xiwangmu takes her nourishment. Xiwangmu rests on a stool and wears an ornament on her head. She is the controller of the Grindstone and the Five Shards constellations of the heavens. The twelfth chapter of the famous Chinese text Shan-Hai Jing, or the Classic of Mountains and Oceans, describes Xiwangmu as a mysterious yet powerful deity: After repenting her evil ways, she achieved enlightenment and became a goddess. Xiwangmu is thought to have once been a wild demon that lived in the mountains and caused cataclysmic disasters. She is married to the Jade Emperor (玉皇) and tends to the Peaches of Immortality in their palace gardens. She has complete control over life, death, creation, and destruction. Xiwangmu (西王母), or Queen Mother of the West, is one of the most ancient and powerful goddesses in the Chinese pantheon.
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