Topic Archive

Myths about Folklore

Explore myths connected by the recurring theme of Folklore across cultures, characters, and sacred places.

54 myths currently featured for Folklore.

Zhu Bajie Forced to Marry into the Gao Family Before Being Subdued by Wukong

🐉 Chinese MythologyGao Village Proxy, Sichuan, ChinaZhu Bajie • Sun Wukong • Tang Sanzang

This myth tells the story of Zhu Bajie, a fallen celestial marshal who transformed into a pig demon and forced his way into the Gao family through marriage. After terrorizing the village and keeping his bride captive, he is eventually confronted by Sun Wukong and Tang Sanzang. Following a fierce battle and a clever deception by the Monkey King, Zhu Bajie is subdued and recruited to join the...

Sun Wukong Drunkenly Consuming Laozi's Golden Elixirs

🐉 Chinese MythologyMount Lao, Shandong, ChinaSun Wukong • Laozi (Taishang Laojun) • Jade Emperor

After being excluded from the Queen Mother's Peach Banquet, the Monkey King Sun Wukong drunkenly stumbles into the Tushita Palace of Laozi. There, he discovers and consumes five gourds of the supreme Golden Elixirs of Immortality, intended for the gods. This act of celestial theft grants him an indestructible body and leads to a catastrophic war between the Mountain of Flowers and Fruit and...

Sun Wukong Stealing and Eating the Queen Mother's Peaches of Immortality

🐉 Chinese MythologyTianchi Lake, Xinjiang, ChinaSun Wukong • Queen Mother of the West (Xi Wangmu) • Jade Emperor

The mischievous Monkey King, Sun Wukong, is appointed as the guardian of the Heavenly Peach Garden to keep him out of trouble. However, his insatiable appetite and desire for eternal life lead him to devour the sacred peaches of immortality intended for the Queen Mother's grand banquet. This act of celestial defiance triggers a massive conflict between the rebellious monkey and the entire...

Jiang Ziya Refusing to Deify His Nagging Ex-Wife, Making Her the Goddess of Broom

🐉 Chinese MythologyMount Qi, Shaanxi, ChinaJiang Ziya • Lady Ma • King Wen of Zhou

After leading the Zhou army to victory against the Shang Dynasty and receiving the mandate to deify the fallen heroes, the strategist Jiang Ziya is confronted by the ghost of his ex-wife, Lady Ma, who had abandoned him during his years of poverty. Despite her demands for a high celestial rank, Jiang Ziya appoints her as the Broom Star, the deity of misfortune and bad luck, symbolizing her...

Nezha Born as a Fleshy Ball

🐉 Chinese MythologyChengtang PassNezha • Li Jing • Taiyi Zhenren

The story of Nezha, a divine being born after an abnormally long pregnancy, who emerged from his mother's womb as a ball of flesh before transforming into a powerful boy. His rebellious nature and supernatural strength lead to conflicts with the Dragon King of the East Sea.

Daji Inventing the Cruel Bronze Roasting Pillar Torture

🐉 Chinese MythologyZhaoge, Henan, ChinaDaji • King Zhou of Shang • Huli jing

The malevolent fox spirit Daji, possessing the body of a royal consort, manipulates King Zhou of Shang into a state of decadence and cruelty. To satisfy her thirst for blood and power, she invents the 'Pao Luo'—a massive bronze pillar heated from below—to torture and execute those who dare oppose her. This reign of terror eventually leads to the collapse of the Shang Dynasty.

The Dragon King of the East Sea Guarding His Magnificent Underwater Crystal Palace

🐉 Chinese MythologyEast China SeaAo Guang • Nezha • Sun Wukong

Ao Guang, the Dragon King of the East Sea, is the divine ruler of the eastern waters and a central figure in Chinese mythology. Residing in a magnificent Crystal Palace made of gems and pearls, he governs the tides, marine life, and the essential rains for the human world. His tales explore the balance between celestial duty and the challenges posed by legendary heroes like Nezha and Sun Wukong.

Magpies Forming a Living Bridge for the Star-Crossed Lovers on Qixi

🐉 Chinese MythologyTianchi Lake, Xinjiang, ChinaZhinü • Niulang • Queen Mother of the West

Every year on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month, a bridge of magpies forms across the Silver River to reunite two separated lovers. Zhinü, the celestial Weaver Girl, and Niulang, a mortal cowherd, fell in love but were torn apart by the gods who forbade their union. Their enduring devotion moved the birds of the world to help them meet once a year, giving rise to the Qixi Festival.

The Queen Mother of the West Slashing Her Hairpin to Create the Milky Way

🐉 Chinese MythologyTianchi Lake, Xinjiang, ChinaXi Wangmu • Zhinü • Niulang

When the Queen Mother of the West discovered that her granddaughter, the Weaver Girl Zhinü, had married a mortal cowherd named Niulang, she intervened to maintain the cosmic order. As Niulang pursued his wife into the heavens, the Queen Mother drew her golden hairpin and slashed a line across the sky, creating the celestial Silver River, or Milky Way, to separate the two lovers forever.

Niulang the Cowherd and Zhinü the Weaver Girl

🐉 Chinese MythologyYiyuan County, ShandongNiulang • Zhinü • The Old Ox (Golden Ox Star)

The story tells of Niulang, a poor cowherd who, guided by a magical ox, marries Zhinü, the heavenly Weaver Girl. Their mortal happiness is cut short when the Queen Mother of the West forces Zhinü back to the sky, creating the Milky Way to separate the lovers. Touched by their devotion, the heavens allow them to reunite once a year on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month via a bridge of...