In the book “The Divine Female of Vân Cát,” documented in the year of Cảnh Trị, Mother Goddess Liễu Hạnh was bestowed the title Princess Mã Hoàng by the imperial court. However, upon delving into other relevant hagiographical records, it becomes apparent that there exist three Sino versions of the term “Mã Hoàng.”
- a. 4 documents employ the characters 鎷鐄.
- b. 2 documents utilize the characters 禡黃.
- c. The most prevalent version is 禡鐄, found in 16 documents.
Regarding option a. 鎷鐄, some propose its pronunciation as “Mạ Vàng” (i.e. gold gilding), a plausible interpretation based on the characters. However, we contend that it should be pronounced as MÃ HOÀNG, as these characters pertain to troops’ worshipping rituals.
According to the Etymology dictionary, “古代行軍於所止處祭神曰禡”. Translatoon: In ancient times, where marching troops stopped and worshiped gods is called “Mã”). The god worshiped could be either the Yellow Emperor or Chiyou.
Upon reviewing the document “Truyền Kỳ Tân Phả” (New Legendary) (A.48), which employs the characters 禡黃 (b), and considering the numerous instances where Mother Goddess Liễu Hạnh blessed the soldiers in their fight against invaders, or even led Her own troops, it is affirmed that Her accurate title should be 禡黃公主, Princess Mã Hoàng. The addition of the radical component “Kim” [金] to the left side of the title serves to enhance its solemnity.
(Excerpt from the research paper by author Lê Tùng Lâm, Hán Nôm Studies 2020, pages 583-584)
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