Nv Tu Fu (Girl Earthen Bat)

The Nv constellation is the third of the Seven Northern Xuanwu Constellations and belongs to the Earth element, taking the bat as its symbolic incarnation. In antiquity it was called Wu Nü and resembled a winnowing basket, governing matters of marriage, betrothal, and textiles. Daoism venerates it as Lord Nv Tu Fu. Folk tradition, capitalising on the phonetic similarity between 'bat' (fu) and 'blessing' (fu), reveres Lord Nv Tu Fu as a deity who attracts felicity; devotees worship him to secure harmonious marriages and familial concord. Astrological lore holds that when the Nv constellation shines brightly, women flourish and all crafts prosper. In the classic novel Journey to the West, Lord Nv Tu Fu joins the Twenty-Eight Lunar Mansions in subduing demons and safeguarding the Dharma.