Mazu - Character Design

Mazu in reality is the name of the Chinese Sea Goddess. The name Mazu consists of the characters mā (媽), meaning “mother,” and zǔ (
祖) which means “ancestor.” Before she became a goddess, Mazu’s human name was Lín Mò (林默), or “Silent Lin.” In Taoism, she is
known as Tian Shang Sheng Mu (天上聖母), or “heavenly goddess.” In the Southern regions of China, Mazu is colloquially called Ā-mā (
阿媽), which can mean either “grandmother” or “mother.” She has a few other formal titles, like Línghuì Fūrén (靈惠夫人), meaning
“Lady of Light and Kindness,” or Tiānhòu (天后) which means “Empress of Heaven.”
After hearing that the name has a connection to “Mother” I couldn’t not realise how the Water Spirit in my animation also can be
considered Hope’s mother!
Since I wanted to give the feeling that Hope and Mazu are really closely related and Mazu knows Hope since she was born it makes
sense for her to be called by such a name. The Goddess Mazu has many names and answers to all of them, but since this name seems
to have a deeper meaning I want Hope to call her Mazu instead of her other names.