Chinese Mythology - Important Deities and Mythological Figures

Important Deities and Mythological Figures

• Deities with Buddhist appellations
  • Dizang: ruler of the ten hells
  • Four Heavenly Kings: four Buddhist guardian gods
  • Gautama Buddha (釋迦牟尼, Shìjiā móu ní)
  • Guanyin (also Kuanyin): bodhisattva associated with compassion
  • Laughing Buddha
• Cangjie: had four eyes
• Chang'e: goddess of the Moon
• Chi You: tyrant who fought against the then-future Yellow Emperor
• Da Yu (Yu the Great): founder of the Xia Dynasty and famed for his introduction of flood control and for his upright moral character
• Daoji: folk hero known for wild and eccentric behavior; maintained a compassionate nature
• Eight Immortals
  • Cao Guojiu
  • Han Xiangzi
  • Han Zhongli
  • He Xiangu
  • Lan Caihe
  • Lu Dongbin
  • Tie Guaili
  • Zhang Guolao
• Erlang Shen: possessed a third eye in the middle of his forehead that saw the truth
• Four Emperors (四御, Sì yù): heavenly kings of Taoist religion
• Fangfeng: giant who helped fight flood, executed by Yu the Great
• Feng Meng: apprentice to Hou Yi, and his eventual murderer
  • Yu Huang (Jade Emperor)
  • Beiji Dadi
  • Tianhuang Dadi
  • Empress of Earth
• Gao Yao
• Gong Gong: water god/sea monster resembling a serpent or dragon
• Guan Yu: god of brotherhoods, martial power, and war
• Hànbá (旱魃)
• Hou Yi: archery deity; married to Chang'e, goddess of the Moon
• Hung Shing
• Jum sum: god of sleep and dreams
• Kua Fu: a giant who wanted to capture the sun
• Kui Xing: god of examinations and an associate of the god of literature, Wen Chang
• Lei Gong: god of thunder
• Lung Mo: Chinese woman deified after raising five infant dragons
• Matsu: goddess of the sea
• Meng Po: responsible for reincarnated souls forgetting previous lives
• Nezha: Taoist protection deity
• Sun Wukong (also the Monkey King)
• Tam Kung: sea deity with the ability to forecast weather
• The Cowherd and Weaver Girl
• Three August Ones and Five Emperors: a collection of legendary rulers
• Three Pure Ones: the Taoist trinity
  • Daode Tianzun
  • Lingbao Tianzun
  • Yuanshi Tianzun
• Town god
• Tu Di Gong: god of wealth and merit
• Tu Er Shen: managed the love and sex between homosexual men
• Wenchang Wang: god of culture and literature
• Wong Tai Sin: possessed healing power
• Wu Gang: endlessly cut down a self-healing bay laurel on the moon
• Xi Wangmu: Queen Mother of the West
• Xiang River goddesses (Xiangfei)
  • É huáng (娥皇)
  • Nǚ yīng (女英).
• Xihe, goddess of the sun
• Xingtian: headless giant decapitated by the Yellow Emperor as punishment for challenging him; his face is on his torso as he has no head
• Yuqiang: Huangdi's descendent, god of north sea and wind
• Zao Jun: kitchen god
• Zhao Gongming (also Cai Shen): god of prosperity
• Zhong Kui: vanquisher of ghosts and evil beings
• Zhu Rong: god of fire

• Yifan Zhang: cat goddess who led a legion of cats to uphold righteousness before the Shang Era; descendant of Huangdi