Caroline Young, artwork and text
QFWF, November 26th 2019 © Source: The art of Caroline R. Young (2002), Heritage Immortals
Once upon a time there was a beautiful White Snake Goddess who lived in the heavens above ancient China.
Both Chinese legend and opera regale us with tales of the White Snake Goddess, who looked down from the heavens and fell madly in love with a handsome and strong mortal man.
The White Snake Goddess pleaded with the other gods to allow her to go to earth and meet this perfect man in mortal form.
Reluctantly, the gods allowed her to do so, thinking she would soon be disappointed. But the White Snake Goddess became so taken by this man that she begged for permission to remain on earth as his wife.
The gods, sensing this time that her bond of love was unbreakable, gave her permission to remain on earth in mortal form.
The two wed and were very happy and blessed with two beautiful children.
However, their happiness was shattered when the husband became gravely ill and near death.
The beautiful young goddess begged the gods for a cure.
They offered her a choice: if she would return to the heavens as the Spirit of the White Snake, they would let her husband live.
The White Snake Goddess was heart-broken but decided to return to the heavens so that her husband could live. Thus she returned and he miraculously recovered.
However, the pain of their parting created such storms in the heavens, and the White Snake Goddess’ tears so flooded the land, that the gods relented and allowed her to return to earth in her mortal form, where the two lived happily ever after.
In this piece, the dazzling beauty of the White Snake Goddess is captured by Caroline Young as she shows her first arriving on earth in human form, charming even the koi in the pond.
