- Queen Mother of the West
The Queen Mother of the West ( _zh. 西王母;
pinyin : Xīwángmǔ; Japanese: "Seiōbo"), inChinese mythology , is the ruler of the westernparadise andgoddess ofimmortality . She is charged with overseeing the Wall of Heaven. Her official Taoist title is "Yaochi Jinmu" (瑤池金母), or the "Golden Mother of the Shining Lake".History
In popular Chinese mythology, the Queen Mother of the West lived with white
crane s and red phoenixes in a golden palace by a lake, where she grew peaches. It was said the fragrance of the peaches of her palace could be smelled miles away, and the fragrance could put even the unhappiest person to sleep. She also possesses a peach tree which, every 3,000 years, producespeaches , known as "p'an-t'ao" (Chinese: "flat peach"), that grantimmortality . Every 3,000 years she invites all the other gods to partake of a banquet with peaches for dessert.Originally, from the earliest known depictions of her in the "Guideways of Mountains and Seas" during the
Zhou Dynasty , she was a ferociousgoddess with theteeth of atiger , who sent plagues down upon the world. After she was adopted into theTaoist pantheon, she was transformed into the goddess of life and immortality.Iconography and Representation
The Queen Mother of the West, called "Xiwangmu" in Chinese, is usually depicted holding court within her palace in
Kunlun or the Western Paradise, surrounded by a female retinue of prominent goddesses and spiritual attendants. This court is depicted as being nearby to the orchard of the Peaches of Immortality.She normally wears a distinctive headress with the Peaches of Immortality suspended from it.
Role
Xiwangmu's role within the system of Heaven is highly contested. Some legends claim that she is the mother of
Jade Emperor whilst others claim that she is his wife.References
*"Queen of Sheba and Biblical Scholarship" by Bernard Leeman (Queensland Academic Press) Westbrook Australia 2005 ISBN 0-9758022-0-8 [http://www.daoistcenter.org/Personages.html]
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