People suffered terribly. The legend of Hou Yi and Chang’e is one of the most famous in Chinese mythology, and is an integral part of the Mid-Autumn Festival. Chang'e is Hou Yi's wife. Hou Yi is married to Chang’e, who later betrays him and becomes the moon goddess. Hou Yi, Wade-Giles romanization Hou I, in Chinese mythology, the Lord Archer whose prowess with a bow earned him undying fame. http://www.chinaknowledge.de/History/Myth/personshouyi.html. She either accidentally or purposely swallowed the pill. Seeing an opportunity, wild monsters emerged from the shadows and began to prey on humanity. “Hou Yi and the Ten Suns: A Chinese Folktale.” Smithsonian Folklife Festival. “Hou Yi.” Encyclopædia Britannica. Chang E, Hou Yi’s wife, was a beautiful and kind woman who helped the poor, and people liked her very much. Other than teaching archery classes, Hou Yi spent his time with Chang Er and they were much adored and admired as a loving pair of couple. Once an immortal who lived in the Jade Emperor’s palace, Hou Yi made the decision to become human in order to help humanity in times of need. To reward him for his valiant deeds, Xiwangmu (西王母) gave Hou Yi a bottle of her elixir of immortality so that he might return to the Jade Emperor’s palace as a god. Though a hero to mankind, Houyi had a single wish: to avoid the death that awaited all mortals and return to heaven with his beloved wife. Chang’e, Hou Yi’s wife, drank the elixir to protect it from an evil man and flew to the moon.” Travel and Leisure writes that “The brokenhearted Hou Yi placed his wife’s favorite foods on his table every year afterwards on the day of the fullest moon, hoping she would appear.” Privacy Policy, https://festival.si.edu/blog/2014/hou-yi-and-the-ten-suns-a-chinese-folktale/, http://www.chinaknowledge.de/History/Myth/personshouyi.html, https://mythopedia.com/chinese-mythology/gods/hou-yi/. The actor who voiced Hou Yi, Austin Tindle, also voiced Super Chronos 64 Chronos. Mass chaos ensued. Instead, her Jade Rabbit talks in most of her voice lines. Now, whenever roosters crow “brother” in the morning, the sun rises to greet them. Hou Yi is not hard, you don't need to learn how to bounce Ricochet , all … Some versions of the story say that she did it on her own personal accord, against her husband’s wishes. Her story is celebrated as part of the annual Mid-Autumn Festival. Hou Yi was the first god released in 2015. Before he began to shoot, Hou Yi gave the children a final warning and pleaded for them to return to the Emperor’s palace. She either accidentally or purposely swallowed the pill. The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree.... China, country of East Asia. One verse in the famous ancient Chinese poem, “Heavenly Questions”, or Tianwen (天問), begins by asking the question: “Why did Yi shoot down the suns?” What follows is one of the most famous myths in Chinese mythology. He hid the elixir away while he pondered his decision. Basically, his wife, Chang E (嫦娥 – Cháng É), ended up drinking the elixir. Theobald, Ulrich. Chang E stayed on the cold moon with Moon Rabbit, while Hou Yi has mysterious endings throughout history. Others say that there was a bad man named Peng Meng who was very jealous of Hou Yi. Chang Er didn't like the thought of going down to earth, but she was unwilling to be separated from her husband, so together they descended to earth and became mortals among the Eastern clans. As a reward for this feat, Hou Yi was given the elixir of immortality, which he hid in his home, planning to share it with his beautiful wife, Chang’e . “Hou Yi.” Mythopedia. Hou-Yi Shot Suns Down So, the Heaven Emperor sent a god Hou-Yi and his wife Chang-E to human being world to solve the problem. In one version told last Saturday at New York City’s Museum of Chinese in America, archer Hou Yi and his wife Chang’E lived in a time when 10 moons and 10 suns orbited the earth. They dried almost everything to burn. The celestial movement in the sky is tilted because Gonggong decided to bring the world down by breaking the pillar mountain that held up the sky. Handbook of Chinese Mythology. Being young children, however, they decided that going out together would be much more fun than going out alone. He shot nine suns to save everyone from dying because of hotness. The actress who voiced Chang'e, Trina Nishimura, … “Chang E originally lived in the Sky Temple. There’s only one sun cause Hou-Yi shot down nine others. Hou Yi, the God of Archery, is a hero that protected people from extreme drought and evil monsters. Mae Hamilton 5 Chang’e, holding the herb of immortality, is gracefully portrayed with … He is best known for marrying the moon goddess, Chang’e (嫦娥), and shooting down nine of the ten suns. He sought immortality by ordering an elixir be created to prolong his life. She and Moon Rabbit (or Jade Rabbit) are living in the Moon Palace (Guang Han Gong), next to which is a giant, eternal Laurel. He was amazed to see a figure which looked just like his wife appeared in the Moon. Chang'e herself doesn't speak. Well I say lived, they were in fact immortals taking up solace in heaven no less, the fortunate craters.. That was until one day, the ten sons of the Jade Emperor transformed themselves into ten suns, the bowsies. Crops shriveled up and people fainted in the streets as the earth began to burn. Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. At the request of the Emperor of Heaven, the great archer Hou Yi shot down nine of the suns, saving life on Earth. On realizing what happened to his wife, Hou Yi was so grieved that he shouted Chang E’s name to the sky. On the morning of a 15th day of an 8th lunar month, Fengmeng broke into Chang E's home when Hou Yi was outside hunting and demanded that she hand over the elixir. The h… This angered King Hou Yi, who went after his wife. As an ever-growing archive, our mission is to catalog the world’s mythology on the web for all to enjoy. Updates? Turner. Chang E and Hou Yi are believed a loving couple but ended up being separated. Therefore, He became very famous. Chang’e (嫦娥) is the Chinese goddess of the moon, best known for stealing an elixir of immortality from her husband, Hou Yi. He told the Emperor that if the suns would not behave themselves, he would have to shoot them down in order to save the planet. Retrieved from https://mythopedia.com/chinese-mythology/gods/hou-yi/. It is the largest of all Asian countries and has the largest population of any country in the world. Accessed . © 2019 Wasai LLC – All Rights Reserved. Hou Yi was an excellent archer. In a time when the earth was still very young and the mythical Emperor Yao (帝堯) ruled China, there were ten suns that took turns illuminating the planet. The elixir in the form of a single pill was almost ready when Chang E came upon it. All the people on Earth were saved. She drank the contents of the bottle and fled to the moon to escape her husband’s wrath. A long long time ago, there were ten suns in the sky. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Hou-Yi. In Chinese mythology, the sun is sometimes symbolized as a three-legged bird, called a Sun-bird. They fall in love. Hamilton, Mae. Mae Hamilton is a freelance journalist with a B.A. Their story has been retold many times, and as such there are countless variations of their myth. Hou Yi’s name is comprised of hòu (后), the Chinese word for “monarch”, and yì (羿), a character unique to Hou Yi’s name. Overview:- Houyi was one of the major figure in the three realms.He normally stays at Subhuti's place,generally cutting woods. But Hou Yi grew to become a despot. In Chinese mythology, Hou Yi (后羿) is considered to be the greatest archer of all time. Before Hou Yi was able to decide, however, Chang’e stole the vial from him while he was sleeping. There are two main version of Hou Yi legend in which the first one regards him as the mortal who helps the god and the second one regards him as a god. Corrections? Chang'e is Hou Yi's wife. But you know, the Chinese gods who live in the Sky Temple, they’re not allowed to fall in love—with each other, with human beings. One of Hou Yi's jokes, "I've got 99 problems, but a sun isn't one! In art, Hou Yi usually appears dressed in a traditional soldier’s outfit and animal skins. Yang, Lihui, Deming An, and Jessica Anderson. He forbade her ever to touch the flask. Chang'E was the wife of Hou Yi (后羿 hòu yì), the Great Archer that shot down 9 of the 10 Suns after they caused drought and famine across the lands when they suddenly appeared in the sky simultaneously. Hou Yi had a wife called Chang Er, and when her husband brought home the potion, she was mightily intrigued. Occupying nearly the entire East Asian landmass, it covers approximately one-fourteenth of the land area of Earth. He shot down nine suns and kept only one in the sky, as that is the best and useful to human beings. Hou Yi is described as being an inhumanly strong, young man. China. Hou Yi followed in hot pursuit, only to be intercepted by the Hare, who would not allow Hou Yi to pass until he promised reconciliation with his wife. In Chinese mythology, Hou Yi (后羿) is considered to be the greatest archer of all time. Wikipedia contributors. 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