God Research: 7. Chang'e

Hey, Jess here!

Quite a while ago already, I wrote about Hou Yi. In this story I mentioned the name Chang'e a few times, because she is Hou Yi's wife. Then it so happened that I were to play Chang'e in a match of Assault in Smite, so now it's time to talk about her.

Just like her husband, Chang'e is from the Chinese mythology. She is a beautiful woman who now lives on the moon.  This makes her the moon goddess. But she wasn't always that. There are at least two versions of her story and some details have even more variations.

Version 1

Source: https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chang%27e#/
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When Chang'e still was a young, but already beautiful girl, she actually carried the name Heng'e. At that time she worked in the Jade Emperor's palace which was in heaven. In this palace resided the immortals, good people and also fairies. But one day, Heng'e broke a very precious porcelain jar by accident which angered the Jade Emperor. He then banished her to continue her life on earth as a mortal and live among ordinary people. The only way she could return to heaven, was to contribute a valuable service on earth.

Heng'e was then transformed into a member of a rich  farming family. As she grew up, she kept her beauty and when she was 18 years old, she was a beautiful young woman. At that time, the young hunter Hou Yi saw her when he came to the village where she lived. It did not take very long for them to become friends.

Then at some point, the phenomenon with the ten suns occurred (read: God research: 2. Hou Yi). After Hou Yi saved the earth from burning out, he became a hero and a king, and also married Heng'e.

But Hou Yi had become greedy and wanted more. He wanted immortality and looked for an elixir so he could achieve that. When He got the elixir in the form a pill and hid it in the roof of their home. But one day when Hou Yi was not at home, Heng'e found the pill and accidentally swallowed it. At that moment Hou Yi came home and what he saw angered him. He went after her, but she tried to flee by jumping out of the window. But she didn't fall down. Instead, she floated into the sky and toward the moon. Hou Yi tried to shoot her down, but he was unsuccessful.

When Heng'e reached the moon, she became Chang'e, but she wasn't alone. She had a rabbit who accompanied her and w woodcutter who was cast there by the gods as a punishment, because he tried to gain immortality. He can only return when he cuts down the cassia there. But every time he cuts the tree, it heals itself just as fast, so he never makes any progress.

After losing his wife, Hou Yi ascended to the sun and built himself a palace there. Because of this, they represent yin and yang; the moon and the sun.

Version 2

Both Chang'e and Hou Yi lived in heaven as immortals and were husband and wife. Then, one day, Hou Yi had to save the earth and all who lived on it from dying. He shot down nine of the ten suns and the earth was saved. But these suns were also the Jade Emperor's sons. The loss of his sons, made the Emperor angry and punished not only Hou Yi, but also his wife. So they were both banished to live as mortals on the earth.

Then, Hou Yi noticed that his wife Chang'e was feeling very miserable over the loss of her immortality. That made him decide to go and find the pill of immortality and they could both be immortal again. Finally he found Mother Queen of the West and she agreed to give him the pill after hearing his story. But she also gave a warning. Chang'e and Hou Yi each needed only half the pill to become immortal.

Source: The Multicolored Diary
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When Hou Yi returned home, he put the pill in a case. He warned Chang'e to not open the case, because he had to leave home one more for a while. But Chang'e became too curious and eventually opened the case. Just at that moment, Hou Yi returned home. Chang'e was afraid he would catch her, so she accidentally swallowed the whole pill. Because of the overdose, she immediately floated toward the sky. Hou Yi wanted to shoot her down at first, but he couldn't bear to aim an arrow at her. And so, Chang'e flew all the way up to the moon.

She became lonely there because she missed her dear husband, but she wasn't alone. She was accompanied by a jade rabbit who made elixirs. Also the woodcutter who angered the gods resided on the moon.

Variations on details

·           In most cases there is only one pill of immortality. But there is also a version known in which there is more than one pill. In this version, Heng'e became hungry while her husband was away. She then found the pills and thought they were candy, thus eating them all.

·           Related to the above; it differs per version if Heng'e swallowed the pill by accident or not. Sometimes it's told that she swallowed it on purpose. Either because she misses being immortal that much or because she is afraid of Hou Yi finding out.

·           In one version, Heng'e swallows the pill on purpose to save it from a thief. One of Hou Yi's apprentices turns out to be mean and tries to steal the pill by seducing Heng'e. She then thinks of suicide, but realises he would get the pill then. That's why she decided to swallow the pill

·           In most versions Hou Yi comes home at the moment Heng'e swallows the pill. But in at least one version he isn't present. He then finds out what had happened when he actually got home.

·           It also differs if Hou Yi is angry. In both of the above versions, Hou Yi though of shooting down his wife, but only in the first version he actually tries it because he is angry. It's also heard of that he is not angry, but instead is only sad about having to live without his beloved wife.

·           The rabbit is there on the moon either way. But as you can see above, only in one version he makes the elixirs.

·           There is a version in which Chang'e transformed into a three-legged toad when she landed on the moon.

Below you can find Chang'e's lore as it is written by the creators of Smite.

Not always born in the crucible of creation, sometimes Gods ascend by tragic happenstance. Such is the tale of Chang’e, Goddess of the Moon.

Among the immortals that lived in the Heavens, Chang’e was the most elegant dancer, like a dove on windswept currents. She drew the affection of the hero archer, Hou Yi, and the two were soon married. Everything was perfect.

Yet, beneath the Heavens, all was not well. Ten suns, the ten children of the Jade Emperor, rose to scorch the earth and boil the seas. Brave Hou Yi, bow in hand, shot nine from the sky, sparing only one. Though the world was saved, the Jade Emperor was furious his children were killed. In punishment, Hou Yi and Chang’e were made mortal.

Chang’e grew melancholy and danced no more. To restore their status in the Heavens, Hou Yi found the Elixir of Immortality, but thieves came to steal it while he was hunting. Chang’e struggled to hide the Elixir, but, in the end, was forced to drink it. Too much for one person, the Elixir gave her immortality, but it also swept her into the sky.

Since then, Chang’e has lived on the moon, forbidden to see her husband, a Jade Rabbit her only companion. Yet, the Earth is once again in peril, and Chang’e finds herself upon the mortal surface. Perhaps, this is a second chance. If only she can save the world without angering the Jade Emperor, she can at last reunite with her husband.

To be continued...