Mu Zha

Overview

木吒是《封神演义》中的神将人物，李靖之子、金吒之弟、哪吒之兄。小说中，他拜普贤真人为师，使用法宝吴钩双剑，参与周军伐商。战后，木吒与李靖、金吒、哪吒、雷震子、杨戬、韦护等七人幸存，最终“肉身成圣”。木吒的形象在更早的佛教传统中已经出现，并常与观音菩萨的使者“惠岸行者”联系在一起。在中国宗教与文学长期演变过程中，木吒、木叉以及佛教与道教护法形象相互借用、逐渐融合，使其成为一个跨越不同信仰与叙事体系的人物。

Mu Zha is a divine warrior in Investiture of the Gods, the son of Li Jing, younger brother of Jin Zha, and elder brother of Nezha. In the novel, he becomes a disciple of Puxian Zhenren, wields the magical Twin Wu Swords, and joins the Zhou campaign against the Shang. At the end of the war, Mu Zha survives alongside Li Jing, Jin Zha, Nezha, Lei Zhenzi, Yang Jian, and Weihu; the seven ultimately attain sainthood in their mortal bodies. Earlier forms of Mu Zha also appear within Buddhist traditions and became associated with Huian Xingzhe, an attendant of Guanyin. Through the long development of Chinese religion and literature, Mu Zha, Mucha, and related Buddhist and Daoist protector figures borrowed from and blended with one another, giving him an identity that crosses different religious and narrative traditions.