AUTHOR | HISTORIAN | ARTIST

I’m back with another #FourGodsFriday! And I’m sorry about last week, I completely spaced doing a segment, but we’re back on track this week. I know I said I was going to cover the Qilin tribes, and I most likely will next week, but this time, I want to talk about the god Xuanwu.

A few FGF ago, I went into detail about the role of each god in traditional Chinese myth and astrology, but I didn’t really go into depth about the god Xuanwu (a different Xuanwu than in the Si Ling Order) and Gen’s role as a representation of that god.

Xuanwu’s origins tie him to the Tortoise-Snake of the Si Ling and also pin him as guardian of the North, just like his animalistic namesake in the Si Ling. Originally a Daoist deity, his origins are somewhat of a conundrum as some pin his origins with the Xuanwu of the Si Ling who was later anthropomorphized into a more human form, some say he was already somewhat divine when he achieved his full immortality, which there are two main versions of this story.

In original myth, Xuanwu was said to be a prince of a wise king, and his mother conceived him after she had a dream that she swallowed the sun. Troubled by the suffering of humankind that he witnessed growing up, he left to study the Dao on Mt. Wudang and ascended to immortality after 42 years. To this day, Xuanwu is an extremely important god for those who practice Tai Chi, Kung Fu, and most other martial arts in China. Once he ascended, it is rumored that the gods had to replace his human body with a divine one, but when they threw out his digestive system to replace it, his stomach and intestines transformed into a tortoise and a serpent. 

The second version is less happy and much more gruesome. Another lesser told story is that Xuanwu was born a butcher, but was a horrific and cruel person who had no morals and no care for other living things. One day, he was out walking and a woman going into labor begged for his help. He stopped to help the woman, who promptly transformed into the goddess of mercy, Guanyin. Guanyin told Xuanwu to repent for his sins, and realizing the error of his ways, Xuanwu ripped his stomach and intestines out with his own two hands and washed them in the river. The river turned black with evil, and when he ascended, his two organs morphed into demons that he later was sent to subdue. In some tellings, he killed them triumphantly, in others, they changed into a tortoise and a serpent who repented and offered to serve him for the rest of their lives as his generals.

Gen’s story was loosely based off of the first and most popular telling of the myth, and in TFG, the story is told to imply that Gen is Xuanwu. But Gen is a character all his own whose story is only loosely based on the mythology, but he achieved immortality through studying the Dao, but his requirements were different. He ascended much like the original god did, but his escapades with the other three gods are unique to his character. I can’t reveal much more because of spoilers. 😛

Next week I’ll cover the Qilin tribes! Stay tuned!