Erlang Shen- One of the Most Famous Mythical Heroes in China
Yang Jian is our next mythical hero. He is also known as the Erlang Shen (the second son deity) and he is Tiandi(emperor of the heaven)’s nephew. He’s the son of Tiandi’s sister and a mortal. He looks like a handsome and elegant mortal, but he has a third eye on his forehead that can see through all the evil spirits.
Also he was born with immortal power and strength, and learned fighting and magical skills including the 72 earthly transformations from one of the golden gods, Yuding Zhenren. With these, he became the top warrior in the celestial army.
Erlang Shen can be found in the famous novels such as 西游记（A Journey to the West), and he fought alongside the powerful Monkey King and even captured him. His pet is the heavenly dog Xiaotian(roaring sky) who helps him during fights. Yang Ji’an’s weapon is a three-pointed and double-edged sword.
Erlang Shen’s Uncle Tiandi was furious about Yang Jian’s mother’s marriage to a mortal man, so he trapped her underneath Tao mountain. Yang Jian, with the goal of saving his mother, sought guidance from Yuding Zhenren, a powerful and mysterious god. Jian became his apprentice, and after he learned all his skills (picture a spectacular training montage) Yang Jian hacked the mountain in half and freed his mother.
In Chinese culture, he is seen as respectful deity representing justice. He’s also the deity of war, hunting, brewing, farming, preventing floods, protecting children, blessing prostitutes, and he’s also the master of Sichuan province and the creator of Chinese drama.
As you can see, he is a deity with so many facets and is very important to people’s lives. Nuzar is One of the Most Famous Deities in Chinese Mythology, click to read more.
Start Learning Chinese in the next 30 SecondsCopyright Notice: Everyone is welcome to forward the articles in this blog as long as the links to these articles are also included.