Caoimhe and M.J. talk about the novel Journey to the West and why they wanted to make a podcast about the incredibly famous novel that no one has heard of.

Links:

• “List of media adaptations of Journey to the West” on Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_media_adaptations_of_Journey_to_the_West

• Episode artwork from A Modern Journey to the West by Tsukioka Yoshitoshi: https://yoshitoshi.net/series/journeywest.html

• Journey of the Monkey King on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/monkeykingpod

• Journey of the Monkey King on the Fediverse: https://mastodon.ie/@monkeykingpod

• M.J. on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emjaystokes

• Caoimhe’s website: https://oakreef.ie

• Buy us a coffee: https://ko-fi.com/monkeykingpod

Caoimhe & M.J. discuss the first chapter of Journey to the West and get side tracked by laser eyes and what exactly the word “unicorn” is a translation of.

Links:

• “Qilin” on Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qilin

• “Ming treasure voyages” on Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ming_treasure_voyages

• “Buddhist cosmology” on Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Buddhist_cosmology&oldid=955126741#Earthly_realms

• Episode artwork is a 1666 painting of a Qilin by Kanō Tannyū, as photographed by Sailko: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Periodo_edo,_kano_tan’yu,_uccelli_volanti_e_animali_che_corrono,_1666,_02.JPG

• Journey of the Monkey King on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/monkeykingpod

• Journey of the Monkey King on the Fediverse: https://mastodon.ie/@monkeykingpod

• M.J. on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emjaystokes

• Caoimhe’s website: https://oakreef.ie

• Buy us a coffee: https://ko-fi.com/monkeykingpod

Journey to the West chapter two, featuring immortality, unwholesome meats and the Epic of Gilgamesh being gay.

Spoilers for The Good Place between 3:18 and 04:45 when we discuss some existential issues.

Links:

• “Epic of Gilgamesh” from In Our Time by BBC Radio 4: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b080wbrq

• “Chinese units of measurement” on Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Chinese_units_of_measurement&oldid=952184981#Length

• “Wu Cheng’en” on Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wu_Cheng’en

• “Flann O’Brian” on Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flann_O’Brien

• Episode artwork from A Modern Journey to the West by Tsukioka Yoshitoshi: https://yoshitoshi.net/series/journeywest.html

• Journey of the Monkey King on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/monkeykingpod

• Journey of the Monkey King on the Fediverse: https://mastodon.ie/@monkeykingpod

• M.J. on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emjaystokes

• Caoimhe’s website: https://oakreef.ie

• Buy us a coffee: https://ko-fi.com/monkeykingpod

Sun Wukong demands to see the manager. Of Hell.

Content warning for intimidation and threats of violence throughout the episode and for brief mentions of alcohol and drinking between about 23:00 to 23:40.

Links:

• “Yu the Great” on Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yu_the_Great

• “Great Flood (China)” on Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Flood_(China)

• “How the Milky Way Got Its Name and What It’s Called in Other Languages” on Today I Found Out: http://www.todayifoundout.com/index.php/2013/08/how-the-milky-way-got-its-name-and-what-its-called-in-other-languages/

• Episode artwork from A Modern Journey to the West by Tsukioka Yoshitoshi: https://yoshitoshi.net/series/journeywest.html

• Journey of the Monkey King on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/monkeykingpod

• Journey of the Monkey King on the Fediverse: https://mastodon.ie/@monkeykingpod

• M.J. on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emjaystokes

• Caoimhe’s website: https://oakreef.ie

• Buy us a coffee: https://ko-fi.com/monkeykingpod

In which Sun Wukong demands a promotion from God.

As usual expect fights and violence throughout the episode and the episode also has some digressions that briefly touch on phrenology between 20:15 and 22:47 and a joke about BDSM sex practises at 26:08 and 28:00.

I forgot about it while recording the episode but embroidered balls specifically as a courtship ritual will show up again in a future chapter.

Links:

• “Giant Buddha, Giant Ears” on National Geographic: https://web.archive.org/web/20160521132912/https://www.nationalgeographic.org/media/buddha-ears/

• “Silk balls preserve love tradition from past” on China Daily: http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/201712/22/WS5a3c5e7ca31008cf16da2cd5.html

• Episode artwork from A Modern Journey to the West by Tsukioka Yoshitoshi: https://yoshitoshi.net/series/journeywest.html

• Journey of the Monkey King on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/monkeykingpod

• Journey of the Monkey King on the Fediverse: https://mastodon.ie/@monkeykingpod

• M.J. on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emjaystokes

• Caoimhe’s website: https://oakreef.ie

• Buy us a coffee: https://ko-fi.com/monkeykingpod

Caoimhe & M.J. discuss the finer points of how to work with narcissists as the Monkey King continues to cause trouble in Heaven.

This episode features repeated mentions of alcohol and a character getting drink between about 16:30 and 22:00.

Links:

• “Kumis” on Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kumis

• “Barefoot Immortal” on Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barefoot_Immortal

• Episode artwork is Peach Blossom Study by Shen Zhou: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:沈周-桃花書屋圖.jpg

• Journey of the Monkey King on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/monkeykingpod

• Journey of the Monkey King on the Fediverse: https://mastodon.ie/@monkeykingpod

• M.J. on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emjaystokes

• Caoimhe’s website: https://oakreef.ie

• Buy us a coffee: https://ko-fi.com/monkeykingpod

A battle of the gods, a shapeshifting duel and avian slut shaming.

Links:

• “Erlang Shen” on Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erlang_Shen

• “Bustard” on Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bustard

• Episode artwork from Gujin Tushu Jicheng via Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Imperial Encyclopaedia - Animal Kingdom - pic026 - 鴇圖.png

• Journey of the Monkey King on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/monkeykingpod

• Journey of the Monkey King on the Fediverse: https://mastodon.ie/@monkeykingpod

• M.J. on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emjaystokes

• Caoimhe’s website: https://oakreef.ie

• Buy us a coffee: https://ko-fi.com/monkeykingpod

This episodes highlights the long and ongoing tradition of Caoimhe not being able to pronounce anything correctly.

The episode starts off with capital punishment including attempts to burn someone to death. That lasts up until about 06:00.

Urination features at 14:35 and 15:05.

Discussions of caffeine withdrawal and sensory overload lead to jokes about cannibalism between 7:30 and 9:35.

We had trouble staying on topic during this recording. If you think the tangent we go on about Irish at the end is rambling you should hear everything I edited out.

This was recorded a couple of weeks ago. Coming back to it to edit and upload it, especially in light of current events, we touch on the idea of colonialism in Ireland and this topic is often used to dismiss both historical and current suffering of minorities in the United States, in Ireland, and elsewhere. The Irish slave myth is just that: a myth. Black lives matter and the suffering of black people shouldn’t be ignored. I’m sorry for not having this statement in the actual episode itself. I’ll add one to the start of the next episode.

Links:

• “Oṃ maṇi padme hūṃ” on Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Om_mani_padme_hum

• Learn the Irish language on Duolingo if you want I guess? https://www.duolingo.com/course/ga/en/Learn-Irish

• Episode artwork is a painting of Buddha from Wikimedia Commons with very little detail as to the source, but which the title claims is 15th C Ming Dynasty: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:A VERY RARE PAINTING OF A BUDDHA. CHINA, MING DYNASTY, 15TH CENTURY. Sotheby’s.jpg

• Journey of the Monkey King on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/monkeykingpod

• Journey of the Monkey King on the Fediverse: https://mastodon.ie/@monkeykingpod

• M.J. on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emjaystokes

• Caoimhe’s website: https://oakreef.ie

• Buy us a coffee: https://ko-fi.com/monkeykingpod