Legend of the Chinese Warrior: Who was Mulan?

Did the famous Chinese warrior really exist?

The cute and brave Disney heroine has inspired girls around the world since 1998, when the animated film about Mulan was first released. Although, of course, romanced and adapted to children (although adults also like to watch it), the story of Mulan is not completely made up.

For the Disney company, the ancient Chinese song "Ballad of Mulan" served as the inspiration for the cartoon about the young warrior. Although the ballad is not a guarantee that this warrior really existed, millions of Chinese from generation to generation pass on the story of her, making her as real as possible.

According to the legend, her real name was Hua Mulan, and in some versions of the story there is a different surname: Wei or Zhu. In Chinese, Mulan means magnolia. She lived between the 4th and 6th centuries, during the rule of the Southern and Northern dynasties

When China was attacked by the Mongols, and men were called to war, just like in the cartoon - her family did not have a male heir to join the army. Hua Mulan was 18 when she joined the troops instead of her father.

Legend has it that Mulan was very skilled with a sword, and generally skilled with weapons. She also possessed exceptional martial arts which she is believed to have acquired as a girl.

Hua Mulan spent twelve years in the war, during which she was decorated as many as 12 times. She also progressed in the military hierarchy, so she reached very high ranks. According to legend, after twelve years she confessed to her comrades that she was a woman, and returned home.

The "Ballad of Mulan" from the 6th century ends here, but there is another source in which this warrior is mentioned again. One book, published during the Ming Dynasty (between the 14th and 17th centuries), spreads the story of Mulan and reveals the end. According to this novel, upon returning home, Mulan realized that her father had passed away and that her mother had remarried. The misfortunes of this girl are not over here, because this book says that she was invited to be a concubine with the ruler of the region in which she lived, Heshen Khan. In order to escape this fate, Mulan committed suicide.

Although the poem from the 6th century really exists, no historical source has confirmed that Mulan really existed, or was just the fruit of the poet's imagination.