Work Text:
Sumeru Journal of History and Mythology of Teyvat.
Spring 2021, volume 347, issue 4, pp. 20-25.
Qingce Love Song: Unraveling The Identity of Two Figures From The Song
by Alrani
Sumeru Academia
Sumeru, Teyvat
Keywords: Qingce Love Song, Folk Song, Teyvat History, Teyvat Mythology, Liyue History, Mondstadt History, Study of Archons
Introduction
A survey from Sumeru Academia (2019) voted Qingce Love Song as one of '20 Most Recognizable Folksong of Teyvat' and the first of 'The Most Recognizable Song of Liyue'. Most of the survey voters say because the song is easy to remember, while others say it has a romantic allure to it, frequently used in theatre, and the song has a significant history behind it.
While various iterations of Qingce Love Song have been made, the oldest one is from 200 A.S. Fadhlan (2003) in Folksongs of Liyue writes that the first chief of Qingce Village, a village in the north of Liyue, was the first who documented the song. The song was initially called "On The Mountain Hill" and was used initially as part of a courting ritual for the villagers of Qingce. Fadhlan, in his other book, Customs of Liyue (2004), further elaborates on how the song is used. First, the groom would sing to the bride for three nights, and if the bride accepts, they will meet under the field of Glaze Lilies to hope for the blessing from the gods. As the populace grew, the song was spread to the general public and became known as Qingce Love Song (Fadhlan, 2003 & Wuyuan, 2014).
However, Fadhlan in Folksongs of Liyue thinks the chief is not the author of the song because they allude that some 'otherworldly being' bestowed the song to Qingce. Since then, the author's identity, or the people's identity on the song, has been lost to time until recent research.
Nowadays, villagers of Qingce no longer practice the courting ritual with Qingce Love Song. So, it is imperative for us to learn more about the song to preserve it (Wuyuan, 2014). Sayid (2016) enforced the importance of understanding a song's story because he believes it could lead us to understand the culture and belief that shapes one nation, and then it could help lead to a better life.
The First Figure: Dragon of The East
The first clue can be found in the second part Qingce Love Song:
The bard from the northeast,
Has a charming personality.
The Mighty Dragon of the east,
Has fallen in love with them.
He comes to court them
Under the bright moonlight.
(Derived from Folksongs of Liyue, 2003, p.20)
It is believed that 'The Mighty Dragon of the East' refers to the late Rex Lapis, formerly known as Morax, the Geo Archon. There is a little record about Morax pre-Archon War, but Livingstone et al. (2010) find many relics telling the tale about 'the dragon that protects the Eastland' believed to be Liyue. Chenqiu (2020), in The Life and Death of Rex Lapis, thinks that could be an indication that Dragon of the East could be Morax's epithet before the Archon War. The name later got forgotten except by the people of Inazuma, who still refer to Morax that until the present day (Sayid, 2016 & Chenqiu, 2020).
However, it is also believed that Rex Lapis is also the author of the song. In Folksongs of Liyue, the first chief describes the otherworldly being as:
There sits an ethereal being wrapped in white, with horns protruding from his forehead. His amber eyes stared at the depth of my soul as if weighing my life's worth. If I were to die because I interrupted this god's leisure time, I think I can die in peace, for I've never heard such beautiful playing of guzheng. (p. 21).
In Rex Incognito, one of the oldest resources about the story of Morax, it is said that Morax often wandered Liyue as a human, and the only way of telling it was him was through his amber eyes. In other resources like the Notes of Guhua and Records of Jueyun say sometimes Morax shows his horns when he takes a human form (Chenqiu, 2020). The first documentation also notes the song was composed initially with guzheng, and Morax was known to be fond of string instruments (Fadhlan, 2003 & Zhongli, 2019).
The Second Figure: The Bard From The Northeast
Though there are many tales of Morax with his adepti, it isn't known if he had taken one of them as his lover. The closest was his relationship with the Goddess of Dust, Guizhong of the Guili Assembly. Their relationship was described as 'brothers in arms and partners for life' (Soraya, 2020). However, it is unlikely the other party in Qingce Love Song is her because of these reasons:
- The phrase 'brothers in arms and partners for life' is often used to describe sworn brothers in that era of Liyue (Morton, 2015).
- The song describes the other party as a bard (or proficient in using instruments). Guizhong was only described as an excellent tactician and inventor (Fadhlan, 2003; Zhongli, 2019; Soraya, 2020).
- It is speculated that the bard is from outside of Liyue. First, a bard is not a profession native to Liyue. Second, the first chief wrote that the song's author alludes that song was for someone far away (Fadhlan, 2003 & Gunnhildr, 2018).
Another clue comes from the third paragraph of the song:
First, he has fallen for their charming personality.
Second, he has fallen for their ethereal talent and voice.
Oh, how ethereal they are,
Under the bright moonlight.
(Derived from Folksongs of Liyue, 2003, p.20)
Based on the presented pieces of evidence, there is a possibility the other figure is the Anemo Archon of Mondstadt, Barbatos. In Biography of Gunnhildr, she mentioned Barbatos probably would likely tour the land as a bard after departing from Mondstadt (Gunnhildr, 2016). Then The Legend of Vennessa tells the story of Vennessa, who helped a bard that turned out to be Barbatos. Vennessa also often referred to the Anemo Archon as 'The Bard' in her diary (Edith, 2017). Various folklore of Mondstadt also often depicts Barbatos as a bard, a painter, or a singer (Edith, 2015).
There are many mentions of Barbatos and Morax being good friends ever since their first meeting at the Seven's Coronation (Gunnhildr, 2018). In one instance, Barbatos helped Morax and his adepti drove a god who went berserk out of Teyvat (Zhongli, 2019). In another example, Morax allowed Barbatos to forge his signature so Barbatos could expel the corrupted aristocrats that took over Mondstadt before Vennessa's Rebellion (Edith, 2017 & Gunnhildr, 2018). The Stone Gate was also said to be built as a sign of trust between the two archons (Edith, 2017).
But the most concrete evidence is that there is a mention in Rex Incognito about Morax meeting 'a bard from the northeast' before the next chapter tells a story about him and the Anemo Archon (Chenqiu, 2020). Vennessa's diary also reveals that the Anemo Archon loves to sing a song from where lilies grew in the East. This place is presumably Qingce Village because Glaze Lillies can only be found in that village in the wild (Edith, 2017 & Flora, 2019).
Liyue, Mondstadt, and Their Bilateral Implication
Unlike the other nations, Liyue and Mondstadt's bilateral remains constant throughout the history of Teyvat. As a result, their long alliance has influenced each other's culture. For example, several villages in Liyue that depend on sailing as their livelihood worship the Anemo Archon instead of the Geo Archon. Another example is the structure of Knights of Favonius is modeled after the ranks of the Millelith. They also share some similar folksong or have folksong that references each other's nation, like Qingce Love Song (Fadhlan, 2003; Morton, 2015; Edith, 2017; Gunnhildr, 2018).
There are many factors played into this. Morton (2015) and Gunnhildr (2018) argue there are two big reasons. One, the close geographic location between Liyue and Mondstadt makes it easy for them to trade. Two, the two nations used to use political marriages to strengthen their alliance. But perhaps there is another reason besides that. Qingce Love Song infers that the two archons share a relationship beyond friendship. It was a bit ironic because Gunnhildr (2018), in his studies, finds that despite the long relationship between Liyue and Mondstadt, there lies a deep-rooted issue between the two citizens due to their different views on their archons.
The relationship between the late Geo and Anemo archon can not be determined until more evidence shows up. But perhaps if we study their connection further, we can understand more about the life of archons. Livingstone et al. (2010) believe that learning archons could help us understand one's nation's life and culture, and Sayid (2016) enforces that understanding one's nation's culture and belief could help lead to a better life. In the meantime, we can play Qingce Love Song on our radio, an unlikely folksong that holds significant importance about the two archons relationship.
References
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