Gods+and+Godesses+of+the+Shang

=Shang Dynasty Religion= //By: Hali//

The Shang Dynasty was a dynasty full of gods and goddesses. Unlike the other dynasties in which the religions were mainly philosophies. There were animals and nature gods and goddesses. The Shang also had incredible myths, though you normally wouldn’t think it.

Jade Emperor:
The head god in the Shang mythology was the Jade Emperor. He was the ruler of Heaven and the creator of the universe. He was also Lord of the Imperial Court. The Jade Emperor started at the bottom and moved up by creating the universe and bring order to the cosmos. After that he spent a billion eons in his Holy Navel until he reached the most amazing godliness. Once he achieved “Illumination” the Jade Emperor became ruler of heaven and Earth. The Jade Emperor is also a master of “the way” or Daoism. There is only one god who can compare, and that is Monkey.

www.worldreligions.psu.edu

Monkey:
Monkey is known infamously as the Trickster God and the Great Sage of equal heaven. Monkey was born on the Mountain of Fruit and Flowers. For years a certain rock on the mountain soaked up the goddess of nature and Qi energy. Then, one day this rock released a stone egg, which hatched into Monkey, who, upon being born, bowed to all four corners then ran off to have fun. However, Monkey feared death, so, to seek immortality, Monkey became a disciple of Father Subodhi, who was a daoist sage.

www.laputanlogic.com/images/2004/05/17-YJ76S1GH00.jpg

Guan-Yin:
Guan-Yin is the helpful goddess of compassion. She helps victims and unfortunate people from peril. When she finally reached enlightenment, instead of going to heaven she went around helping people who needed to reach enlightenment. She was also known for helping Monkey out of many troubles that he got into.

www.pureinsight.org

Zhi-Nu:
Zhi-Nu is the goddess of spinning and weaving. She is the daughter of the Jade Emperor and is in charge of weaving the clouds and constellations. Legend has it that when the Jade emperor was so pleased with her spinning and weaving that he allowed her to marry the Official in Charge of the Cowsheds. It is said that they were so in love that Zhi-Nu got behind in her weaving, so the Jade Emperor put them in opposite sides of the universe, allowing them to meet only once every year by crossing a bridge of Magpies, on this day is Chinese Valentine’s Day.

caswell.blogspot.com

The Four Dragons:
Once upon a time there were four dragons that lived in the Eastern Sea. They were the Long Dragon, the Pearl Dragon, the Yellow Dragon and the Black Dragon. One day they saw that the people on Earth were poor and dying because there hadn’t been enough rain. They told the Jade Emperor about it, but he did nothing, for he only cared about his pleasure. The Four Dragons Decided to take matters into their own hands. They scooped up water from the sea that they lived in and sprayed it around China. Enraged, the Jade Emperor had four mountains put on top of them. However, determined to continue to help the people, the turned themselves into the Heilongjiang, the Huang He, the Yangtze and the Zhujiang. That is the story of the Four Dragons.

www.emblibrary.com

Now that you have learned a little bit about Chinese mythology, I hope you enjoyed it and will be encouraged to read further. If you want to, then my job is done, if you don’t, well, hopefully you learned something while reading this, because here’s the real challenge!

Questions:

1) How long did the Jade-Emperor spend in his Holy Navel?

A. Three years B. A Billion Eons C. Two decades

2) What do Zhi-Nu and the Cowshed Official have to cross to see each other?

A. A Magpie bridge B. A rainbow C. Stars

3) What was put on the Four Dragons?

A. A building B. Weights C. Mountains

Answers: 1) B 2) A 3) C

Shang Qin Legalism