If we insist on finding a historical prototype for Chang 'e, then the prototype of Chang 'e is probably one of the three emperors and five emperors: Di Ku's concubine named Chang Yi.
How can you see it?
This starts with Chang Yi's husband Di Ku.
According to historical records, Di Ku was a highly respected man and the great-grandson of the Yellow Emperor. In other words, Di Ku is the head of the Gao Xin family, and he is the great-grandson of the Yellow Emperor.
Then, the book Shiben, which records the genealogy of emperors in past dynasties, introduces Di Ku's family members: "Yuan Fei has the daughter of Artest, named Jiang Yuan, who was born in Hou Ji; The second princess has a daughter, Judy, who was born with a contract; The second princess Chen was born in. My second concubine's daughter, named Chang Yi, gave birth to the wise emperor. "
Chang Yi, the second concubine here, may be the prototype of Chang 'e we are looking for.
I think the prototype of Chang 'e is Chang 'e, and the name is as simple as that.
In fact, a large part of China's ancient history is hidden in myths and legends. And Di Ku, in myth, has another identity: Di Jun, the creator!
It is clearly written in the Biography of the Emperor: Di Ku was born strangely, calling himself Jun, that is, when the child was born, he would speak and say that he was called Jun.
In Oracle Bone Inscriptions of Shang Dynasty, their great-grandfather was often mentioned. As mentioned earlier, his son Qi is the ancestor of a businessman, so Di Junhe is the same person.
Speaking of the mythical emperor, he is a creator of the same level as Nu Wa Pangu!
Shan Hai Jing Huang Da Nan Jing: "Beyond the Southeast Sea, between Gansu and Gansu, what is the country?" There is a woman named He who takes a bath every day. Di Jun's wife He was born only ten days ago. "
Di Jun's wife gave birth to ten suns, and then bathed them every day.
The same is the Shan Hai Jing, and the Wild West Jing records: "There is a woman bathing in the moon. The emperor's wife often gave birth twice in ten months, so she began to take a shower. "
Chang Xi, also known as Chang Yi, is also the wife of Di Jun and gave birth to twelve moons!
Here, Chang 'e and the moon are connected.
He and Chang Yi, one is the mother of the sun and the other is the mother of the moon, so we can be sure that Di Jun is one of the main creations in the myth.
Di Jun was promoted from Di Ku, the emperor of the world, to the god of creation. Obviously, this is what businessmen do on purpose to improve their status. It is conceivable that in the Shang Dynasty, the emperor they sacrificed was so glorious. However, after the Shang Dynasty was replaced by the Zhou Dynasty, the emperor also lost his position as the Emperor of Heaven, gradually disappearing into history and being replaced by the gods of the Yanhuang lineage. Only a little remains of him can be found in Shan Hai Jing.
But in any case, the myths of the Goddess Chang'e flying to the moon, Omura and Xie are inextricably linked with the Emperor, including Yao, the lower emperor at that time, who was also the son of Chen Feng's daughter. Connecting these clues, we can easily find the evolution process of Chang 'e's image:
Di Ku's concubine, Chang Yi, gradually evolved into the wife of Tiandijun and the mother of the moon in later generations. Yi should be a general who is good at shooting at the sun. He pacified ten tribes in the East with the sun as their totem, and later evolved into the myth of shooting at the sun. Yi's wife, who should have been the daughter of Chang Yi, may have offended and been exiled. As a result, his wife secretly left him and went back to her mother. This became the story of the Goddess Chang'e flying to the moon. It's just that my daughter doesn't have a name, so I grafted Chang Yi's name on her.
In this way, after several generations of processing and deduction, the mythical figure Chang 'e was finally formed. As mentioned above, his prototype should be Di Ku's wife: Chang Yi.