Ao:
The Four Dragon Kings Ao Chi'in, Ao Kuang, Ao Jun and Ao Shun - Gods of rain and sea. Subjects of the Jade Emperor.
Ch'eng-Huang:
God of moats and walls. Every village and town had its own Ch'eng-Huang, most often a local dignitary or important person who had died and been promoted to Godhood. His divine status was revealed in dreams, though the Gods made the actual decision. Ch'eng-Huang not only protects the community from attack but sees to it that the King of the Dead does not take any souls from his jurisdiction without proper authority. Ch'eng-Huang also exposes evil-doers in the community itself, usually through dreams. His assistants are Ba Lao-ye and Hei Lao-ye.
Chu Jung:
God of fire. Chu Jung punishes those who break the laws of heaven.
Kuan Ti
God of war. The Great Judge who protects the people from injustice and evil spirits. A red faced God dressed always in green. An oracle. Kuan Ti was an actual historical figure, a general of the Han dynasty renowned for his skill as a warrior and his justness as a ruler. There were more than 1600 Temples dedicated to Kuan Ti.
Kwan Yin / Kwannon:
Goddess of mercy and compassion. A lady dressed in white, seated on a lotus and holding an infant. Murdered by her father, she recited the holy books when she arrived in Hell, and the ruler of the underworld could not make the dead souls suffer. The disgruntled God sent her back to the world of the living, where Kwan Yin attained great spiritual insight and was rewarded with immortality by the Buddha. A popular Goddess, Kwan Yin's temple at the Mount of the Wondrous Peak was ever filled with a throng of pilgrims shaking rattles and setting off fireworks to get her attention.
Lei Kung:
God of thunder. Lei Kung has the head of a bird, wings, claws and blue skin. His chariot is drawn by six boys. Lei Kung makes thunder with his hammer, and his wife makes lightening with her mirrors. He chases away evil spirits and punishes criminals whose crimes have gone undetected.
Pa Hsien:
The Eight Immortals of the Taoist tradition. Ordinary mortals who, through good works and good lives, were
regarded by the Queen Mother Wang by giving them the peaches of everlasting life to eat. They are:
Li Tieh-Kual:
Li of the Iron Crutch. A healer, Li sits as a beggar in the market place selling wondrous drugs, some of which can revive the dead.
Chung-Li Ch'uan:
A smiling old man, always beaming with joy, he was rewarded with immortality for his ascetic life in the mountains.
Lan Ts'ai-Ho:
A young flute player and wandering minstrel who carries a basket laden with fruit. His soul-searching songs caused a stork to snatch him away to the heavens.
Lu Tung-Pin:
A hero of early Chinese literature. Renouncing riches and the world, he punished the wicked, rewarded the good, and slew dragons with a magic sword.
Chang-Kuo Lao:
An aged hermit with miraculous abilities. Chang owned a donkey which could travel at incredible speed. The personification of the primordial vapor which is the source of all life.
Han Hsiang-Tzu:
A scholar who chose to study magic rather than prepare for the civil service. When his uncle
chastised him for studying magic, Han Hsiang-Tzu materialized two flowers with poems written on the leaves.
Ts'ao Kuo-Chiu:
Ts'ao Kui-Chiu tried to reform his brother, a corrupt emperor, by reminding him that the laws of heaven are inescapable.
Ho Hsien-Ku:
"Immortal Maiden Ho". A Cantonese girl who dreamed that she could become immortal by eating a powder made of mother-of-pearl. She appears only to men of great virtue.
P'an-Chin-Lien:
Goddess of prostitutes. As a mortal, she was a widow who was much too liberal and inventive with her favors, and her father-in-law killed her. In death she was honored by her more professional associates and eventually became the goddess of whores.
Shi-Tien Yen-Wang:
The Lords of Death, the ten rulers of the underworld. They dress alike in royal robes and only the wisest can tell them apart. Each ruler presides over one court of law. In the first court a soul is judged according to his sins in life and sentenced to one of the eight courts on
punishment. Punishment is fitted to the offense. Misers are made to drink molten gold, liars'
tongues are cut out. In the second court are incompetent doctors and dishonest agents; in the third, forgers, liars, gossips and corrupt government officials; in the fifth, murderers, sex offenders and atheists; in the sixth, the
sacrilegious and blasphemers: in the eighth, those guilty of filial disrespect; in the ninth, arsonists and accident victims. In the tenth is the Wheel of Transmigration where souls are released to be reincarnated again after their punishment is completed. Before souls are released, they are given a brew of oblivion, which makes them forget their former lives.
Ti-Tsang Wang:
"Sun Face" A hero God like Hercules, a God of eloquence, language and genius. Generally
portrayed as an old man dressed in a lion skin.
T'shai-Shen:
God o f wealth who presides over a vast bureaucracy with many minor deities under his authority. A majestic figure robed in exquisite silks. T'shai-Shen is a very popular God.
Tsao Wang:
God of the hearth. Every household has its own Tsao Wang. Every year the hearth God reports on the family to the Jade Emperor, and the family has good or bad luck depending on his report. The hearth God's wife records every word ever spoken by every member of the household.
Tu-Ti:
Local Gods. Minor Gods of towns, villages, even streets and households. Though far from the most important Gods, the were quite popular. Usually portrayed as kindly old men, they see to it that the domains under their protection run smoothly.
Yeng-Wang-Yeh:
Greatest of the Lords of Death. Yeng-Wang-Yeh judges all souls newly arrived to the land of the dead and decides whether to send them to a special court for punishment or put them back on the
Wheel of Transmigration.
Yu-Huang-Shang-Ti:
The August Supreme Emperor of Jade, whose court is in the highest level of heaven, originally a sky God. The Jade Emperor made men, fashioning them from clay. The Jade Emperor sees and hears everything, even the softest whisper is as loud as thunder.
