Mythical Monkeys
© Wayne Kreger
It would not surprise anyone to say that animals play an important role in mythology. They can serve all kinds of purposes - they may be helpers for our heroes, monsters that terrorize towns and cities, or even the protagonists of the world's collected stories. Often times there are given human personalities, with the ability to communicate with us. Both Hanuman of Hindu mythology and the Monkey King of Chinese literature fit these descriptions, and both also happen to be monkeys. Let us see how these two characters compare.
In the Hindu epic the Ramayana we read the tale of Rama, an incarnation of the god Vishnu (the Preserver). Rama is a warrior and king, and was married to the lovely Sita. However, the evil demon king Ravana kidnapped Sita, and thus the plot of the Ramayana develops - Rama must rescue his beloved wife. He begins the search, but is unable to locate her. He does, however, come upon a monkey who prostrates himself before Rama and recognizes him as lord of the universe. This is the monkey Hanuman. He joins Rama in his search, and after leaping across the sea he finds Sita in Lanka, the kingdom of Ravana. While Rama makes his way there, Hanuman lets Sita know that he is a messenger of Rama and helps to console her. Ravana learns of Hanuman's presence on the island and sends his son to capture him. The demon king lights Hanuman's tail on fire as punishment, but the nimble Hanuman leaps from rooftop to rooftop, using his tail to burn down many buildings and kill many demons. Rama arrives, rescues Sita and destroys Ravana, and the three reunite.
Hanuman is also credited with saving the life of Rama's brother by leaping to the Himalayan mountains to retrieve a life saving herb. As well, when questioned about his loyalty to Rama and Sita, Hanuman ripped the flesh of his own chest to reveal his heart to the couple. When this scene is presented in art we often see the images of Rama and Sita imprinted on Hanuman's heart. Hanuman is in Hindu mythology representative of bhakti, loving devotion to a deity. Hanuman personifies this feeling, as we see in his service to Rama.
The Monkey King, though a monkey as well, is a completely different kind of character. He was born out of a stone, and became king of the monkeys. But this did not satisfy him, and he set out to learn and practice Daoism and Zen Buddhism. He found a teacher and was given the name Sun Wu'Kong, and received a great deal of mystical instruction which granted him many powers. He returned to his monkey subjects and ruled them well. But he harassed dragon kings and other earthly powers, and was reported to the heavenly court. He was brought up to heaven, and the Jade Emperor (the ruler of heaven) tried to buy his complacency by giving him a post as a guard in the heavenly stables. This infuriated the Monkey King, who returned to earth and proclaimed himself "Great Sage, equal to Heaven". Waves of divine armies were sent to subdue the Great Sage, but all failed. He returned to heaven and continued to cause havoc.
In the Hindu epic the Ramayana we read the tale of Rama, an incarnation of the god Vishnu (the Preserver). Rama is a warrior and king, and was married to the lovely Sita. However, the evil demon king Ravana kidnapped Sita, and thus the plot of the Ramayana develops - Rama must rescue his beloved wife. He begins the search, but is unable to locate her. He does, however, come upon a monkey who prostrates himself before Rama and recognizes him as lord of the universe. This is the monkey Hanuman. He joins Rama in his search, and after leaping across the sea he finds Sita in Lanka, the kingdom of Ravana. While Rama makes his way there, Hanuman lets Sita know that he is a messenger of Rama and helps to console her. Ravana learns of Hanuman's presence on the island and sends his son to capture him. The demon king lights Hanuman's tail on fire as punishment, but the nimble Hanuman leaps from rooftop to rooftop, using his tail to burn down many buildings and kill many demons. Rama arrives, rescues Sita and destroys Ravana, and the three reunite.
Hanuman is also credited with saving the life of Rama's brother by leaping to the Himalayan mountains to retrieve a life saving herb. As well, when questioned about his loyalty to Rama and Sita, Hanuman ripped the flesh of his own chest to reveal his heart to the couple. When this scene is presented in art we often see the images of Rama and Sita imprinted on Hanuman's heart. Hanuman is in Hindu mythology representative of bhakti, loving devotion to a deity. Hanuman personifies this feeling, as we see in his service to Rama.
The Monkey King, though a monkey as well, is a completely different kind of character. He was born out of a stone, and became king of the monkeys. But this did not satisfy him, and he set out to learn and practice Daoism and Zen Buddhism. He found a teacher and was given the name Sun Wu'Kong, and received a great deal of mystical instruction which granted him many powers. He returned to his monkey subjects and ruled them well. But he harassed dragon kings and other earthly powers, and was reported to the heavenly court. He was brought up to heaven, and the Jade Emperor (the ruler of heaven) tried to buy his complacency by giving him a post as a guard in the heavenly stables. This infuriated the Monkey King, who returned to earth and proclaimed himself "Great Sage, equal to Heaven". Waves of divine armies were sent to subdue the Great Sage, but all failed. He returned to heaven and continued to cause havoc.
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