Nushen
| Nushen | |
|---|---|
| File:Namoresemythology.jpg A depiction of Nushen | |
| Goddess of Justice | |
| Transliterations | 弩神 (Ventzi) Нушен (Shintzi) |
| Religion | Namorese folk religion (Txoism) |
| Parents | Songte (father) Vangmu (mother) |
| Children | 99 sons and one daughter (Diyona) |
| Weapon | Jenyikan (length: 4 chi or 133.33 cm; weight: 30,000 catties) Kinrungkun (20,000 catties) |
| Consort | Tzanse |
| Texts | Nushenshi |
| Region | Nozama (modern-day Namor Proper) |
| Height | 9 chi (3 meters, 9.8 feet) |
Template:Namorese mythology Tzang Hong (Namorese: Цанг Xонг, 張紅) or Nushen (Нушен, 弩神) is the Namorese goddess of justice and the legendary first queen of Nozama. She is a daughter of Songte and the eldest of the Three Sister-Goddesses - the other two being Vanho and Yenfang. She is the mother of Diyona, who would succeed her as queen of Nozama after her departure from Earth.
There are many mythical accounts about Nushen's origins, upbringing and interactions with others in Namorese mythology. Most of them can be found in the Nushenshi (Epic of Nushen), an epic concerning Nushen's rise to power. In the Nushenshi, Nushen and her sisters were abandoned in the mortal world at the order of the demon king Teyu, who feared his prophesied death at the hands of Nushen. On Earth, Nushen was raised as a warrior by the archer Shenji Jolen. She became monarch of Nozama after defeating the false queen Nali in a duel and convincing the entire Nozama River Valley to accept her rule. After uniting Nozama, she waged war on Teyu and killed him in the Battle of Xhidu. Her reign over Nozama lasted 105 years before she returned to her celestial abode.
Nushen is often portrayed carrying her sword, the Jenyikan, and her bow, the Kinrungkun. She is regarded in Namor as a folk hero, the initiator of Namorese civilization and an ancestor of the Namorese. Various figures in Namorese history have used Nushen as a nationalist symbol of defiance against corrupt rulers and foreign aggressors.
Etymology
Nushen is known by many names, partially due to the many identities she is said to have held during her time on Earth.
The Nushenshi states that Nushen was given the name Hong (紅) by the villagers who adopted her. After she lifted the 20,000-catty Kinrungkun, the villagers started addressing her as Kun Hong (弓紅). Kun, which means "bow" in Namorese, is used as an honorific to denote Nushen's talent in archery. After Nushen killed Teyu, Songte bestowed upon her the surname Tzang (張) - a combination of the character Kun (弓) and Dung (長), meaning "long" or "wide." The surname is supposed to emphasize Nushen's extraordinary archery skills as well as her immense strength. Hence, Nushen became known by the name Tzang Hong (張紅). Nushen ("God of the Crossbow") is said to have also come from Songte.
Mythology
Childhood
Vangmu, consort of Songte, gave birth to Nushen, Vanho, and Yenfang while she was imprisoned by Teyu. As soon as the sisters were born, lightning struck Teyu's residence. Teyu consulted his soothsayers, who said the sisters would grow up to become warriors and the eldest of the three would defeat him and avenge the fall of Songte. Disturbed by this revelation, Teyu ordered the abandonment of the sisters in the mortal world.
The sisters were abandoned in a remote countryside, where they were adopted by a group of villagers and taken to a village that was suffering from a famine caused by Teyu. Because of the scarcity of resources, many did not want to keep the sisters in the village, but then the village experienced a good harvest. Perceiving this as a good omen from the heavens, the villagers allowed the sisters to stay.
Not so long after, Shenji Jolen, a crippled archer who had tried to defy Teyu but failed, arrived at the village where the sisters were raised. Having received word that Nushen would defeat Teyu, he identified the sisters by giving them heavy weapons to carry. Much to everyone's astonishment, Nushen lifted the weapons and broke every single one of them.
Nushen and her sisters became Shenji Jolen's proteges and lived in his hideout in the mountains for the rest of their childhood. The sisters learned of their lineage to Songte, with Nushen discovering that it was her destiny to free the universe from Teyu. To hasten the realization of the prophecy, the sisters were trained intensely in martial arts. Training lasted from dawn to dusk; apart from the handling of weapons, it involved them running across fields of spikes, fighting in fire, jumping over entire mountains and wrestling animals.
One day, Nushen was practicing with her sword when it broke into two. There was no sword within Shenji's possession that Nushen could use because they were too light, so Shenji told Nushen to dive to the bottom of Tanken Lake, where the Jenyiken was sitting, protected by a shark. Nushen followed Shenji's instructions and dived into the lake, where she found the shark. Nushen jumped on the shark's back and rode it all the way to the shores of the lake, where she shot open its body and found the Jenyiken lying in it.
Teyu received word of Nushen's whereabouts and sent the golden dragon Kinrung to kill Nushen. Kinrung found Nushen in the mountains and proposed that she become a general in Teyu's army or face death. Nushen angrily reminded Kinrung of her mission to kill Teyu and called him a traitor. A fight ensued and ended with Nushen tying Kinrung to the ground and executing him. Nushen devised a bow out of Jinsong's body parts, strings out of his hair and arrows out of his teeth.
Shenji Jolen decided that the sisters' training was complete and released them to the outside world.
Rise to power
<imgur thumb="yes" w="175" comment="Artist's rendition of an adolescent Nushen with the Kinrungkun in her hands">sMT9EhI.jpg?1</imgur> In adolescence, the three sisters left the mountains to kill Nali, a sister of Teyu who had been sent to delude others into thinking that she was the prophesied Queen of Nozama. Along the way, Nushen faced 121 obstacles from Teyu but surmounted all of them. However, her two sisters fell in love with bandits and left Nushen to complete the task alone.
When Nushen entered Namo, she rushed straight into Nali's palace and demanded that Nali abdicate. Angrily, Nali challenged Nushen to a duel. Shortly after the duel began, Nushen decapitated Nali with her Jenyikan. To the shock of the spectators, she declared herself as the daughter of Songte and the rightful queen of Nozama. She then issued a call to arms against the oppression of Teyu. The populace responded by pledging allegiance to her.
War against Teyu
Battle of Hongtsao
Infuriated by Nushen's rise to power, Teyu ordered his eldest son Heifu to invade Nozama with an army of 500,000 demons. Nushen responded by raising an army of her own; however, many doubted she could defeat the demons, so she entered battle with an outnumbered army of 10,000 soldiers.
The two armies met at the Hongtsao Plains. As soon as they sighted Nushen, the demons - including Heifu himself - were stunned by Nushen's ferocious gaze and height. Taking advantage of this, Nushen ordered the army to attack. During the battle, Nushen slew thousands of demons with her sword and shot escaping demons with her bow. Eventually, the entire demon army was wiped out. Heifu tried to flee the battlefield, but Nushen decapitated him by shooting an arrow through his neck.
To celebrate her victory, Nushen piled the corpses of the demons and formed the Hongtsao Mountains that separated Nozama from the Demon Realm. She dipped her sword in blood and inscribed a curse on the side of the mountains facing the Demon Realm, warning that anyone who trespassed the mountains with the intent of invading Nozama would face death. The curse is said to have lasted throughout the ages, with future invaders avoiding the Hongtsao Mountains en route to Namor Proper.
Nushen's triumph over the demons in Hongtsao convinced many in Nozama that Teyu was not invincible. From then on, more people defied the demons and joined Nushen in battle.
Battle of Yicho
<imgur thumb="yes" w="150" comment="Nushen sounding the drums of war in Yicho">JzybZj7.jpg?1</imgur> Unwilling to forfeit his will to defeat Nushen, Teyu dispatched an army to invade Nozama a second time. This time, the army was commanded by Yewu, Teyu's second-eldest son.
Hearing of Yewu's arrival, Nushen built a maze city called Yicho and placed archers in every house. Rumors were then spread that she would rest in Yicho for one night. When the rumors reached Yewu, he immediately led his troops to capture Yicho and kill Nushen.
A small force attacked the demons outside of Yicho, but the demons quickly beat them back and chased them into the city. The demons made their way towards the center of Yicho, where they found an idol of Nushen resting in the palace bedchamber. Yewu excitedly cut the idol into ten pieces to assure himself that Nushen was dead. Thinking that his mission had been accomplished, he ordered the demons to leave the city and return to the Demon Realm; however, as the demons began leaving Yicho, the houses shifted from their original places, creating a maze that confounded the demons.
Yewu realized that his army had entered Nushen's trap, but it was too late. Nushen's archers sprang forth from their positions and shot thousands of arrows which rained on the demons. Many were killed by the arrows, and those that weren't were crushed to death by other demons in the chaos. Only Yewu made it out of the maze alive, but right outside the city he met Nushen, who had been waiting for him while the other demons were being slaughtered inside. Yewu tried running away, but the fleet-footed Nushen caught up and disemboweled him with her sword.
Reunion of the Sister-Goddesses
Sometime between the Battle of Yicho and Nushen's advance into the Demon Realm, Nushen reunited with her long-lost sisters.
Vanho had abandoned Nushen and became a pirate in the East Sea, robbing fishermen and attacking coastal settlements. After receiving reports of pirate activity, Nushen invented sand and spilled it across the coast, creating beaches. Vanho mistook the sand for gold and arrived onshore to take it all for herself. As soon as she stepped on land, she was ambushed by soldiers, trapped within a cage and delivered to Nushen.
When Nushen realized that the pirate leader was none other than her sister, she angrily ordered that Vanho be executed so that she may use her head as an offering to Songte. Vanho pleaded for mercy, with Vanho promising to assist Nushen in vanquishing the demons. The courtiers joined in, thinking it immoral for Nushen to kill her sister and a daughter of Songte. Nushen cautiously relented and allowed Vanho to redeem herself by killing the Dragon King, an ally of Teyu who avoided imprisonment by renouncing his allegiance to Songte. Vanho agreed to the offer; using her maritime skills, she captured the Dragon King, beheaded him and presented his head to Nushen. Nushen was assured of Vanho's loyalty, and the two sisters were on good terms once again.
In the meantime, Yenfang established control over the Tung River Delta. She was jealous of the fame Nushen acquired from the Battle of Hongtsao and decided to show off her own power by attacking Nushen.
But as she entered Nushen's kingdom in search of warriors to join her cause, Yenfang was unable to find a single follower; no matter where she went, she encountered people who loved their queen and were willing to die in battle for her. Moved by the close relationship forged between Nushen and her subjects, Yenfang submitted herself to Nushen and was appointed a general in Nushen's army. The anecdote became an example of the greatness of Nushen's rule; she was so successful as a monarch that she was able to pacify her adversaries without the use of force.
Fog of Geina
Teyu was humiliated by the death of his second son at the hands of Nushen. With no children left, he decided to take matters into his own hands and ordered the demons to abduct Shenji Jolen, Nushen's old mentor. The demons captured Shenji during his sleep and brought him to Teyu's palace. There, Teyu offered to restore Shenji's youth if he agreed to visit Nushen and talk her into submission. In spite of every wondrous offer, Shenji insisted that Nushen loved her country too much to abandon it and that Teyu's death was the will of heaven. Angered by these remarks, Teyu crushed Shenji to death with his foot and dumped his remains in the Nozama River, where they eventually made their way to Nushen.
Shenji's death tormented Nushen, who vowed to kill Teyu and destroy the demons once and for all. Nushen's soldiers entered the Demon Realm, destroying every citadel along the way. As Nushen closed in on the demon capital Xhidu, Teyu turned to the demoness Geina for assistance. Geina created a fog that was so powerful that those who entered it couldn't see anything beyond their forearms. The fog forced Nushen's army to lose its direction and turn away from the capital.
A local informed Nushen of a large horse that could distinguish between north and south, but was very wild and could only be tamed if someone wrestled it to the ground. Nushen found the horse and quickly subdued it. Having acquired the horse, she rode it into battle. As she entered the fog, she let out a cry that all of her soldiers could hear, allowing the army to emerge from the fog in the right direction. With no viable means of defense left, Geina was put to death after Nushen shot an arrow through her armor which punched the demoness' heart out.
Battle of Xhidu
<imgur thumb="yes" w="300" comment="Portrayal of Nushen holding Jenyikan in one hand, the bowstrings of the Kinrungkun in the other hand, the lower limb of the Kinrungkun in one foot and a shield in the other foot. It is said that Nushen is so flexible that she is capable of using multiple weapons at once.">nDlN0ps.jpg?2</imgur> In a frantic search of ways to defend Xhidu from Nushen and prevent the capitulation of his realm, Teyu discovered a liquid that could protect his body from any wounds inflicted by Nushen's weapons. He consumed the liquid as Nushen's forces continued to make their way towards Xhidu.
Nushen arrived at the gates of Xhidu and knocked them down, beginning a siege that forced the demons to retreat inward towards Teyu's residence. Teyu ordered every surviving general to resist Nushen, but some generals had already given up hope and urged Teyu to surrender, only to be slain. Others headed out the palace and were killed by Nushen. The demon army soon fell into disarray, with many demons killing each other with the hope of showing Nushen after the battle that they had repented at the last minute.
Forced to confront Nushen one-on-one, Teyu left the palace. Upon seeing Nushen, he offered to restore Songte's place on the universal throne if Nushen agrees to marry him and let the Demon Realm coexist side-by-side with Nozama.
Offended, Nushen struck Teyu multiple times with her arrows and sword, but Teyu survived every blow due to the power granted to him by the magic liquid. Just as the situation seemed desperate for Nushen, Seji — a forced prostitute for Teyu — informed Nushen of the liquid Teyu had applied. Realizing that Teyu was only immune to her weapons, Nushen turned to hand-to-hand combat and punched Teyu in the stomach. The blow was so powerful that it shattered Teyu's armor and forced him to collapse on the ground. With no means of defense remaining, Teyu begged Nushen for mercy. Nushen rejected Teyu's plea and crushed him to a million pieces with her foot.
Xhidu was razed to the ground and all remaining traces of the Demon Realm were removed from existence. Songte was freed from Teyu's captivity and order was restored to the universe. Nushen presented Teyu's remains before Songte, who in turn bestowed upon her the honorific Tzang and the title of Goddess of Nozama. Having completed her prophesied mission, Nushen returned to Nozama in triumph.
Later Years
Most stories concerning Nushen's postwar life come from latter-day additions to the Nushenshi. Some of them are nowadays accepted as an integral part of the legend, while others are not. The Nushenshi does not describe Nushen's postwar reign in detail, as it ends with Nushen's victory over Teyu. However, it describes Nushen's reign as the most prosperous age in the history of Nozama. Nushen is said to have been such a just ruler that the people did not merely look up to her as their leader, but their mother as well. For that reason, she is viewed as an ideal ruler whose successors pale in comparison.
Nushen and Tzanse
The gods searched far and wide for a spouse for Nushen so the dynasty of Songte could continue. But their efforts came to no avail since it was difficult to find someone who matched Nushen's power and attractiveness. Nushen set her own conditions for marriage, vowing only to marry someone who could force her to put down her sword. Following her announcement, suitors from all across the universe flocked to Nozama with the hope of defeating Nushen in a fight, but Nushen defeated them all, including Hoshen, the god of the Nozama River who was favored by the gods to win Nushen's favor.
Tzanse, a participant in the war against Teyu and one of Nozama's most decorated warriors, was among the last suitors to face Nushen. But unlike the other suitors, Tzanse did not resort to force in trying to get Nushen to drop her sword; instead, he asked Nushen what she expected from an ideal man. A dialogue ensued in which Nushen described the virtues of the ideal man, including selflessness, devotion to country and family, and artistic and martial talent. At the end of the dialogue, Nushen realized that Tzanse embodied all the virtues of the ideal man and agreed to marry him.
The story of Nushen's marriage with Tzanse is among the well-known episodes from Nushen's postwar reign. Tzanse's ability to win Nushen's heart without resorting to force has been used to exemplify the necessity of virtue in love as opposed to power or wealth. Nushen's dialogue with Tzanse also set the standard for the ideal man in Namorese culture.
Selection of Diyona as successor
It is said that Nushen gave birth to 100 children and gave each a different surname, giving rise to the hundred Namorese surnames. 99 of the children were male while one was female and the youngest of Nushen's children. According to legend, a phoenix appeared just as Nushen gave birth to her only daughter. To commemorate the auspicious event, Nushen named the newborn daughter Diyona, meaning "female phoenix."
Shortly after Diyona's birth, a great flood broke out in the Nozama River Valley. Hoshen, the river god, started the flood in an attempt to hurt Nushen's reputation as payback for Nushen's marriage with Tzanse, whom Hoshen still viewed as lowly and undeserving of a spouse. Nushen dispatched her sons to quell the flood, but they were unsuccessful. Finally, she gave that task to Diyona. Diyona controlled the flood by building irrigation canals up and down the Nozama River and defeating agitators sent by Hoshen to thwart her work. The project took so long that Diyona, who was given the task as a child, was an adult by the time it was completed.
Diyona's success at containing the great flood won her praise from Nushen, who appointed Diyona as her successor. The story of Diyona's containment of the flood and her subsequent selection by Nushen as the next ruler has been narrated by generations of Namorese as an example of merit being the ultimate prerequisite to good governance.
Return to heaven
As Nushen's reign continued, the gods became increasingly worried that Nushen would eventually become more powerful than Songte, thereby disturbing the order of the universe.
Sikun, the god of time, devised a ploy to force Nushen's return. While Tzanse was hunting in the Sentin Mountains, Sikun transformed himself into a dragon and approached him. When Sikun saw the dragon, he went after it and caught hold of the dragon's tail. The dragon then ascended to heaven, bringing Tzanse with him.
Angered by Tzanse's abduction, Nushen visited the Sentin Mountains in an attempt to fetch him back. When she got there, Sikun appeared and told her all about what he had done to Tzanse and the reasons behind his actions. Realizing that it was the will of the gods for her to reunite with her brethren in heaven, Nushen left for heaven.
Abilities
In Namorese folklore, Nushen is considered a great queen and warrior with immense amounts of beauty, strength, and acumen.
Viewed as an ideal ruler, Nushen treated her subjects with compassion and refused to flaunt her power and wealth. Once every year, she toured her kingdom by foot, visiting each village in search of grievances. Instead of wearing extravagant robes to embellish herself like most monarchs, she wore the clothing of a commoner. The people reciprocated Nushen's compassion by offering gifts to her and accepting her orders without hesitation.
Nushen is renowned for her prowess as a warrior. According to the Nushenshi, she is 9 chi (3 meters) tall, while her arms are 6 chi (2 meters) long. In battle, she would hold the Jenyikan and bowstrings of the Kinrungkun in her hands and hold the lower limb of the Kinrungkun and a shield in her feet — all while moving across the battlefield to engage her enemies. She could also grab objects from far away from any angle, travel a distance of 500 li (250 km) in one somersault, and walk 10,000 li (approximately 5,000 kilometers) in one day.
Depending on the situation, Nushen's appearance may be charming or intimidating; in times of peace, she is said to possess a beauty that can mesmerize any man, while in times of war her gaze is so frightening that her enemies would panic before fighting actually begins.
Nushen is considered the best archer in the universe, having inherited her archery skills from a member of the Shenji clan of celestial archers. During her childhood, she fired thousands of arrows at once through the bulls-eye of a target 1,000 paces away without missing a single shot.
Weapons
Nushen is almost always depicted holding two weapons: the Jenyikan ("Sword of Justice") and Kinrungkun ("Bow of the Golden Dragon").
Jenyikan
<imgur thumb="yes" w="200" comment="Nushen and the Jenyikan">AqYPHQD.jpg?2</imgur> The Jenyikan (正義劍) is considered to be the sturdiest weapon possessed by any deity, with a length of 4 chi (equivalent to 1.33 meters) and a weight of 30,000 catties. The sword has been used by Nushen in battle to defend herself from attacks, as it is capable of destroying any arrow or shield it strikes.
There are many legends surrounding the Jenyikan, with various theories purporting to explain the sword's origins since the Nushenshi does not detail how it came into being. One legend claims that the sword was created by Taiyi, the monarch of the previous universe and remained intact even after everything else from the previous universe was destroyed, while another legend claims the sword was created by Shenji Jolen, who possessed the sword until he was crippled by Teyu.
Kinrungkun
The Kinrungkun (金龍弓) is Nushen's bow and arrow, which she carries around along with the Jenyikan. Like the Jenyikan, the Kinrungkun was made explicitly for Nushen because other weapons are too weak for her to use. It is considered the most powerful bow in the universe.
Nushen acquired the Kinrungkun after she broke her bow during training. As she searched for a new bow, Kinrung, a golden dragon sent at the behest of Teyu, approached her and asked her to surrender to Teyu or face death. Nushen entered a fight with the dragon and killed him. Then, she turned the dragon's body into a bow, the dragon's hair into strings and the dragon's teeth into arrows accompanying the bow.
The Kinrungkun is 6 chi (2 meters, 6.56 feet) long and weighs 20,000 catties. It can fire multiple arrows at the same time; an arrow that is fired from the Kinrungkun is so powerful that it can break past ten obstacles in its path.
Worship of Nushen
Txoism
Nushen is widely worshiped in Namor as the defender of justice and an ancestor of the Namorese. Thousands of temples dedicated to Nushen, commonly known as Nushen temples, exist across the country and in Namorese communities overseas. In most Nushen temples, a tall idol of Nushen is standing by itself, between the idols of her sisters, or next to an idol of Tzanse. In temples dedicated to Songte, Nushen stands next to a taller idol of Songte. Nushen is commonly seen with her weapons to distinguish herself from other deities and symbolize her power.
Many sites dedicated to Nushen are located in the vicinity of Tanken Lake. The Pagodas of the Three-Sister Goddesses near the southern end of the lake are said to be in the place where the Sister-Goddesses spent their childhoods. Nushen's training grounds, where Nushen lived during her years as a disciple of Shenji Jolen, is said to be on the opposite end of the lake.
Sentin Mountain, the highest point in Sicho, is sacred due to the belief that Nushen returned to the heavens from there. A slab containing the footprint of Nushen sits on the precise location where Nushen departed from Earth. Visitors pay homage to Nushen by leaving coins at the slab.
The first day of the sixth month in the Namorese calendar is observed as Nushen Day (Нушенри, Nushenri), the day when Nushen supposedly defeated Teyu in the Battle of Xhidu. On this day, people visit Nushen temples to give offerings and pray for Nushen's blessing and protection. In some places, it is customary for live reenactments of the Nushenshi to take place. Despite its religious overtones, Nushen Day is recognized as a public holiday because it is viewed as a traditional emancipation day for the Namorese nation.
Kansism
In Kansism, Nushen is credited with delivering the first of God's revelations to humankind - that "God is the Almighty; He is all and He is above all." Kansists do not recognize Nushen as the daughter of Songte, but a manifestation of God, whose Namorese name is Songte. In Kansist texts, Nushen is formally known as Saint Tzang (張聖, Tzangsan) or the First Saint (先聖, Sinsan).
National personification
Nushen has served as an icon of resistance towards both external aggression and domestic tyranny since ancient times. She is said to have appeared in the visions of many heroes, inspiring them to fight and giving them advice.
Many Namorese rulers associated themselves with Nushen to bolster their legitimacy; some traced their ancestry to Nushen, while others claimed to be incarnations of Nushen. Dan Yensun, the founder of the Dan dynasty, claimed himself to be the human form of Nushen. Due to Dan's actual feats, his claim was integrated into Namorese mythology. The Hào dynasty, the Tuhaoese successor to the Dan dynasty, recognized Yenfang as their ancestor but tried to fuse the mythologies of Nushen and Yenfang to promote unity between Tuhaoese and Kannei Namorese.
The Namorese Democratic Brotherhood often used Nushen in their propaganda against the Hào dynasty. During the Unification War, the Republican Party of Namor - the successor to the Democratic Brotherhood - compared Nushen's war with the demons to its war with the "usurpers," or the monarchists.
After the Namorese Civil War, the Republicans on Peitoa continued to invoke the name of Nushen in its propaganda, this time against the Liberationists, whom they regarded as the new usurpers. The story of Nushen defeating Teyu and restoring Songte's rule against overwhelming odds was often compared to the Republicans' struggle to defeat the Liberationists and reclaim the Namorese mainland, despite the growing strength of the mainland. On the mainland, the Liberationists rejected Nushen at first due to the party's secularist ideology, but this changed in the 1960s when the government started to see Nushen as an icon of national pride that all Namorese, including those in Peitoa and Nantai, could identify with. The reversal of the government's attitude towards Nushen and other deities coincided with a revival of religion in Namor that began after the Green Fever.
Historicity
The historicity of Nushen has been a subject of scholarly debate throughout Namorese history. For centuries, events in the Nushenshi were treated as historical fact; scholars assigned dates to significant moments in Nushen's life, and locations said to have been visited by Nushen became holy places. Almost all Namorese historical records prior to 1925 listed Nushen as the first Namorese monarch whose reign lasted three generational cycles, or 105 years. Although the years of reign varied by source, most official records consider the 30th century BCE as the approximate era of Nushen's reign.
During the Hao dynasty, 2995 BCE was determined to be the year of Nushen's birth and 2976 BCE was recognized as the first year of Nushen's reign. Thus, 2976 BCE became the epoch of the Namorese calendar.
Nushen's legend came under scrutiny during the Unification War, when some historians started to argue that the Nushenshi was not entirely accurate or a myth that was completely concocted by monarchs to bolster their own legitimacy. Under Liberationist rule, such views gained greater acceptance. Officials removed references to Nushen's reign from school textbooks, citing lack of archaeological evidence to support events described in the Nushenshi. Discussions regarding the historicity of the Nushenshi were banned as part of the government's campaign to stamp out pseudohistory.
The relaxation of restrictions on academia in the 1950s provoked a renewed interest in the consistency of the Nushenshi with actual history. Since then, archaeologists have uncovered bronze artifacts, tombs and settlement that point to the possible existence of a major conflict between two powerful kingdoms, similar to the war between Nushen and Teyu, that occurred before the kingdom of Nozama was first documented in the 15th century BCE. These discoveries have popularized the theory that the Nushenshi was inspired by the feats of a real queen who lived in the early years of Nozama.