Here's the backstory of the Pilgrims in accordance to the novel. Because at this point, I might as well!
SŪN WÙKŌNG (孫悟空)
The monkey, the myth, the legend himself!
On the continent of East Pūrvavideha in the country of Àolái (傲來) atop Huāguǒshān (花果山)—Flower-Fruit Mountain—there lived monkey who hatched from stone, and being the only one in his troop to be brave (or impulsive) enough to rush through the local waterfall—what would become Shuǐlián Dòng (水帘洞), or Water-Curtain Cave—he's subsequently made the Hóuwáng (猴王), or Monkey King.
Years later, due to having an existential crises, he decides to go find the secret to immortality and eventually encounters an immortal named Pútí Zǔshī (菩提祖师), Patriarch Subodhi, whom Wùkōng would train under for ten years. Under his tutelage, the Monkey King received lessons on—among other things—human language and etiquette, calligraphy, philosophy, and magic. It was also Subodhi who gave Wùkōng his name, giving the following explanation:
"Though your features are not the most attractive, you do resemble a pignolia-eating monkey (husun). This gives me the
idea of taking a surname for you from your appearance. I intended to call you by
the name Hu. If I drop the animal radical from this word, what’s left is a
compound made up of the two characters, gu and yue. Gu means aged and yue
means female, but an aged female cannot reproduce. Therefore, it is better to
give you the surname of Sun. If I drop the animal radical from this word, what we have left is the compound of zi and xi. Zi means a boy and xi means a baby,
and that name exactly accords with the fundamental Doctrine of the Baby Boy.
So your surname will be Sun."
The
Patriarch said, “Within my tradition are twelve characters that have been used to
name the pupils according to their divisions. You are one who belongs to the
tenth generation."
"Which twelve characters are they?" asked the Monkey King.
The Patriarch replied, "They are: wide (guang), great (da), wise (zhi), intelligence (hui), true (zhen), conforming (ru), nature (xing), sea (hai), sharp
(ying), wake-to (wu), complete (yuan), and awakening (jue). Your rank falls
precisely on the word 'wake-to' (wu). You will hence be given the religious
name ‘Wake-to-the-Void’ (wukong). All right?"
"Splendid! Splendid!" said the
Monkey King, laughing. "Henceforth I shall be called Sun Wukong."
Eventually, Subodhi sent Sūn Wùkōng away after the monkey displayed his new transformation powers to his fellow disciples, but not before making him promise to not tell anyone where he had learned his abilities from.
Later, after returning to Flower Fruit Mountain and stopping the demon from further terrorizing their home, Sūn Wùkōng then travels to the East Sea for a weapon. Of course he soon obtains his famous golden staff—Rúyì Jīn Gū Bàng (如意金箍棒)—from Áo Guāng (敖光), but as for the rest of the items, he gets the phoenix-feathered cap—Fèngchìzǐjinguān (鳳翅紫金冠)—from Áo Qīn (敖欽), Dragon of the South, the cloud-stepping shoes—Ǒusībùyúnlǚ (藕絲步雲履)—from Áo Shùn (敖順), Dragon of the North, and the golden chainmail—Suǒ Zi Huángjīn Jiǎ (鎖子黃金甲)—from Áo Rùn, Dragon of the West.
Later, Monkey manages to cheat death itself by scratching out his name as well as those belonging to several other monkeys from one of the ledgers of the dead.
Finally grabbing the attention of the Jade Emperor, Wùkōng gets tasked by Heaven to become their BìMǎWēn (弼馬溫), the overseer of the imperial dragon-horses, in order to keep him out of trouble. And to his credit, he does an excellent job at it; as a result of this position, horses in general end up fearing and respecting him.
But then when Sūn Wùkōng realizes just how low of a position he's actually in, he abandons his post, proclaims himself Qítiān Dàshèng (齐天大圣)—Great Sage Equal to Heaven—and soon enough, he's at war with the entirety of the Celestial Host and later ends up becoming even more immortal than he already was. Long story short, he's soon bested by Buddha and gets trapped under Five Phases Mountain, Wǔhángshān (五行山), for the next five hundred years.
After being freed, he's given the Jīngūquān (金箍圈) to wear on his head to ensure his good behavior.
TÁNG SĀNZÀNG (唐三藏)
Based on a real monk of the same name, Táng Xuánzàng (唐玄奘)—courtesy name Sēng (唐僧)—also called Táng Sānzàng or Tripiṭaka, was born to a man named Chén Guāngruǐ (陳光蕊) and a chief minister's daughter named Yīn Wēnjiāo (殷溫嬌), and even before going on the pilgrimage, this man has never known peace for very long. And neither have his parents.
For starters, in his first life, he was known as Jinchan Zi (金蝉子)—Golden Cicada—the second disciple of Buddha, but was so inattentive towards the lessons that he eventually entered a cycle of reincarnation as punishment; by the time he's born to the Chens, he'd already been through ten previous lives.
And then it gets worse.
Having been made governor of Jiāngzhōu (江州) shortly after the wedding, Chén Guāngruǐ and Yīn Wēnjiāo began to travel to their new home, only for Guāngruǐ to be killed by the boatmen who were supposed to take them there because one of them—Liú Hóng (劉洪)—wanted Wēnjiāo for himself. Fortunately, Guāngruǐ body is found by a yaksha loyal to the local Dragon King of Hóngjiāngkǒu (洪江口), whom Guāngruǐ had previously rescued while said Dragon King had been in the guise of a fish; repaying kindness with kindness, Guāngruǐ's soul was allowed to stay with the king until the time came for it to reunite with his body, which was given a preservative pearl so it wouldn't decay.
Meanwhile, after giving birth to a son, Wēnjiāo sends her baby down the river to save him from being killed by Liú Hóng, having been promised by the celestials that she'd be reunited with her family one day. This son is then found by Monk Fǎmíng (法明) of Jīnshān Temple (金山寺) and given the nickname Jiāng Liú (江流), River Float, as well as the religious name Xuánzàng, and after eighteen years of being oblivious to his true identity, he finally reunites with his mother and grandparents, gets Liú Hóng arrested, and then reunites with his father afterwards.
Anastasia AU, anyone?
Anyway, he's later selected to go on a journey to India, called Tiānzhú (天竺), to retrieve a set of Buddhist scriptures, becomes sworn brothers with Emperor Tàizōng (唐太宗) himself before leaving, and then eventually meets a certain mystic monkey who's been trapped under a mountain for five hundred years.
ÁO LIÈ (敖烈)
Known as the Third Jade Dragon Prince and the White Dragon Horse, the son of Áo Rùn is never actually given a name in the original novel, but Liè is the most common in adaptations, and that's when he's given a name at all. But no matter what, his story remains more or less the same throughout—due to inadvertently setting his father's pearls and palace on fire, Áo Rùn reported him to the Jade Emperor, who sentenced him to be executed, but not before having Ao Liè lashed three hundred times first.
But of course, Liè was ultimately saved by Guānyīn a few days before he was set to be executed and was then tasked by her to carry Táng Sānzàng to the West before having his horns and scales taken off, only to regain them at the end of the journey. Being the second of the group Táng Sānzàng would meet, the encounter happens due to Liè eating the monk's original horse and a fight with Sun Wukong ensues until the matter gets resolved with Guānyīn's help.
Technically, he's never counted as an official disciple in the original book and neither Zhū Bājiè and Sha Wujing even realize Liè isn't a regular horse until two months after joining the group.
Other than that, Liè doesn't really do much as far as the original book is concerned, save for two instances. One is sometime after Sun Wukong had been banished the first time and everyone else in the group had been indisposed in some way by Huáng Páo Guài (黃袍怪), Yellow Robe Demon.
Everyone, that is, except for Áo Liè!
In order to save Sānzàng from this latest threat, he disguises himself as a palace maiden, tries to stab the demon while performing a sword dance and... loses. To the point of getting his leg injured.
It's okay, he did his best.
So Zhū Bājiè soon finds him hiding out, and after the pig demon attempts to quit the journey altogether, Áo Liè proceeds to give him one hell of a call out while also showing just how much faith he has in Sūn Wùkōng.
Once again, to quote the Anthony Yu translation (side note for those unfamiliar with Yu, Bājiè's name is given a literal translation, hence Eight Rules):
Idiot mounted the clouds quickly and went back to the city; in a little while, he reached the post-house. The moon was bright and people had become quiet at this time, but he searched the corridors in vain to find any trace of his master. All
he saw was the white horse lying there: his whole body was soaked and on one
of his hind legs was the mark of a bruise about the size of a pan. "This is doubly
unfortunate!" said Eight Rules, greatly startled. "This loser hasn’t traveled. Why
is he sweating like that, and with a bruise on his leg? It must be that some evil
men have robbed our master, wounding the horse in the process."
The white horse recognized that it was Eight Rules; assuming human speech
suddenly, he called out: "Elder Brother!" Idiot was so shaken that he fell on the ground. Pulling himself up, he was about to dash outside when the white horse
caught hold of the monk’s robe by his teeth, saying again, "Elder Brother, don’t
be afraid of me."
Idiot was so shaken that he fell on the ground. Pulling himself up, he was about to dash outside when the white horse caught hold of the monk’s robe by his teeth, saying again, "Elder Brother, don’t be afraid of me."
"Brother,' said Eight Rules, still shaking, "why are you talking today? When
you talk like that, it has to mean that some great misfortune is about to befall
us."
The little dragon said, "Did you know that Master had landed in a terrible
ordeal?"
"No, I didn’t," said Eight Rules.
The little dragon said, "Of course, you didn't! You and Sha Monk were flaunting your abilities before the king, thinking that you could capture the demon and be rewarded for your merit. You didn't expect that the demon was so powerful and you were the ones no doubt who were beaten. At least one of you could have returned to give us the news, but there was not one word from either of you. That monster-spirit had changed himself into a handsome scholar and broken into the court to present himself to the king as an imperial relative. Our master was changed by him into a ferocious striped tiger, who was then taken captive by the officials and locked up in an iron cage in one of the palace chambers. When I heard how Master suffered, my heart felt as if it had been stabbed by a sword. But you were gone for nearly two days, and I was afraid that any further delay might mean that Master would be killed. So I had no choice but to change back into my dragon body to go and try to rescue him. When I reached the court, I couldn't find Master, but I met the monster in the Silver Peace Palace. I changed into the form of a palace maid, trying to deceive him. He asked me to do a sword dance, during which I tried to slash him. He escaped my blow and defeated me instead with a candelabrum. I tried desperately to hit him when I threw the sword at him, but he caught it instead and gave me a blow on my hind leg with that candelabrum. I dived into the imperial moat and saved my life; the bruise on my leg was caused by the candelabrum."
When Eight Rules heard these words, he said, "Is that all true?"
"You think I'm deceiving you?" said the little dragon.
Eight Rules asked, "What are we going to do? What are we going to do? Can you move at all?"
"If I can," said the little dragon, "what then?"
"If you can move at all," said Eight Rules, "move into the ocean then. Old Hog will pole the luggage back to the Old Gao Village to pick up my wife again."
When the little dragon heard this, he clamped his mouth onto Eight Rules's shirt and refused to let go. As tears fell from his eyes, he said, "Elder Brother, you mustn't become indolent."
"Why not?" said Eight Rules. "Brother Sha has already been caught by him, and I can't beat him. If we don't scatter now, what are we waiting for?"
The little dragon thought for some time before he spoke again, tears streaming down his cheeks. "Elder Brother, don't mention the word scatter. If you want to save Master, you have to go and ask a person to come here."
"Who is that?" asked Eight Rules.
The little dragon said, "You'd better hurry and mount the clouds to go to the Flower-Fruit Mountain, so that you can invite our Big Brother, Pilgrim Sun, to come back. Most certainly he has dharma power great enough to subdue this fiend and rescue Master, avenging at the same time the shame of our defeat."
"Brother," said Eight Rules, "let me go ask someone else. That monkey and I are not on the best of terms, you know. When he killed that Lady White Bone back there on the White Tiger Ridge, he was mad at me already for wheedling Master into reciting the Tight-Fillet Spell. I was just being frivolous, and I didn’t think that the old priest would really recite it and even banish him. I don't know how he hates me now, and I'm certain also that he won’t come back. Suppose we have a little argument then: that funeral staff of his is pretty heavy, you know. If he doesn't know any better at that moment and gives me a few strokes, you think I'll be able to live?"
The little dragon said, “He won't hit you, because he is a kind and just Monkey King. When you see him, don't say that Master is in peril; just tell him that Master is thinking of him and deceive him into coming. When he gets here and sees what's happening, he will not get mad. He will want most certainly to have it out with the monster-spirit instead. Then the demon will surely be caught and Master will be saved."
"All right, all right!" said Eight Rules. "You are so dedicated. If I don't go, it'll mean that I’m not dedicated. I'll go, and if indeed Pilgrim consents to come, I'll return with him. But if he is unwilling, then don't expect me, because I won't be coming back either."
"Go! Go!" said the little dragon. “He will certainly come."
Clearly the dragon is the true unsung hero of this story.
As for the second instance, long story short, Sūn Wùkōng wanted to make what he ended up calling the Elixer of Black Gold for an ailing king and needed Liè's help—in his horse form—for one of the ingredients.
ZHŪ BĀJIÈ (豬八戒)
Originally holding the Heavenly title of Tiānpéng Yuánshuài (天篷元帅)—Marshall of the Heavenly Reeds—Zhū Wùnéng (猪悟能)—also known as Zhū Gāngliè (猪刚鬛) and Zhū Bājiè, and often given called Idiot, dāizi (呆子), was punished via reincarnation because he'd attempted to seduce the moon goddess Cháng'é (嫦娥), a massive no-no! In certain retellings, such as the 1996 version, this is expanded to him going through many lifetimes of tragic romances. Regardless, his soul eventually passes through the womb of a sow by accident, thus becoming the pig demon we know him as today.
The second of Táng Sānzàng's disciples, Zhū Wùnéng joins the pilgrimage after he kidnaps and marries a young woman from a wealthy family in Gāolǎozhuāng (高老莊) named Gāo Cuìlán (高翠蘭). Disguising himself as Cuìlán, Sūn Wùkōng eventually defeats Wùnéng in battle and he becomes a disciple afterwards, earning the name Bājiè (referring to the first eight of the ten Buddhist commandments) in the process.
Glutenous and selfish, Zhū Bājiè is often at odds with Sūn Wùkōng and also tries to find reasons to quit the pilgrimage on more than one occasion. His weapon is known as jiǔchǐdīngpá (九齒釘耙), the Nine-Toothed Rake.
SHĀ WÙJÌNG (沙悟淨)
And last but not least, Shā Wùjìng! Once Juǎnlián Dàjiàng (捲簾大將), or Curtain-Raising General, in Heaven, Wùjìng was banished after he carelessly broke a crystal cup during the Festival of Immortal Peaches, and as such, was not only banished to the Mortal Realm as punishment, but was also sent flying swords to stab him every week. Growing desperate, he soon starts to eat any traveler who passes by his territory. Taking mercy upon him, Guānyīn tasks him with also accompanying the Táng Monk on his mission.
Eventually, the other pilgrims encounter Wùjìng, Wùkōng fights him for a bit, and then after that gets resolved, our heroes, having finally assembled, are all ready to carry on with their journey to the West. He also carries a staff.
You all know the rest: they traveled for the fourteen years in total (as opposed to the eighteen years it took the real Táng Xuánzàng), got the scriptures, Sānzàng completely forgot his promise to a turtle to ask Buddha about how much longer it would take for him to regain human form and so the Pilgrims were forced to swim to shore after being thrown overboard (no one ever say that older books can't be hilarious), and then they were all granted titles upon returning home: Táng Sānzàng and Sūn Wùkōng are made Zhāntán Gōngdé Fuó (旃檀功德佛) and Dòu Zhànshèng Fó (鬥戰勝佛), or Buddha of Candana Merit and Buddha Victorious in Strife, respectively, Zhū Bājiè is named Jìngtán Shǐzhě (淨壇使者), or Cleanser of the Altars, Shā Wùjìng becomes Jīnshēn Luóhàn (金身羅漢), or Golden-Bodied Arhat, and Ao Liè gets promoted to Bābùtiān Lóngmǎ (八部天龍馬), or Dragon Horse of the Eight Heavenly Sections.
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