Jade Mountain (mythology)
Jade Mountain (Chinese: 玉山; pinyin: Yùshān) is a mythological mountain in Chinese mythology and residence of The Queen Mother of the West.[1]
Place
Jade Mountain should not be confused with any geographic places named Yushan. Also note, Jade Mountain and Feather Mountain (Chinese: 羽山; pinyin: Yǔshān) are both important places in Chinese mythology, but the Chinese word yu in both cases has a different character.
It has been suggested that the mountain corresponds to a location in the Kunlun Mountains and that 'jade mountain' is a common Chinese name to describe a snow-capped peak.[2]
Background
Jade Mountain is mentioned in Chapter 2 of the Han Dynasty text Classic of Mountains and Seas as being the residence of the Queen Mother of the West.[3] It is thought that Jade Mountain, along with the Queen Mother of the West, date back to much earlier; the 4th century BCE Zhuangzi also describes her residence as being on a mountain.[4]
See also
- Feather Mountain: scene of execution (or attempted execution) of Gun
- Kunlun Mountain: a mythical mountain, dwelling of various divinities, and fabulous plants and animals
- Mount Buzhou: mythical mountain
- Mount Penglai: paradise; a fabled fairy isle on the China Sea
References
- ↑ Yang, Lihui; et al. (2005). Handbook of Chinese Mythology. New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-533263-6. pp. 162, 219
- ↑ Ye 叶, Shuxian 舒宪 (2014). "《山海经》与白玉崇拜的起源———黄帝食玉与西王母献白环神话发微" [The Classic of the Mountains and Seas and the origin of white jade worship: the transmission of the legends of the Yellow Emperor eating jade and the Queen Mother of the West gifting a white bracelet]. Minzu Yishu 民族艺术 (in Chinese) (6): 19–26. doi:10.16564/j.cnki.1003-2568.2014.06.008.
- ↑ "Xi Shan Jing 西山经". Shan Hai Jing 山海经. Online: Ctext.org. p. 49.
- ↑ Dubs, Homer H. (1942). "An Ancient Chinese Mystery Cult". The Harvard Theological Review. 35 (4): 221–240. JSTOR http://www.jstor.org/stable/1508356.