Erlang Shen

The Three-Eyed God

Domain: War, the Hunt & Water Control
Alignment: Lawful Neutral
Element: Thunder
Relics of Power: Three-Pointed Double-Edged Spear

Speak with Erlang Shen

The People

People

Chinese

Region

China

Period

c. 1600 BC – present

The Chinese deities bring together traditions of Taoism, Buddhism, and folk religion, worshipped for millennia across China. Presided over by the Jade Emperor, they form a vast celestial bureaucracy mirroring the earthly empire. They are honored in temples, at Chinese New Year, and at the altars of homes and ancestors.

Chinese New Year greets the gods with fireworks, dancing lions, and offerings to the Kitchen God, who ascends to heaven to report on the family's conduct. The Dragon Boat Festival honors the poet Qu Yuan, and at Qingming families sweep the tombs and venerate the ancestors.

The Sacred Scrolls

A warrior god of immense power, Erlang Shen is recognizable by the third eye of truth in the middle of his forehead, which sees through every disguise. A divine hunter accompanied by his faithful celestial dog, he is the tamer of monsters and controller of floods. Nephew of the Jade Emperor, he is one of the mightiest generals of the heavens. As The Three-Eyed God, this deity occupies a position of supreme prestige in the chineses pantheon. Their domains over War, the Hunt & Water Control reflect ancestral cosmic order maintained across millennia. In classical iconography, they are depicted with an aura of unshakeable majesty and sacred attributes that inspired reverence in emperors and peasants alike. Their influence extended beyond earthly boundaries, governing fates and harmony between the visible and invisible worlds. For ancient devotees, contemplating their essence was to understand the very fundamental forces of nature and human existence.

Sacred Symbols

The third eye, the trident spear, the celestial dog and the seventy-two transformations

Divine Lineage

Nephew of the Jade Emperor; accompanied by his divine dog Xiaotian.

The Legendary Myth

When the Monkey King Sun Wukong rebelled against the heavens and no general could stop him, it was Erlang Shen who faced him in combat.

Legends & Deeds

A celebrated secondary legend preserved in the oral traditions of the chineses recounts the journey when Erlang Shen intervened directly in the lives of mortals.