Yesterday on IRC I was discussing shortly with Drake about Junko and Jouga
(Chang'E ). I dove into various links (mainly the main wikipedia (not touhou)) and read the mythology regarding Houyi shooting down the suns. It was quite interesting thing to read. Though I have some questions. Please forgive me from jumping below in certain subjects, at the end of the post I will ask some ordered questions:
I want to start with Junko. I hate use wiki as sources but in the story of Houyi, the suns were 'sons' of Dijun. He ordered him to 'teach them a lesson' as they decided to all rise at the same time cause major issue. How the shooting happened I will put aside, but the fact remains he shot down 9 suns
(children). If Junko's son got shot down, it means she lost 9 children and not just one as it seems to report on the Touhou Wiki. Does this mean Junko is Dijun's wife? Dijun is mentioned to have two wives. And was Junko (called Xihe in the article) the Mother of the Suns? Would this explain her sorrow for losing her son and possibly generating that grudge?
Article also mentions 'Changxi' (Not Chang'E (Jouga)) but questioned to be her and thus also Dijun's wife. This would make it odd if such was the case. I mean, Jouga can't be both Houyi and Dijun's wife. The hate towards Jouga seems very odd since it was her own husband who ordered the discipline of the 10 sons but they ended getting shot. Plus, it is also said that Dijun himself was angry of this and thus stripped Houyi of his heavenly immortality and sentenced him down to earth as a mortal. Only after some quests on earth he was granted the Hourai Elixer as exchange. Two of them, which his wife Jouga eventually drank and ascended to the moon.
Right so now down to my questions, but I need to mention few things before that:
- I sense that Houyi had no wife at the time of his heavenly immortality. Because Jouga is mentioned nowhere when the shooting of the suns happen.
- Jouga is mentioned after Houyi was punished mortal life.
- Jouga drank the elixers and ascended to the moon.
(Article mentions various reasons, but the fact remains she drank them both)Now here is what bothers me:
- Is Junko the Mother of Suns? Or is that Changxi? Dijun had two wives and 10 sons. Or is the Mother of Sons none of two? What is going on?
- If Junko is somehow filled with hate and grudge due to losing her "sons", wouldn't that have been at the time her sons got shot down?
- Dijun already punished Houyi for this by stripping his "god status". Even though I would assume Junko to be unpleased with this and kept her grudge for murdering her sons.
- Jouga gained immortal life due to the elixer. And Houyi died I assume.
Does this mean Junko always had a grudge on Houyi and everything he related to? Would this indicate that as Houyi died, she moved her hate/grudge to Jouga, who actually should've been mortal but became immortal? So it is like eternal shoved blame on Jouga?
This quite fascinates + confuses me at the same time.
Wiki article source about Houyi and story of shooting the 9 suns: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Houyi