Kuimulang () is a deity in traditional Chinese spiritual beliefs. He is considered to be one of the 28 Mansions, which are Chinese constellations. These constellations are the same as those studied in Western astrology. Kuimulang originated from the ancient Chinese worship of the constellations, a spiritual practice that combines Chinese mythology and astronomy. Kuimulang appears in Chinese mythology and literature, notably in the novels ''

Journey to the West ''Journey to the West'' () is a Chinese novel published in the 16th century during the Ming dynasty and attributed to Wu Cheng'en. It is regarded as one of the Classic Chinese Novels, great Chinese novels, and has been described as arguably the ...

'' and '' Fengshen Yanyi''. He is linked to a historical figure called Ma Wu, a general who hailed from the town of Huyang in Tanghe, located in the

Henan province Henan; alternatively Honan is a province in Central China. Henan is home to many heritage sites, including Yinxu, the ruins of the final capital of the Shang dynasty () and the Shaolin Temple. Four of the historical capitals of China, Luo ...

Star location

Kuimulang is associated with the constellation Andromeda, which appears in the sky in the middle of November. Andromeda has a spiral nebula, which is a small universe about 2.5 million light-years away from Earth. In this constellation is Kui Xiu, described as the "four-legged fish palace" of Heshansu () because its shape is similar to a fish. Indian mythology also references this constellation, also calling it a "fish palace." Another constellation, the

White Tiger The white tiger (ashy tiger) is a leucistic morph of the tiger, typically the Bengal tiger. It is occasionally reported in the Indian wilderness. It has the typical black stripes of a tiger, but its coat is otherwise white or near-white, and ...

, is also associated with this cluster of stars.

Legends

''Fengshen Yanyi''

According to the novel ''

Investiture of the Gods ''The Investiture of the Gods'', also known by its Chinese titles () and is a 16th-century Chinese novel and one of the major Written vernacular Chinese, vernacular Chinese works in the gods and demons (''shenmo'') genre written during the Min ...

'' (Fengshen Yanyi), Kuimulang was originally named Li Xiong. After he died in the Battle of the Ten Thousand Immortals,

Jiang Ziya Jiang Ziya ( century BC – 11th century BC), also known by several other names, also known by his posthumous name as the Duke Tai of Qi, was the founding monarch of the Qi state. He was a military general and strategist who as ...

deified him as the Wood Wolf of Legs, one of the twenty-eight stars.

''Journey to the West''

In the classic Chinese novel ''

'', Kuimulang appears as a demon named Yellow Robe Demon (). He lives the Moon Waves Cave () on Bowl Mountain () in the Kingdom of Baoxiang (). In his past, he was a deity who falls in love with the Jade Maiden () in Heaven and decides to elope with her. He becomes a demon lord and the maiden is reincarnated from a goddess to a human who is named Baihuaxiu (). She is the third princess of the Kingdom of Baoxiang. The demon then kidnaps the princess, though she has no memory of her existence as a Jade Maiden. He marries her and the couple has two children. The Yellow Robe Demon then learns that the Buddhist monk

Tang Sanzang Tang Sanzang is a Buddhist monk and pilgrim who is a central character in the 16th century novel ''Journey to the West'' by Wu Cheng'en. His birth surname name was Chen (), but having been found in a river as a baby--he was abandoned after bir ...

has arrived at his mountain. According to tradition, the Yellow Robed Demon knows that eating a monk's flesh will grant him

immortality Immortality is the concept of eternal life. Some species possess "biological immortality" due to an apparent lack of the Hayflick limit. From at least the time of the Ancient Mesopotamian religion, ancient Mesopotamians, there has been a con ...

. Thus, he captures Tang Sanzang. Learning of their master's capture, two of the monk's disciples,

Zhu Bajie Zhu Bajie, also named Zhu Wuneng, is one of the three disciples of Tang Sanzang, along with Sun Wukong and Sha Wujing, and a major character of the 16th century novel ''Journey to the West''. ''Zhu'' means "swine" and ''Bajie'' means "eight pr ...

and

Sha Wujing Sha Wujing ( zh, t=沙悟淨) is one of the three disciples of the Buddhist pilgrim Tang Sanzang in the 16th century novel ''Journey to the West'' written by Wu Cheng'en in the Ming dynasty, although versions of his character predate the Ming n ...

, endeavor to save their master. However, in battle, they are no match for the demon. Zhu Bajie goes to

Sun Wukong Sun Wukong (, Mandarin pronunciation: ), also known as the Monkey King, is a literary and religious figure best known as one of the main characters in the 16th-century Chinese novel ''Journey to the West''. In the novel, Sun Wukong is a monk ...

and asks for help battling the Yellow Robed Demon. Sun Wukong had previously been banished by Tang Sanzang for killing the White Bone Demon. Sun Wukong manages to defeat the demon, which mysteriously vanishes after his defeat. Wukong then seeks help from Heaven to track down the demon and learn his true identity. The

Jade Emperor In the Chinese mythology, myths and Chinese folk religion, folk religion of Chinese culture, the Jade Emperor or Yudi is one of the representations of the Primordial Divinity (Tai Di), primordial god. In Taoist theology, he is the assistant of ...

discovers that one of the 28 Mansions is missing, so he orders the remaining 27 to subdue the demon. The demon is revealed to be a disguised as ''Revatī'', the

Wood Wood is a structural tissue/material found as xylem in the stems and roots of trees and other woody plants. It is an organic materiala natural composite of cellulosic fibers that are strong in tension and embedded in a matrix of lignin t ...

Wolf of

Legs A leg is a weight-bearing and locomotive anatomical structure, usually having a columnar shape. During locomotion, legs function as "extensible struts". The combination of movements at all joints can be modeled as a single, linear element cap ...

(), a star deity in the heavenly court, and one of the 28 Mansions. The Wood Wolf is then subdued and brought back to Heaven. As punishment, he is ordered to become a furnace keeper under

Taishang Laojun Daode Tianzun (), also known as Taishang Laojun () is a high Taoist god. He is the Taiqing (, lit. the Grand Pure One) which is one of the Three Pure Ones, the highest immortals of Taoism. Laozi is regarded to be a manifestation of Daode Tia ...

References

{{Journey to the West Chinese gods Journey to the West characters Shapeshifting Stellar gods Wolves in literature category:Animals in Chinese mythology