Yenfang
| Yenfang | |
|---|---|
| <imgur thumb="no" w="300" comment=>F9D8AZ7.jpg?1</imgur> Depiction of Yenfang | |
| Goddess of the Tung River | |
| Transliterations | 媛妨 (Tziven) Йенфанг (Tzishin) |
| Religion | Txoism |
| Parents | Songte (father) Vangmu (mother) |
| Siblings | Nushen Vanho |
| Weapon | Diyowarun |
| Consort | Shenji Huan |
| Children | Ba Sha |
| Texts | Nushenshi Book of Gods |
| Region | Tung River Delta |
| Height | 7 chi (2.33 meters) |
Yenfang (Йенфанг, 媛妨) or Bà Mỹ Hại (婆美㧡) in Tuhaoese is the Goddess of the Tung River. She is the youngest daughter of Songte and Vangmu, which also makes her a sister of Nushen and Vanho.
In the Nushenshi, Yenfang separated from Nushen during their quest to kill the false queen Nali, not so long after Vanho met Jin and departed as well. Not much is written about Yenfang between the moment she left Nushen and reunited with her, except for a note that Yenfang had raised an army of her own to fight the demons. Thus, many stories about Yenfang originate from latter-day religious and mythological texts, most notably the Book of Gods, that stress her relationship to the Tung River Delta in present-day Tuhao.
Yenfang is traditionally regarded as the progenitor of the Baites and Shaites — two peoples who were associated with the Tung River Delta and the Eastern Desert respectively. Hào, the legendary Baite ancestor of the Tuhaoese people, is venerated as a descendant of Yenfang.
Mythology
Nushenshi
Nushen, Vanho, and Yenfang were released to the outside world after their guardian Shenji Jolen finished training them. In spite of their mission to defeat Nali, the demoness who had proclaimed himself queen of Nozama in order to prevent Nushen's rise from happening, the sisters broke up starting with Vanho, who left to pursue her relationship with Jin. Shortly after Vanho's departure, Yenfang left as well to raise an army and kingdom of her own.
The Nushenshi does not make any more references to Yenfang until after Nushen's victory over the demons in Hongtsao and Yicho, when the sisters started to reunite. According to the epic, Yenfang returned after Vanho returned, just as she had left after Vanho left.
Envious of Nushen's accomplishments in battle, Yenfang plotted to raise an army among Nushen's people to attack Nozama and overthrow her. However, the plot was foiled when nobody in Nozama, out of their love for Nushen, wanted to turn against their queen by pledging allegiance to Yenfang. Moved by the people's loyalty to Nushen, Yenfang gave up her ambitions and surrendered to Nushen.
Extracanonical myths
Yenfang and the death of Shenji Jolen
The story of Yenfang and the death of Shenji Jolen originated from Tuhaoese sources, which omit the story of Yenfang's plot against Nushen as it presumably portrays Yenfang in a negative light. Because it is not found in the Nushenshi or the Book of Gods, it is not considered canon among most Kannei Txoists.
In the Tuhaoese narrative, Yenfang went to the Tung River Delta after leaving Nushen, where she attracted devotees and was able to raise an army to resist demon rule. When word got out that Teyu wanted to execute Shenji Jolen, Yenfang returned to Shenji's abode to help him escape, only to be attacked by Teyu's demons as she was about to lead Shenji away. Shenji was wounded in the ambush and eventually died. Before his death, he entrusted his nephew, Shenji Huan, to Yenfang's care, as a sign of gratitude for Yenfang's attempt to take him to safety.
Yenfang delivered Shenji's corpse to Nushen and Vanho, who had already reunited at this point.
Yenfang and the Elephant
The Tuhaoese story of Yenfang and the Elephant is not found in the Nushenshi, though the Book of Gods calls Yenfang the creator of the first elephant without mentioning the story.
Yenfang arrived at the Tung River Delta, she was attacked by bandits commanded by Voi (Mi in Namorese). Yenfang quickly defeated the bandits and captured Voi, but instead of executing him, she released Voi and challenged him to attack with bandits again; if Voi lost, he would become Yenfang's slave. Still believing himself to be stronger than Yenfang, Voi raised another bandit army and attacked Vanho, only to be defeated once more. Voi realized that he could not defeat a goddess in battle and surrendered to Yenfang. He asked Yenfang what animal she would like him to turn into, to which Yenfang replied that she wanted an animal that was big enough to sit on — supposedly due to her height — but unable to fly and therefore escape. She then turned Voi into an elephant.
As an elephant, Voi redeemed himself by carrying Yenfang in battle; eventually, he became one of Yenfang's closest companions. Towards the end of her time on Earth, Yenfang offered to turn Voi back into a human again, but Voi rejected the offer out of a desire to serve future monarchs.
Chieftain of the Tung River Valley
<imgur thumb="yes" w="275" comment="Yenfang jumps into the Tung River with her illegitimate child as a result of her affair with Ba">uZQWIj8.jpg?1</imgur> After the defeat of Teyu, Songte named Yenfang chieftain of the Tung River Delta. Yenfang settled in the Tung River Delta, where she married Shenji Huan and gave birth to two sons, Ba and Sha.
One famous story set during Yenfang's reign was the dispute over Yenfang's rightful successor; Yenfang favored Ba while Shenji Huan favored Sha. To settle the dispute, Yenfang proposed that the first son who spawned a daughter would inherit the Tung River Delta. Ba and Sha married multiple wives, but none of them gave birth to a daughter. Eager not to let Sha gain the upper hand, Ba consulted Murong, who offered to take him to a woman who would give birth to a daughter on the condition that he is blindfolded.
Murong blindfolded Ba and took him to the bedchamber where Yenfang was sleeping, forcing mother and son to have sexual intercourse with each other. Ba then left the bedchamber without knowing who he had slept with.
Days later, Yenfang gave birth to a daughter and called an assembly to investigate how the birth took place. During the assembly, Murong appeared and identified Ba as the father of the newborn child. Realizing what he had done, Ba tried to flee Yenfang's palace, only to be beheaded at the door by an enraged Yenfang. Though Yenfang wanted to name Sha as her successor, Murong reminded her that the daughter, however illegitimate, was still spawned by Ba. Unwilling to renege on her promise, Yenfang allowed Ba's children to stay in the Tung River Delta and exiled Sha to the desert.
Still humiliated by the affair, Yenfang abdicated. She took the illegitimate child with her jumped into the Tung River. The water washed away the sin brought about by her incest with Ba, and she returned to her heavenly abode.
Abilities
Yenfang is described as a fearsome warrior whose power rivaled that of other gods. The Book of Gods describes Yenfang as being 7 chi (2.33 meters or 7.66 feet) tall and having 3 chi-long breasts that she carries on her back.
Yenfang's weapon is a set of wind and fire wheels, or the Diyowarun (Tròn Gió Lửa in Tuhaoese).
Worship
Worship of Yenfang is popular in the Greater Tuhao region. In the autonomous republic of Tuhao alone, there are hundreds of temples dedicated solely to the worship of Yenfang, known among Tuhaoese as Bà Mỹ Hại.
Places of worship for Yenfang can also be found deep within Namor Proper. The Pagodas of the Three Sister-Goddesses, which border Tanken Lake, are considered one of the holiest sites in Namorese folk religion and dedicated to Yenfang as well as her sisters.
Several dates pertaining to Yenfang are recognized as festivals in Tuhao. They include Bà Mỹ Hại Day, which celebrates the beginning of Yenfang's reign in the Tung River Delta, and Atonement Day, which observes Yenfang's tragic return to heaven.