林愿與王氏是一對樂於助人的夫妻，共生了六個孩子，其中一位是男孩，但是自小身體就不好，夫妻倆便到菩薩面前祈求：「菩薩啊！信女家中的兒子從小身體就不好，擔心往日無人能傳宗接代，希望菩薩能讓我再生一個兒子。」當晚王氏便夢見菩薩對她說：「你們還會生一個受人崇拜的女兒，不但是個聖人，還是漁民的守護神。」並且拿了一顆藥丸給王氏吃。十個月後在3月23日這天果真生下一個女孩，五位姐姐也都很喜愛這個小妹妹。
有一天，林愿為小女兒取名時說：「這孩子從出生到現在，已經一個多月了，都沒聽她哭過，就取名默娘吧！」默娘長大後，變得很聰明，除了念書認字外，還會幫鄉民看病，而且似乎受到菩薩的感應，還有預知未來的能力；此外，捕魚的漁民遇到大風浪而翻船落海時，都會看到一個身穿紅衣的女孩在海面上飛行，救助落海的漁民，被救起的人說：「是默娘救了我們，她就像個活菩薩，保護著全鄉的人。」默娘與生俱來的神奇力量，便開始流傳著。
默娘28歲那年的重陽節，她和姐姐們說好要一起爬山登高，天才剛亮就梳洗完畢對姐姐們說：「這一次爬山我想自己先走，姐姐妳們待會兒再一起去。」說完後就走向最高的山峰。正當默娘爬上山頂時，雲層密佈的天空忽然裂了一個洞，一對仙童飛下來對她說：「我們奉命帶妳回仙界，請跟我們一起走。」於是，默娘便跟著仙童飛上天洞，山下的鄉民看到後，全都跪下來仰望。默娘登天成仙後，經常站在雲端勘查人間也常託夢顯聖，受到大家的崇敬，信徒也親切的稱祂「媽祖」或「媽祖婆」。
Lin Yuan and Lady Wang were a philanthropic couple who had six children. One of them was a boy. However, the boy was born with a weak constitution. So, the couple went to pray to the Goddess of Mercy,“Goddess of Mercy! My son was born with a weak constitution, and we are worried that there will be no one to carry on our family name. Please bless us with one more son.”That night, Lady Wang dreamt that the Goddess of Mercy came to her dreams and said,“You will bear a daughter who will be worshipped by many; not only will she be a saint, she will also be the protector and patron deity of sailors and fishermen.”Then, the Goddess of Mercy gave Lady Wang a magic pill to eat. Ten months later, on the 23rd of March, a daughter was indeed born to the family. The five elder sisters doted on their little sister.
One day, as Lin Yuan was thinking of a name for his newborn daughter, he said,“It has been over a month since this child was born. But I have never heard her cry before. Let’s name her Moniang (silent girl)!”Moniang grew up to be very intelligent. Apart from studying, she practiced medicine and treated sick villagers. It seemed that she was blessed by the Goddess of Mercy, for she was able to foretell the future. Moreover, when fishermen ran into a storm and their boat capsized, they all saw a girl dressed in red flying over the water, and rescuing the fishermen. The rescued people said, “Moniang saved us! She is a living goddess who protects our village.”Thus, word about Moniang’s supernatural powers began to spread.
On the double ninth festival when Moniang was 28 years of age, she and her sisters arranged to climb a mountain. By the first light of dawn, Moniang had finished grooming herself and told her sisters,“I would like to set off a bit earlier this time. You can join me later.”She then set off toward the highest mountain peak. Just as she arrived at the top of the mountain, a hole opened up in the clouds, and a pair of fairies flew down and told Moniang,“We have been ordered to bring you back to the Heavens. Please come with us.”And so, Moniang went to the Heavens with the fairies. The villagers at the bottom of the mountain witnessed what happened, and knelt in reverence. After ascending to the Heavens and attaining immortality, Moniang often stood atop the clouds and gazed upon the mortal realm, working miracles and appearing in people’s dreams. As a result, she was loved by the people and her followers referred to her reverently and affectionately as “Ma-zu”or “Mother Ancestor.”
