Transformation, creation, regeneration: from silkworm worship to goddess fantasies

In the myths, folklore, and rituals of silk in East Asia, the Silkworm Deity is often portrayed as a female figure, representing a unique expression of ecofeminism as a modern analytical lens within Chinese culture and the broader East Asian cultural context. By integrating archeological discoveries with historical texts, this article explores the cultural origins of the Silkworm Goddess and her localized variation paths in East Asia. Employing a literary anthropology framework, the analysis draws on four key types of evidence: classical literature, excavated textual materials such as oracle bones and bronze inscriptions, folklore and ethnological references, and ancient artifacts—the Quadruple Evidence Method. It delineates the cultural compilation process from the primal essence of the silkworm to the refined silk product, highlighting the central role women have played in this construction. Analysis reveals that the worship of the Silkworm Goddess extends far beyond sericulture, encompassing fundamental religious and life beliefs related to the cycles of life and death. The transition of the Silkworm Goddess from a vibrant Mother Goddess to a specialized agricultural deity responsible for silk production raises critical feminist questions about women’s agency within political and economic structures. This article addresses these issues by analyzing the premodern cosmological beliefs inherent in the worship of the Silkworm Goddess and interpreting the manifestations of patriarchal cultural intrusion in her classical legends. It further takes the silkworm beliefs in Japan and the Korean Peninsula as comparative cases to clarify the “homology and heterogeny” of the East Asian silkworm goddess culture.