11 most important ancient CHINA gods

The most important ancient Chinese gods They are Tian, ​​Yudi, Doumu, Pangu, Xiwangmu, Yangwang, etc. In a Teacher we discover them in this lesson.

The ancient chinese mythology It is one of the most interesting and mysterious of all those that have existed in our history, being also one of the least known by the Western population. One of the most interesting topics in Ancient China is the large number of deities they have, being quite unknown to the majority of the population. For all this and to know it in greater depth, in this lesson of a Teacher we must talk about the most important ancient Chinese gods.

Index

1. What is the religion of Ancient China?
2. What are the gods of Ancient China like?
3. What are the most important ancient Chinese gods?

Before listing and explaining the Chinese gods, we must talk about the religion of ancient china, since in this nation there have been many different beliefs, and for this reason it is important to briefly explain what we mean by this religion, in order to differentiate it from others.

Traditional Chinese religion, also sometimes called as traditional Han religion or Shenism, is the original and traditional religion of the Chinese people. It receives the name of traditional Han religion because it had great relevance during the time of the Han, being this one of the most important dynasties in Chinese history. Even so, you can really see the remains of this belief much earlier, even going back 7,000 years.

The importance of traditional Chinese religion lies in the fact that It is the predominant religion in China. since the data says that it has some 400 million believers, although this current religion varies a lot with the traditional religion, since over the years it has evolved and changed.

We must understand that the gods of Ancient China are not the same as any other pantheon we know of, since they have peculiar characteristics that from the Western point of view seem foreign. For this reason, we must briefly explain what these gods are like, in order to understand them better.

For Ancient Chinese beliefs, the gods were energies or principles whose task was to reveal the way to Heaven, this being a deity called Tian or Shangdi which is said to live in the heavenly vault. The importance of this deity is such that most Chinese gods are people who have managed to be turned into gods for their achievements towards heaven.

The gods in these beliefs are innumerable, since each element in the world has one or several deities to represent it. These gods have a celestial hierarchy, so it can be said that even within the pantheon of gods there are social classes, not all of them being equal.

In a Teacher we leave you a summary of culture in ancient china.

To finish this lesson from a Teacher, and after having talked about religion and the concept of god in China, we must talk about the most important ancient Chinese gods. This will make us meet gods that we would otherwise not know about, and understand how big the pantheon of China is.

The main gods of ancient china are the following:

1. tian: He is the supreme god of Chinese beliefs, being considered a kind of representation of heaven itself. Some sources speak that he may have been the supreme creator of the world, above other possible creators of the world such as Pangu. In general it is thought that he could be the cause of the birth of the rest of the deities, and therefore the most relevant of all of them.
2. Yudi: Also known as the Jade Emperor. He is another of those considered the first gods of the world, and even in some sources he is spoken of as the king of the gods, being able to order actions to other deities. He is one of the few supreme gods with human representations, being very attached to the figure of the emperor.
3. Doumu: Heavenly goddess who is considered the wife and mother of heaven. It is considered that she is the Big Dipper, and the 7 stars that make it up are her children. Most of the myths about her tell of others of her children, all of them being important gods in Chinese beliefs.
4. Pangu: God considered the first human being, and the deity in charge of creating the world as it was we know, being therefore another of the figures related to the creation of the world in which chinese beliefs. Pangu has special importance in Taoism, since it is said that he was the deity in charge of dividing the yin and the yang.
5. Xiwangmu: A goddess related to shamans, death, and immortality. He is generally considered a dark and evil deity, being capable of both destruction and creation, thus living in an eternal duality.
6. yangwang: In Chinese mythology he is the person who manages the Underworld, thus being the god of death. He is usually represented as a judge, since he judges the dead and at the same time controls the rest of the judges of hell.
7. yinyanggong: He is considered a Taoist deity that exists thanks to the union of yin and yang, being a personification of these elements, and therefore having a relevance in all matters about yin and the yang.
8. longshen: Also known as the Dragon God, he is a Chinese deity of water and weather. He is regarded as the deity who is in charge of supplying water to the whole world, but he is also respected as the guardian of many other gods.
9. Wendi: God of culture, or according to other sources the god who makes culture prosper. He is generally considered to be the representation of important cultural figures, being even represented by thinkers such as Confucius.
10. The Three Patterns: Three deities descended from heaven that represent Yin and Yang. Being gods of heaven, earth and the peasantry, they were in charge of teaching human beings many of the activities they use to survive.
11. The Eight Immortals: They are a group of legendary immortal warriors who fight against evil. Each of them carries a different weapon for their mission, although in most cases they work together.

If you want to read more articles similar to Most important ancient Chinese gods, we recommend that you enter our category of History.

• Birell, A. (2005). chinese myths (Vol. 12). AKAL Editions.
• Chang, K. c. (2009). Art, myth and ritual: the path to political authority in ancient China. Katz Publishers.
• Yuan, T. TO. (2005). Myths from the Far East: China and Japan. In Myths and psychoanalysis (pp. 199-207).