I bring to your attention a brief description of some of the gods in whom the ancient Chinese believed. From this list you will find out the name of the goddess who made people of clay, the names of the spirits of fire, metal and other elements, gods of fortune, prosperity, war, happiness and other important aspects that worried the minds of the inhabitants of the Middle Kingdom.
Zhu-show – the god of autumn, knew the punishments in heaven, the spirit of metal.
Luu is the manager of affairs in the heavenly palace (a nine-tiger tiger with a human face).
Nuiva is a female spirit with a human body, bird legs and a snake tail. She created people from clay.
Pangu is the first man to break the egg from which heaven and earth formed. After his death, the moon and the sun formed from his eyes, from the blood – the river, from the hair – the stars in the sky.
Fuxi is the ruler of the East. The East was identified with spring.
Huang-di (the “Yellow Lord”) – the brother of Yan-di, was not only the supreme ruler, but also the ruler of the Center.
Zhuansuy , the god-ruler of the North (winter), had a human face, a pig’s snout, a scaly body, fused legs, and boar’s hooves. The spirit of the water helped him manage.
Zhuong – the Chinese spirit of fire, seated on a chariot of clouds harnessed by two dragons.
Shaohao – ruler of the West, considered a country of birds and the seat of autumn. All Shaohao ministers and subjects were birds.
Yan-di (Shen-Nun, “red sovereign”) – the sun god, healer, ruler of the South. Very merciful to people, he taught them to sow cereals and gave them light and warmth. They represented God with the body of a man and the head of a bull.
Bai-hu (“white tiger”) – one of the spirits, the patron saint of the West.
Bi-gan is the civil god of wealth (in Chinese mythology, the gods were often divided into civil and military).
Bixia yuanjun (Taishan nanny, “mistress of the azure clouds”) is the patroness of children and foxes, the daughter of the lord of the sacred mountain Taishan. She was accompanied by six patron goddesses of various periods of childhood.
Budai-hashan (Pu tai, “monk with a bag”) – the deity of joy, prosperity, contentment.
Bay doe – rain gods, rulers of life and death of people.
Bian qiao is the patron saint of healers. He was portrayed with a bird’s beak and bat wings.
Wang min-guan – one of the celestial commanders, guardian of the doors of temples. He was represented by a large red-faced three-eyed man with a whip in his hand.
Wei Gu is the patron god of medicine.
Veito is a heavenly warrior, keeper of monasteries, patron saint of the South, guardian of the law and leader of the spirits who guard the law.
Wei shan-tseyun – one of the patron gods of literature, poets, had two assistants – Kui-xing and Zhu-i.
Wen-shen – spirits of pestilence (epidemics): spring pestilence – Zhang Yuan-bo, summer – Xiang Yuan-da, autumn – Zhao Gong-min, winter – Zhong Shigui, center – Shi Wen-e.
Gou Shan – the god of spring and the spirit of the tree.
Go tzu-i is one of the gods of happiness.
Guan-di – the god of war and wealth; he was portrayed with a dark red face.
Kuan-yin – the goddess-savior, patroness of the female half of the house, bearer of children. She was represented by a multi-armed woman with a rope or a jug with a willow branch.
Gui – the evil spirits of the dead.
Guishu is the “mother of demons,” the patroness of life and death. Female deity with a tiger head, dragon legs, eyes of a boa constrictor.
Gunngund is a water deity, an evil spirit with a snake body, a human face and red hair.
Dizan-vann is the supreme ruler of hell, saving souls from the underground court. The lord of the underworld had ten assistant judges. He was portrayed as a man with an iron staff in one hand and a luminous pearl in the other.
Di-zen is the oldest deity personifying chaos. Depicted as a bird with six legs and four wings.
Di-jun is the supreme sovereign, the first ancestor (later was supplanted by the cult of Huang-di).
Dou-shu is a deity who knows life and death, a deity of light and a protector from wars. The drawings depicted a man with four faces, eight arms and three eyes.
Du Van Gunn is the lord of the East, the patron saint of immortals is a three-meter man with a bird’s face and a tiger tail.
Du Kang is the patron god of wine merchants and the inventor of wine.
Dian Shu is the goddess of lightning. She was portrayed as a woman in multi-colored dresses with two mirrors in her hands.
