Mẫu Thượng Thiên
In its own language: 母上天
from Vietnamese mẫu, mother, and thượng thiên, the heaven above; written 母上天 in Chữ Hán
One of the four heavenly mothers of the Four Palaces in Vietnamese folk religion
Mẫu Thượng Thiên is one of the four heavenly mothers of the Four Palaces, a framework within Vietnamese folk religion, and she also carries the title First Mother. She is among the spirits invoked in lên đồng mediumship, which belongs to Đạo Mẫu worship, and several well-known goddesses are often identified with her.
- Counted one of four heavenly mothers in the Four Palaces of Vietnamese folk religion
- Also called the First Mother, Mẫu Đệ Nhất, in Vietnamese
- Invoked in lên đồng mediumship, the rite tied to Đạo Mẫu worship
- Four goddesses, among them Liễu Hạnh and Thiên Y A Na, are often taken to be her
What it is
Mẫu Thượng Thiên is a mother goddess of Vietnamese folk religion and one of the four heavenly mothers of the Four Palaces. A second title, the First Mother, marks her place at the head of that group. She is among the spirits invoked in lên đồng, the mediumship most closely tied to Đạo Mẫu, the worship of the mother goddesses. Her name does not fix a single figure: tradition often identifies her with one or another well-known goddess, so the same honours can be paid under different names. The title itself places her in the heaven above.
How it is done
Lên đồng is the form of mediumship in which these spirits are invoked, and Mẫu Thượng Thiên is one of the names called. The rite is closely tied to Đạo Mẫu, the worship of the mother goddesses, and it works inside the Four Palaces, the scheme that gathers spirits under four heavenly mothers. Mẫu Thượng Thiên holds the first of those four places, so she belongs among the spirits a medium may call.
Mẫu Thượng Thiên, drawn and placed
- Living
- Revived
- Fading
- Historical
- Legendary
- Performed
- Lineage
- Vietnamese folk religion, through Đạo Mẫu and the Four Palaces
At a glance: who, where and when
What people believe
The Four Palaces give Vietnamese folk religion a framework for its spirits: four heavenly mothers, each attached to one of the palaces. Mẫu Thượng Thiên is one of that four. Her second title, the First Mother, puts her ahead of the others. Around these figures stands Đạo Mẫu, the devotion to the mother goddesses, and lên đồng is the mediumship through which such spirits are invoked. She is named among those a rite can call.
Compare and confuse
The goddesses counted as her are the easiest source of confusion. Vietnamese tradition often names Liễu Hạnh, Thiên Y A Na, Thanh Vân and Lăng Thị Tiêu as Mẫu Thượng Thiên or as the First Mother, so a story told of one may be told of another. The name belongs with the Four Palaces and Đạo Mẫu rather than standing alone, and it is not the only title used for these figures.
Questions people ask about Mẫu Thượng Thiên
What is Mẫu Thượng Thiên?
A mother goddess of Vietnamese folk religion. She is one of the four heavenly mothers of the Four Palaces and carries the title First Mother. She is also among the spirits invoked in lên đồng, the mediumship tied to Đạo Mẫu worship.
Where does she come from?
From Vietnam. She belongs to Vietnamese folk religion and to Đạo Mẫu, the worship of the mother goddesses, and takes her place in the Four Palaces, the grouping of spirits under four heavenly mothers.
Is she one goddess or several?
Vietnamese tradition often treats several goddesses as her, among them Liễu Hạnh, Thiên Y A Na, Thanh Vân and Lăng Thị Tiêu. The name can therefore cover more than one figure.
What is lên đồng?
A Vietnamese form of mediumship in which spirits are invoked. It is especially associated with Đạo Mẫu worship, and Mẫu Thượng Thiên is one of the spirits named in it.
What are the Four Palaces?
A scheme in Vietnamese folk religion that gathers its spirits into four palaces under four heavenly mothers. Mẫu Thượng Thiên is one of those mothers.
Good reading and sources
The facts on this page come from the Wikipedia article "Mẫu Thượng Thiên", written by its contributors and used under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence, and from its Wikidata record (CC0). EveryJaadu rewrote the text in its own words, with AI assistance, and compares every page with the article to make sure no passage is copied. It may be reused under the same CC BY-SA 4.0 licence with a link back.
It may contain mistakes. Names and customs differ from one community to the next, and some knowledge is closed to outsiders and left out here. This page describes belief and practice. It does not say that any of it works, it is not a how-to, and it is not medical advice. If something is wrong, tell us. Last refreshed 2026-10-22.
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