Mẫu Thượng Thiên

Title	Mother Goddess of Heaven, Ruler of the Celestial Realm
Domain	Heaven, weather, cosmic order, prosperity, protection
Symbols	Red robes, golden crown, lotus, clouds, lightning
Color	Red, gold
Consort	Jade Emperor
Offerings	Flowers, fruit, incense, betel leaves (not comprehensive)

Heavenly Mother

The Heavenly Mother or Mother of the Heavenly Realm is a divine mother figure in the Đạo Mẫu tradition who controls the heavens, guides celestial phenomena and gives blessings and protection to those who worship her. She's the ruler of the Heavenly Realm (Thượng Thiên).

Name

Mẫu Thượng Thiên's name is made out of three words. Mẫu literally means 'Mother' in Vietnamese, taken from Sino-Vietnamese. Though, in the context of Đạo Mẫu, Mẫu can also translate to sacred feminine force. Thượng (upper, supreme) and Thiên (heaven) together make 'upper heaven', basically. As 'upper heaven', she's in charge of the cosmos, in control of the seasons, weather and balance of the universe.

Domain

Her domain is the highest spiritual plane, associated with the sky, weather, cosmic balacne and divine authority. Thunder is seen as her voice and lighting as her weapon against evil. She's also the guardian of cosmic order (Thiên Đạo) and judges human morality, rewarding the well-meaning and punishing the bad. She's seen as the bridge between the mortal world and the divine, and according to some traditions is the consort/counterpart of the Jade Emperor.

Worship

She's worshipped by farmers against droughts (as she guides fate, and droughts are seen as a disruption in her balance) and by merchants/scholars for success. While she protects against disaster, disasters have historically happened and believers justified it by seeing it as evil spirits rebelling against her order (with her restoring it afterward) and that while she offers protection, humans themselves must act wisely (for example buid stronger houses, respect nature and whatnot to keep order).

Servants

She's often accompanied by various servants and spirits who aid her in governing the upper heavens and carrying out her will. Thiên Lính (heavenly soldiers/messengers) can either manifest as Thiên Binh (heavenly soldiers) who battle against evil spirits or Thiên Sứ (heavenly messengers) who deliver blessings, warnings or prophecies to humans.

Mistresses

The Twelve Divine Mistresses (Thập Nhị Thánh Cô) are beautiful, young spirit maidens who serve under one of the four Mother Godesses. Under Mẫu Thượng Thiên serves Cô Cả Thượng Thiên (the First Mistress of Heaven meaning she was the firstborn) though possibly others serve under her (traditions don't agree universally). She also has Great Mandarins (male spirits who act as generals/administrators), animal spirits such as dragons and pheonixes and Hầu Đồng Spirits (Mediumship Manifestations) where her servants may posess mediums to talk to worshippers.

Origins

According to Vietnamese legend, the Heavenly Mother was once a mortal woman who was extremely moral and held a vast amount of spiritual power. (varies by version) She was a princess/spiritual being sent by Heaven who devoted herself to helping others, performing various miracles like healing the sickly and stopping storms. Tradegy struck when a terrible drought affected Vietnam causing a huge famine to occur. Disheartened, Mẫu Thượng Thiên prayed and performed various rituals, summoning rain and ending the drought. Others saw this and recognized her divine abilities, seeing her as a goddess.

(interpretation) Ending the drought completed her divine duty and allowed her to ascend to the spiritual realm, where she would sometimes descend once more in mediumship rituals where she would possess a medium to heal the sick and grant blessings.