Erlang Shen
Erlang Shen is the three-eyed martial god of Guanjiangkou in Sichuan, nephew of the Jade Emperor and son of a mortal and a goddess. He is a god of water and of the engineers who control it, associated with Li Bing's Dujiangyan works and with the theatre; his dog, the Xiaotianquan, bites through disguise.
The identification of Erlang with Li Bing's son is a local Sichuan tradition, not a single canonical genealogy; the Journey to the West is a Ming novel, not scripture. The planetary, elemental, zodiac and tarot values are modern overlays; the traditional associations are water, the third eye, the hound and the spear.
Correspondences
- Planetary Correspondence
- Mercury
Offerings
- Offerings
- TeaWaterRiceFruitIncense
Sacred timing
Symbols and forms
- Alternate Names
- ErlangEr Lang ShenLord ErlangThe Three-Eyed GodGuanjiangkou Erlang
- Gender Expression
- Masculine
- Titles
- The Three-EyedLord of GuanjiangkouGod of the WatersThe Heavenly HunterNephew of the Jade Emperor
- Symbols
- Third eyeThree pointed double edged spearHeavenly houndBowFlood gateMirror
Practice
- Invocation Approach
- ToneWatchful courteousAddressErlang ShenLord ErlangThree-Eyed OneRelationshipThe engineer who watches the river and the hunter who watches the roadWarningThe third eye sees through the disguiseResonanceEngineers those who manage water hunters those who need a just judgement
- Modern Practice
Invoked by engineers and by anyone responsible for water — a river, a house, a boundary. The practice is the inspection: walk the bank, name the weak point, fix it before the flood.
Nature and meaning
- Domain
- Water controlFloodEngineeringHuntingMartial skillJusticeDisguiseProtection
- Mythology Summary
Erlang Shen is the three-eyed martial god of Guanjiangkou in Sichuan, nephew of the Jade Emperor and son of a mortal and a goddess. He is a god of water and of the engineers who control it, associated with Li Bing's Dujiangyan works and with the theatre; his dog, the Xiaotianquan, bites through disguise. In the Journey to the West he fights Sun Wukong to a standstill, matching the monkey's seventy-two transformations with his own and seeing through them with the third eye.
- Related Deities
- Sun WukongJade EmperorGuan YuHermes
Details
- Correspondences
- ColorsWhiteSilverBlueScentsSandalwoodCedarSea saltMetalsSilverIronAnimalsDogEagleSnakeDragon
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