Legendary Heroes of History & Myth: Sun Wukong
For the eighth card in my Legendary Heroes of History & Myth series, we're heading back to China—but this time we're leaving history behind and jumping into one of the greatest pieces of mythology ever written.
This one is all about Sun Wukong, the Monkey King.
Sun Wukong is the legendary hero of the classic Chinese novel Journey to the West. And calling him a troublemaker would be putting it mildly.
Born from a magical stone, Sun Wukong becomes incredibly powerful through his study of Taoist arts. He gains extraordinary strength, learns to transform himself into different forms, and eventually becomes immortal.
He's also incredibly difficult to control.
Sun Wukong challenges the authority of heaven, battles gods and demons, and generally causes enough trouble to earn himself a serious reputation. But that's also what makes him such an interesting character.
He's not simply a hero who follows the rules.
He's a rebel, a trickster, a warrior, and eventually a hero whose journey becomes a quest for enlightenment.
And then there's his famous weapon—the Ruyi Jingu Bang, or magical staff. The staff can change size and weight at Sun Wukong's command, making it an almost ridiculous weapon in the hands of someone who is already ridiculously powerful.
What I like about Sun Wukong is that he isn't a perfect hero. In fact, early in his story he's pretty much the opposite. He's arrogant, impulsive, mischievous, and constantly testing the limits of everyone around him.
But that's part of the journey.
Over time, his adventures with his companions help transform him from a rebellious troublemaker into a figure associated with courage, loyalty, wisdom, and enlightenment.
That's a pretty good character arc.
For this card, I wanted to capture the more powerful and legendary side of Sun Wukong. The artwork is meant to show the Monkey King as a larger-than-life figure—part warrior, part trickster, and completely at home in a world of gods, demons, and magic.
Sun Wukong has been part of Chinese culture for centuries and has influenced countless stories, movies, television shows, video games, and other characters around the world.
It's easy to see why.
If you'd like to take a closer look at the card, click on either image in this post. I've linked the images directly to the eBay listing.
This is #8 in the Legendary Heroes of History & Myth series.
We've covered scholars, sharpshooters, goddesses, emperors, pharaohs, wizards, and now the Monkey King.
I'm having a lot of fun seeing where this series takes me next.
— Copper State Cards