Chinese myth · 声匠改编 · 4:17
Nezha Stirs Up the Sea
Seven-year-old Nezha washes his red sash in a river and shakes the Dragon King's palace. To save his parents he takes the blame, and is reborn from lotus.
Narrator
Nezha
Li Jing
Ao Guang, Dragon King
The Sea-Patrol Yaksha
Taiyi ZhenrenOther languages · 2 languages
About this story
Nezha Stirs Up the Sea comes from chapters 12 to 14 of Investiture of the Gods (Fengshen Yanyi), the Ming-dynasty novel of gods and heroes usually credited to Xu Zhonglin (some scholars say Lu Xixing). Li Jing's seven-year-old third son Nezha washes his red sash in the Nine-Bend River, shakes the Dragon King's palace, kills the sea-patrol yaksha and the third prince Ao Bing, ambushes the Dragon King Ao Guang at Heaven's gate, gives up his life to save his parents, and is rebuilt from lotus by his master Taiyi Zhenren. This version follows only the original novel, not the recent animated films: Nezha's sacrifice is told in one gentle sentence, and the dragon-sinew belt, the Lady Shiji episode and Nezha's later quarrel with his father are left out.
What it teaches
Nezha owns up to what he did and refuses to let his parents pay for it, which is real courage. But his rashness also brings trouble on his whole family, so the story is a good way to talk about thinking before you act, especially when you are strong.
Suits
Ages 6–12
Tips for telling it
- Speed up for the fights, and let children add the sound effects: a whoosh for the sash, a clang for the golden ring.
- Keep the sacrifice line soft. If children ask, say Nezha took responsibility in his own way, and his master brought him back as a lotus boy.
- Afterwards, ask: what did Nezha do right, and what did he do wrong? What else could he have done when the yaksha attacked?
Questions people ask
- Who is Nezha in Chinese mythology?
- Nezha is a child warrior god, the third son of Li Jing, known for his Qiankun Ring, red Huntian silk, fire-tipped spear and Wind Fire Wheels. He began as Nalakubara, a son of the Buddhist guardian king Vaishravana, became Li Jing's son in Chinese tradition, and appears in Journey to the West and, most fully, in Investiture of the Gods.
- What book is the story of Nezha from?
- Nezha stirring up the sea is told most fully in chapters 12 to 14 of Investiture of the Gods (Fengshen Yanyi), a Ming-dynasty novel about the war in which the Zhou overthrew the last Shang king. Modern films and cartoons retell it with many new characters and changes.
- Why is Nezha made of lotus?
- After Nezha gave up his life to save his parents from the Dragon Kings, his master Taiyi Zhenren built him a new body from lotus flowers and lotus leaves and called his spirit back into it. That is why Nezha is known as the lotus-born boy.
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