Xiwangmu (Sheewangmu)

Queen Mother of the West (a.k.a. Spirit (or Ghost) Mother of the West, Golden Mother, Aunt Mother Queen)

Xiwangmu, or Queen Mother of the West, is one of the most ancient and powerful goddesses in the pantheon. She has complete control over life, death, creation, and destruction. She is married to the Jade Emperor and tends to the Peaches of Immortality in their palace gardens. Xiwangmu is thought to have once been a wild demon that lived in the mountains and caused cataclysmic disasters. After repenting her evil ways, she achieved enlightenment and became a goddess.

Divine Domains

Xiwangmu is the highest ranking and most powerful female deity. She determines the lifespan of every living being, tends to the Peaches of Immortality, and manipulates the occurrences of major calamities, among other duties.
Because Xiwangmu’s story is so ancient, her origins as a deity are unclear. In early dynasties, Xiwangmu was seen as a demonic figure who caused floods, disease, and other major disasters. Popular opinion around Xiwangmu began to change around the time of the Yang Dynasty, however. Following this shift, she was seen as a repentant, benevolent goddess.

Physical Description

Body Features

In early texts, Xiwangmu had a wild, almost feral appearance befitting her ferocious personality. Later however, popular opinion surrounding Xiwangmu began to shift dramatically. Texts now described her as having the appearance of a human woman, though she retained some beastly traits—notably, tiger’s teeth and a leopard’s tail. Xiwangmu is often depicted wearing a headdress that she uses to hide her wild, untamed hair. She is also often shown with animal companions.

Personality Characteristics

Virtues & Personality perks

Xiwangmu is a talented weaver and is said to weave the stars into the sky each and every night.

Social

Contacts & Relations

Xiwangmu lives in a forested garden in the Jade Emperor’s palace together with nature spirits, magical beasts, and her ladies in waiting. In her free time, she tends to the Peaches of Immortality and other rare herbs and plants. Every year on her birthday, Xiwangmu invites all of the immortals in heaven to a party and gives each of them a peach so that they can continue living eternal lives.

Family Ties

Xiwangmu is married to the Jade Emperor. While they are said to have an enormous amount of children. Perhaps the couple’s most famous daughter, Zhinü infamously fell in love with a human; this story eventually led to the creation of Middlelands Valentine’s Day.
During her time as a mountain demon, Xiwangmu had a lover named Dongwanggong. While Xiwangmu ruled the west, Dongwanggong ruled the east. In some versions of Middlelands creation myth, the two lovers created humanity through their union.

Mannerisms

Xiwangmu is also known for being somewhat unpredictable. While the Jade Emperor is the embodiment of yang—the rational, level-headed, masculine energy in yin and yang—Xiwangmu is the wild and untamable embodiment of feminine yin energy.