Writers › Cultural Persona
Mo Ye
Wife of Gan Jiang in the Eastern Han Wu Yue chunqiu, who casts her hair and nail clippings into the furnace so the paired swords can be forged; the female sword bears her name.
In lantern light and drifting smoke, a row of painted theatrical masks stands on a wooden rail beneath a glowing paper dragon lantern and hanging red lanterns; a folding screen painted with a river, a bridge and hills stands at the right, with a bronze burner and small lamps on the floor.
Also known as Moye (Wu Yue chunqiu spelling) · Wife of Gan Jiang
- Roles
- Cultural Persona
Mo Ye is a cultural persona that grew out of the name of an ancient sword. The Xunzi names Moye as one of King Helü's fine swords; the Eastern Han Wu Yue chunqiu, writing Moye, makes her the wife of Gan Jiang who, when the metal will not melt, cuts her hair and nails and casts them into the furnace so the swords can be completed, the male sword named Gan Jiang and the female Moye. Later retellings of the Three Kings' Tomb tale make her the smith's wife and mother of the avenging youth Chi. This entry registers a cultural persona, not a historically verified individual.
Life and times
Dates First attested in the Eastern Han Wu Yue chunqiu; canonized in the Eastern Jin Soushen ji