Student Question
What actions does the warrior god Orionis take in The Journey to the West?
Quick answer:
In The Journey to the West, the warrior god Orionis aids the protagonists by subduing a female scorpion fiend who has captured Tripitaka. After Tripitaka resists her temptations, his disciples, including the monkey and Pa-chieh, fail to defeat her due to her poisonous tail. Upon Bodhisattva Kuan-yin's advice, the monkey seeks Orionis, who heals their wounds and defeats the fiend by revealing his true form as a rooster and crowing, causing her demise.
Orionis is a star lord who lives in the Luminescent Palace in the heavens. In chapter 55 of the book, Tripitaka is taken by a female scorpion fiend to her place of residence, the Cave of the Lute at the Toxic Foe Mountain, where he is sexually tempted by the fiend. Tripitaka resists the temptation while anxiously waiting for his disciples to rescue him. The monkey and Pa-chieh make several attempts but get injured by the scorpion fiend’s poisonous tail and are not able to defeat her. Upon the recommendation of the Bodhisattva Kuan-yin, the monkey goes to the Luminescent Palace and asks Orionis to help subdue the scorpion fiend. Orionis goes with the monkey. He heals Pa-chieh and the monkey’s wounds easily. When the fiend comes out of the cave, Orionis reveals his true form, a huge, double-combed rooster. He faces the fiend and crows. The fiend reveals her true form, a scorpion about the size of a lute, and dies.
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