The Dragon King's Daughter

Hey guys!  How's your February going so far?

I wanted to begin by taking a look at the role of the dragon in Chinese mythology. Western myth and folklore has traditionally painted dragons in a very different way. They are massive beasts, ones who hoard treasure. They frequently kidnap royalty, or wreak terror over nobility's countryside. Western dragons are often portrayed as fire-breathers.

Chinese dragons stand in sharp contrast to this. It's true that they are very large, but their great intelligence belies the term of beast. Dragons in Chinese mythology are frequently depicted with a giant pearl clutched in one taloned hand, or chasing after one. It's tempting to say that this is proof that they hoard treasure, but in reality the pearl represents wisdom. Chinese dragons are associated with nobility nearly as often as Western dragons are...but that's because the dragons of the Chinese myths are considered to be nobility. In their homes they take the form of humans – very wealthy, impeccably dressed humans. (Dragons traditionally make their homes in rich palaces beneath the water. Several folktales portray these palaces as having a timeless quality quite similar to the fae in Celtic mythology. A man who spends time in those halls may leave, only to find several decades have passed in what he thought was a mere month's stay!) And forget breathing fire – the Chinese considered dragons to be tied to water. These elegant creatures have some control over lakes, rain, flooding...even such mighty forces as the great typhoon.

(I couldn't help it, I'm sorry.)

There's an old story called The Dragon King's Daughter which paints a very good picture of Chinese dragons. It begins with a man named Liu Yi, who was a student headed to the capitol of Chang'an for examinations. Along the way he came across a very beautiful young woman on the side of the road. Despite her great loveliness, the girl was herding sheep, and she appeared to have been crying. Liu Yi immediately dismounted his horse and asked if there was anything he could do to help her.

She was touched by his kindness, and proceeded to tell Liu Yi her story. The woman was the daughter of a dragon king,one who ruled over Lake Dong Ting. Her father had married her off to the son of another dragon lord. Her husband was a worthless sort, one who constantly neglected the girl – but she could not complain to his parents, and had no way of contacting her father. If he but heard of her troubles, she knew that he would come and rescue her. Guessing that Liu Yi was headed for Chang'an, she asked if he would be willing to deliver a message to her father on his way past.

Liu Yi was anxious to help the girl, and promised to do everything in his power to get her message to her father. He made his farewells, saying that he hoped they would meet again.

The man headed for Lake Dong Ting as quickly as he good. There he was met by a servitor who rose out of the lake's waters. Liu Yi told the man that he wished to speak to the king. Immediately the servitor raised a hand and parted the waves. Liu Yi was directed to close his eyes. He did so, and the servitor led him.

When the mortal opened his eyes several minutes later, he was inside a palace. It was covered in precious stones and pearls, with plants decorating the halls. A regal figure entered and introduced himself as the dragon king, then asked what had made a human brave the journey to the dragon's dwelling.

The dragon king's daughter had given Liu Yi a letter to deliver to her father. He passed it to the man, explaining who had given it to him and why. The dragon immediately began to read his daughter's letter, and then began to cry. He was distraught that his daughter had suffered so greatly without his knowledge. The king was also immensely grateful that a human, a stranger, had been willing to help his child.

The king was not the only one crying. The other courtiers had begun to weep when they heard the news. As soon as the king was finished reading the letter was taken to the queen's chambers, and soon the sound of she and her ladies weeping could also be heard. At this the king started and hastily dried his tears. He dispatched an attendant to make the ladies stop crying – and quickly, before the prince of Qiang Tang heard!

Liu Yi curiously inquired as to who this prince was. The dragon king explained that the prince of Qiang Tang was his younger brother. He was possessed of a mighty temper, and had caused many floods in his home. The Jade Emperor had temporarily confined him to the dragon king's home in an effort to make him behave.

 

 

No sooner had the explanation been made than a great roaring echoed through the chamber. The doors slammed open, and a red dragon rushed into the hall, still bellowing so strongly that the palace shook. Thunder and lightning traveled in his wake. He was gone out the other door almost as quickly as he had appeared. Liu Yi was terrified, but the dragon king comforted him, explaining that the dragon was his brother, and that his wrath was not for Liu Yi.

It took some convincing for Liu Yi to be willing to stay after such a terrible sight, but eventually the dragon king persuaded him to join him for refreshments.

Not long thereafter a gentle breeze was heard throughout the hall. Soon a group of young women entered, chatting among themselves. One in particular was very beautiful, and she was the most richly dressed of the group. Liu Yi realized that it was the girl he had spoken to, the princess who had sent him on his quest. The dragon king stood and embraced his daughter, beaming at her return. She and the other women soon retired to another set of chambers.

Not long after a dignified, elegantly-garbed man entered the room. He was introduced to Liu Yi as the prince of Qiang Tang – the fearsome dragon who had roiled through the chamber earlier! He thanked Liu Yi for his help in his niece's return. When the dragon king inquired, the prince explained what had happened. He had headed straight for Jing River, where the other dragon lived, and the two had fought on its shores. Upon the defeat of his foe, the prince had gone to visit the Jade Emperor to explain his actions. The Jade Emperor forgave him for his violence when he heard of the circumstances, and would not hold his actions against him. Still, the prince begged for his brother's forgiveness, for he had been quite rude earlier...and, he suspected, had frightened their mortal guest.

 

(When pressed for details, the prince admitted that he had killed six hundred thousand people in his battle with the other dragon. Nearly three hundred miles of fields had been flooded. As for his foe...well, he had eaten him. The dragon king was appalled by this, but the prince seemed quite content.)

A feast was held the next day, and Liu Yi was heaped with gifts of pearls and precious rocks for his help in the matter. The prince of Qiang Tang seemed to have taken quite a liking to Liu Yi, and after several cups of wine he came up to him with a proposition. He wanted to link the two families together, and proposed that Liu Yi marry the princess. After all, it was obvious that the human was in love with her, and the princess owed him a debt for having been rescued thanks to him. Though his words were polite, the dragon prince attempted to intimidate Liy Yi into accepting the offer.

The human thought quickly, and was able to assuage the dragon prince with his clever words. Though it was true that he loved the girl, he was worried that the prince of Qiang Tang would not look on the idea so fondly when he was sober. In addition, he was but a mortal, and the girl was a dragon princess. Liu Yi was able to decline without offending the prince, and the two remained good friends.

On the next day, Liu Yi began to regret having turned down the marriage proposal. Saying goodbye to the dragon princess was difficult and left him with a heavy heart. When she bowed to him, she repeated his words from the first day he had met her - “I hope that we shall meet again.”

Years passed. The gifts of the dragon king had made Liu Yi wealthy, and he was able to settle into a nice home. He married, but not long after his wife died. Once again he married, but this girl too died shortly thereafter. Then a matchmaker came and told him of a woman he thought suitable. She had previously been married to a family near the Jing River, but her husband had passed away. Upon hearing her virtues praised by the matchmaker, Liu Yi agreed to wed her.

The couple were very much in love. They had a child together, and one night after the woman asked him if they remembered how they had first met. Liu Yi was filled with a sneaking suspicion, and said that he had never forgotten the dragon princess whom he had helped. His wife confessed that she was the princess, and that she had fallen in love with him.

The couple lived together in joy for many years. Eventually, the dragon's princess took Liu Yi back to her father's lake. The two entered it together, and have lived beneath its waters ever since.

I hope you guys enjoyed the story!  Oh, if you were wondering - the sheep the dragon princess was herding?  They were actually storm elementals, part of the wind and the rain.  I always found that part interesting!

I'll be back next week!  See you then.