Erlang Shen


Erlang Shen, or simply Erlang, is a god in Chinese folk religion and Daoism, associated with water, justice, warriorhood, hunting, and demon subdual. He is commonly depicted as a young man with a third, truth-seeing eye in the middle of his forehead, wielding a three-pronged spear, and being accompanied by his loyal hunting dog, Xiaotian Quan.
The origin of Erlang is complex. He is most commonly believed to be the deification of Li Erlang, the second son of Li Bing, a hydraulic engineer of the Qin dynasty. Later stories identify him as the deification of Yang Jian, the nephew of the legendary Jade Emperor. He is also identified with several other folk heroes associated with controlling floods.
In the Ming-era semi-mythical novels Investiture of the Gods and Journey to the West, Erlang Shen is the nephew of the Jade Emperor. In the former novel, he assists the Zhou army in defeating the Shang. In the latter, he is the second son of a mortal and the Jade Emperor's sister Yunhua, as well as an enemy-turned-ally of Sun Wukong. In his legends he is known as the greatest warrior god of heaven, and was a disciple of Yuding Zhenren, who taught him fighting and magical skills such as the 72 Earthly Transformations.

Names

Erlang is an ancient given name for boys. This stems from Li Erlang, the primary historical figure that Erlang is thought to be based on. Shen means "God".
Since Li Erlang was from Guankou, Sichuan, the god Erlang is also known by the epithets Chuanzhu and Guankou Erlang.
Other bynames of the deity include:
Erlang is usually portrayed as a young, handsome man with a three-pointed spear, though in older paintings he is sometimes portrayed as an older man with a beard and sword. He has a third eye in the middle of the forehead, sometimes called "Eye of Heaven", which lets him see through deceptions, disguises, and transformations.
As a god, Erlang is a noble and powerful warrior who vanquishes demons and monsters, and embodies justice and righteousness. He possesses vast, superhuman strength, being able to cleave through an entire mountain in one stroke.
His main weapon is a spear called Sanjian Liangren Qiang, usually depicted as a flat, broad spear with three tips like a trident, and the two cutting edges of a saber. This bladed polearm is powerful enough to penetrate and cleave through steel and stone like wool.
Erlang is almost always accompanied by his faithful hunting dog, the Xiaotian Quan, which has the ability to viciously attack, maul, and subdue demons and evil spirits.
In some legends, Erlang possesses a unique ability known as the Jiuzhuan Xuangong, which turns him nearly invincible against conventional weapons and most forms of magic. In the novel Investiture of the Gods, this ability turns him completely impervious to attacks from mystical weapons that have proven capable of injuring or even killing other immortals. Some stories state he is capable of 72 transformations, meaning he can transform into virtually anything he wants.
In some folk beliefs, he was a filial son that entered Diyu, or hell, to save his deceased mother from torment. After being deified, he punishes unfilial children by striking them with thunder as a punishment, hence the traditional saying, "being smitten by lightning for being unfilial and ungrateful" towards unruly children.

Origin

Erlang's origin comes from a combination of historical and legendary figures. Generally, he is believed to be the deification of Li Erlang, the second son of Li Bing. However, he is also identified with several other folk heroes, which may have influenced his portrayal. He originated as a local god of Guankou, Sichuan, where Li Erlang was from. During the Northern Song dynasty, the cult of Erlang spread to the rest of China.
In later stories, Erlang is the deification of Yang Jian, son of the goddess Yunhua, and nephew of the legendary Jade Emperor. This portrayal as Yang Jian is most common in popular media.

As Li Erlang ()

Li Erlang was the second son of Li Bing, a hydraulic engineer from the Qin dynasty.
According to the "Story about Li Bing and His Son in Harnessing the Rivers" in the Records of Guansian, Li Erlang assisted his father in the construction of the complex irrigation system that prevented the Min River from flooding and irrigated the Chengdu Plain. In thanks for the prosperity that this brought to them, the local people elevated the father and son to gods and dedicated the Two Kings Temple in their honor.
Legend states that Li Bing sent his son out to discover the source of the flooding. He spent a year exploring the county without success. One day whilst sheltering in a cave, he encountered a tiger which he slew and seven hunters who had witnessed this bravery agreed to join him in his quest.
The group finally came to a cottage on the outskirts of Guan County. From within they heard the sound of an old woman crying. The woman was Grandma Wang and she told them that her grandson was to be sacrificed to an evil dragon who was the local river god. Li Erlang reported this to his father who devised a plan to capture the dragon.
The eight friends hid in the River God Temple and jumped out on the dragon when it arrived to claim its offering. The dragon fled to the river pursued by Li Erlang, who eventually captured it. Grandma Wang arrived with an iron chain and the dragon was secured in the pool below the Dragon-Taming Temple, freeing the region from floods.
Another legend tells of Li Erlang suppressing a fire dragon that lived in the mountains north of Dujiangyan by climbing to the top of Mount Yulei, turning into a giant and building a dam with 66 mountains then filling it with water from Dragon Pacifying Pool.

As Li Bing ()

Li Bing himself has been thought of as inspiration for Erlang. For stopping the floods of the Min River by constructing Dujiangyan, he was turned into a folk hero who defeated a river god in order to save his prefecture from being flooded. He was then portrayed as the new river god that protected the local people in the area from floods. However, a discrepancy comes up that even though Li Bing/Erlang was known as Guankou Shen, the river that he is associated with is in Qianwei and not Guankou. Another discrepancy is that Li Erlang had never appeared in any of the tales related to stopping the Min River. The first appearance of Li Erlang was in Zhishui ji by Li Ying of the Liang dynasty.
Historically, Li Bing was conferred an official title until the Five Dynasties period under the rule of the Shu kingdom. He rose to political power when the great flood that occurred on the twenty-sixth day of the eighth month in 920 AD was reported to the emperor by Daoist Du Guangting.

As Yang Jian ()

Many legends and novels describe Erlang as Yang Jian, a nephew of the Jade Emperor. According to an ancient text, Erlang Baojuan, Yang Jian's mother was Princess Yunhua, the Jade Emperor's sister, who was imprisoned under Mount Tao because she violated the Heavenly Rules by marrying a human named Yang Tianyou. Many years later, her son Yang Jian cleaved Mount Tao using his axe, hoping to set his mother free. He did successfully rescue his mother after he chased away the sun by carrying a mountain on his back.
In the Tang dynasty story The Magic Lotus Lantern, Erlang's mother, Princess Yunhua, was the goddess of the realm of desire in heaven. Her job was to limit the gods' mortal urges such as love, affection, greed, and ambition. When she pursued an evil dragon who broke free of its heavenly prison into the mortal realm and was injured by it, she fell in love with Yang Tianyou, a mortal scholar, who saved her life by giving her his own heart to replace the one the dragon damaged. They had three children: Yang Jiao, Yang Jian, and Yang Chan. When the Jade Emperor discovered her marriage, he sent his armies to kill her family and capture her. Only Erlang and his sister Yang Chan survived.
In order to rescue his mother, Yang Jian became a disciple of Yuding Zhenren at Jinxia Cave in Yuquan Mountain. By the age of seventeen, he had cultivated powerful abilities that allowed him to stand proudly in the world. His martial skills progressed remarkably, especially after he obtained the Three-Pointed Two-Edged Blade. Driven by his deep desire to save his mother, he used his blade to split open Peach Mountain and rescued her. This legend has also become an important origin for the "filial piety" culture along the banks of the Guan River.
In the Ming dynasty novel Investiture of the Gods, it is mentioned that Princess Longji is the Jade Emperor's daughter, making her Yang Jian's cousin. The Golden Fleece Lads are his disciples.

Other identifications

Erlang Shen is also identified with Zhao Yu, a hermit who lived on Mount Qingcheng and was appointed by Emperor Yang of Sui as Governor of Jiazhou. Zhao Yu is said to have set forth with 1000 men to defeat a flood dragon that had been tormenting the area. Upon reaching the river, Zhao Yu dived into the water with his double-edged sword and emerged holding the dragon's head. Following his death, according to the Chronicle of Changshu County, the region was once again plagued by flood and he was seen riding a white horse amidst the swirling currents. The locals built a temple enshrining Zhao Yu as the god Erlang and the floods were subdued.
Deng Xia is said to have been a general under Erlang who surpassed his predecessors in valor and defeated a flood dragon, receiving the title "Erlang Shen" and a temple in his honor at Zhongqingli in Hangzhou.