This is one of the title of the Mazu媽祖, a sea goddess in Chinese folk religion, Chinese Buddhism, Confucianism, and Daoism. Mazu is the deified form of Lin Moniang 林默娘, a shamaness from Fujian who is said to have lived in the late 10th century. After her death, she became revered as a tutelary deity of Chinese seafarers, including fishermen and sailors. Her worship spread throughout China’s coastal regions and overseas Chinese communities throughout Southeast Asia, where some Mazuist temples are affiliated with famous Taiwanese temples. Mazu was traditionally thought to roam the seas, protecting her believers through miraculous interventions. She is now generally regarded by her believers as a powerful and benevolent Queen of Heaven.
A wooden statue of Mazu (19th century China).
