In the beginning of the story of the Monkey King, in the passage Handsome King of the Apes, Sun Wu Kung is born. This birth is far from natural, however! The future king of the monkeys is born out a stone egg, and is even made of stone himself!
The Monkey King's supernatural abilities do not end there. In the passage Learning the Art, Sun Wu Kung learns to practice magic from his priestly master. Sun Wu Kung is able to leap into the air and walk amongst clouds that form beneath his feet.
(Sun Wu Kung: Wikimedia Commons)
Sun Wu Kung further demonstrates his magic capabilities in the story of The Devil-King.. When Sun Wu Kung returns to his home, he finds that his cave has been taken over by a devil. This devil is no match for the Monkey King's new magic powers, however. Sun Wu Kung uses magic to turn his own hairs into tiny little monkeys to attack the demon, and ends the devil once and for all with a blow from his own knife.
In Notscha, Son of Li Dsing, Sun Wu Kung once again finds himself in a battle. This time, he faces the son of a god! During this fight, both Notscha and Sun Wu Kung use magic to transform themselves into a three headed being with six arms. The fight continues for a time, until Sun Wu Kung utilizes his hair once more to make a phantom of himself, and strikes Notscha from behind.
In the final story of Sun Wu Kung, The Travellers Honoured, Sun Wu Kung and other supernatural immortal beings meet with the Buddha. Sun Wu Kung is appointed God of Victorious Strife, and ascends to his celestial abode.
This sounds like it was a really fun reading unit. The story reminds me of the movie Kung Fun Panda in the combination of magic and fighting. I really like the mental image of the monkey turning all of his hairs into little monkeys to attack the devil. Did his hair itself have magical powers? I'm glad that the money won out against evil in the end because it really sounded like he deserved it. It makes me wonder if he continued to use his magical powers as the God of Victorious Strife to help others.
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