Zhinu (weaving maiden)

 

Zhinu (岶溺) is the star Vega in the constellation of Lyra east of the Milky Way, and Niu Lang (釘隻) is the star Altair in the constellation of Aquila west of the Milky Way. On the 7th day of the seventh lunar month, the lighting condition in the sky causes the Milky Way to appear dimmer and they appeared to be not separated by the milky way.  This phenomenon most probably had inspired the mythical story of Zhinu, the celestial weaving maiden and Niu Lang, the mortal cowherd, which first surfaced in the Han Dynasty.

According the the story, the Jade Emperor has a daughter named Zhi nu , meaning weaving maiden.  Everyday she descended to earth with the aid of a magical robe to bathe. One day, a cowherd named Niu Lang  spotted her while she was bathing in a stream. Niu Lang fell in love with her and stole her magic robe without which she was unable to return to heaven.  She fell in love with Niu Lang and they married and had two children.

When the Jade Emperor discovered the affair, he was furious and forced them to separate.  To prevent them from meeting, the Jade Emperor used his supernatural power to create a river to flow across the sky (the Milky Way).  As time passed, he relented and allowed the young lovers to meet once a year on the seventh day of the seventh month of the lunar calendar. A celestial bridge would be formed by flocks of magpies to connect the milky way so that both could meet.

As a weaver, Zhinu is the patron saint of women's needle work.  Women would pray to her to seek help to improve on their skills.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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