The Monkey King: From Birth to "Death"

Hey guys! Today I'm going to begin a series of posts about the Monkey King. The Monkey King, also known as Sun Wukong, is one of the most beloved characters from Chinese mythology. His tale blends elements of classical mythology, Taoism, and Buddhism, along with a roaring good time and a fantastic sense of humor. The Monkey King is the Trickster of Chinese mythology, though he has more in common with the (usually) benevolent Hermes of the Greek mythos than he does with the nefarious Loki from the Norse myths. The full story of Sun Wukong can be found in the story Journey to the West, but I'll highlight some of his exploits for the next several weeks.

Shall we begin the story of the monkey?

Long ago, on the Mountain of Flowers and Fruit, there stood a great stone. The stone had rested on that mountain since the formation of the earth. One day, however, the stone changed: it grew a womb. Months later the stone cracked, revealing an egg inside. From this egg hatched a monkey – or, rather, a Monkey.

The Monkey wandered the mountain and eventually found a group of wild monkeys. They had many adventures, including one in which the Monkey found the tribe a home in a cave behind a waterfall. For this, he was named their king.

As time passed, the Monkey King grew skilled in the martial arts. He acquired a magical golden staff, which was able to grow or shrink to whatever size he desired. When not using it in combat, the Monkey King would shrink his staff to the size of a needle and tuck it behind his ear.

The Monkey King fought many demons and monsters, triumphing over them all. Eventually, however, a fight came which no mortal can triumph over. The forces of Hell came to claim the Monkey King, for the time had come for his death.

Of course, the Monkey King refused to go quietly. They had to drag him to Hell, and the Monkey King protested all the while. When they were within the underworld he grabbed the small needle which lay behind his ear, transforming it once more into his mighty staff. The Monkey King fought the forces of the underworld and triumphed, giving them a sound thrashing.

When his foes lay groaning at his feet, the Monkey King did the unexpected: he charged further into Hell. Your average person would want to escape the underworld, right? Well, not the Monkey King. He knew that his name was in the register of the dead. If he escaped, it would be only a matter of time before they came for him again. Besides, the Monkey King cared deeply about his tribe of monkeys. He didn't want death to claim them either.
 

So Sun Wukong charged into the courts of Hell and demanded to see the judges of the dead. They cowered before him as he ordered them to produce the register of the dead. Seeing his name within it, along with the names of all of the monkeys, the Monkey King flew into a rage. He seized a bottle of ink and a brush. All of the names were crossed out with broad strokes of the brush.

His work complete, the Monkey King stormed out of the underworld. He awoke back in his home with the other monkeys, who insisted that their king had been dreaming. But Sun Wukong knew the truth, and rested easily knowing that death no longer held sway over any of the monkeys.

But all was not well, for word had reached the Jade Emperor of the impertinent Monkey King. Complaints had already been trickling in for some time, for Sun Wukong had picked fights with many an immortal being. When the emissaries from the underworld came to the Jade Emperor to complain, he knew that something had to be done about the Monkey...

I'll end there for today, and I'll see you guys next week!