Legend tells that after he died, GUAN-YU appeared before a

meditating Master of Buddhism and asked for spiritual guidance.

Which was only natural under the circumstances.

Quickly learning the Five Precepts, he became a Buddhist,

reached Enlightenment, and now devotes the rest of his Immortality to
defending the faith. A completely honorary position, but extremely
well-regarded.

Finally, GUAN-YU is also worshipped as a God of Literature —

because he managed to read a whole page of Confucius without going
cross-eyed.

GUAN-YU FACTS AND FIGURES

Name : GUAN-YU
Pronunciation : Goo-arn Yoo
Alternative names : GUAN-YUN-CHANG, GUAN-GONG,
GUAN-DI, KUAN-YU, KUAN-KUNG, KUAN-TI, ZHANG-YUN,
CHANG-YUN, CHANG-SHENG, ZHANG-SHENG
Location : China
Gender : Male
Type : deity
In charge of : War
God of : War

Celebration or Feast Day : Unknown at present

Good/Evil Rating : Unknown at present
>>>>>>>>>>
Chinese Mitology
Chinese Myths and Legends
Chinese Myth and Legend
Handbook of Chinese Mythology

GUAN-YU
Chinese War God
Also known as GUAN-YUN-CHANG, GUAN-GONG, GUAN-DI, KUAN-YU, KUAN-
KUNG, KUAN-TI, ZHANG-YUN, CHANG-YUN, CHANG-SHENG, ZHANG-SHENG
God of War and Martial Arts
He is a DAO ist deity who is also well thought of by Buddhists. As told in Romance
Of The Three Kingdoms, he started life as a mortal vendor of soya bean curd (see TO-
FU). But after a heroic incident involving the rescue of a harassed lady and the killing
of a tax inspector, he got the taste for battle and embarked on a famous military career
with LIU-BEI and ZHANG-FEI , becoming one of the Three Brothers of the Peach
Orchard.
Unusually for a God of War, he uses his skill to avoid confrontations if at all possible.
A peace-loving deity, he tries to minimize every battle he’s in. (Surely you’ve heard of
Kung Few?) But his bravery is legendary.
In one famous tale, his arm was damaged in battle and needed surgery. To the
incredulity of on-lookers, he calmly sat playing Solitaire while field surgeons did
excruciating things to his tendons. (Just as well Solitaire is a one-handed game.)
When he was finally captured, GUAN-YU was told by Wu, the evil new Emperor, to
change sides or face death. GUAN-YU not only refused, he uttered a terrible insult
which made even the soldiers blush.
Loyal GUAN-YU knew that changing sides during a war was not only immoral but
also against the Law. For his bravery, and because he died defending legal issues, he
also became the patron God of Police Officers.
Legend tells that after he died, GUAN-YU appeared before a meditating Master of
Buddhism and asked for spiritual guidance. Which was only natural under the
circumstances.
Quickly learning the Five Precepts, he became a Buddhist, reached Enlightenment, and
now devotes the rest of his Immortality to defending the faith. A completely honorary
position, but extremely well-regarded.
Finally, GUAN-YU is also worshipped as a God of Literature — because he
managed to read a whole page of Confucius without going cross-eyed.
GUAN-YU FACTS AND FIGURES
Name : GUAN-YU
Pronunciation : Goo-arn Yoo
Alternative names : GUAN-YUN-CHANG, GUAN-GONG, GUAN-DI, KUAN-YU, KUAN-KUNG,
KUAN-TI, ZHANG-YUN, CHANG-YUN, CHANG-SHENG, ZHANG-SHENG
Location : China
Gender : Male
Type : deity
In charge of : War
God of : War
Celebration or Feast Day : Unknown at present
Good/Evil Rating : Unknown at present

Handbook of Chinese Mythology

:. Adevăr Divin ...

Mitologie chineză :. Octavian Simu :. Herald :. Editura Adevăr
Divin ...
In lucrarea de fata si-au gasit locul personaje mitologice, diferite
divinitati, zei si zeite, eroi civilizatori, suverani legendari, spirite bune
si rele, duhuri si demoni, nenumarati muritori divinizati, proveniti cu
totii mai putin din istoriile incerte ale trecutului indepartat, cat din
religia populara veche, din folclor si din religiile daoista, budista si
confucianista. Alaturi de toti acestia se regasesc in cartea noastra,
descrise sumar, locurile sacre mai insemnate, elementele din natura cu
semnificatie mitologica, precum si cateva date despre lucrarile
publicate in trecut care contin legende, mituri, scenarii mitologice etc.
Nu au fost uitate, desigur, nici unele concepte filosofico-religioase,
privite in linii mari, in dimensiunea lor restransa la trasaturile esentiale
ale gandirii care le-a pus in circulatie.

In economia cartii am acordat mai mult spatiu divinitatilor

importante, definitorii pentru linia generala a mitologiei chineze.
Potrivit insemnatatii si semnificatiei lor, celorlalte zeitati, personaje
mitice si eroice, le-am rezervat comentarii reduse la valoarea cuvenita,
adica la un minimum de informatii necesare pentru orientarea
cititorului in lecturile diferitelor carti, fie ele literare, mitologice,
istorice sau de alta natura...

Ca oricare alta mitologie, si cea chineza insumeaza mituri

cosmogonice, de creare a Universului, lumii, omului, animalelor si
plantelor, de intemeiere a natiunii, deruland povestiri care au dainuit in
memoria difuza, s-au multiplicat in timp, au patruns in folclor, s-au
fixat uneori in sarbatori si festivitati periodice, devenite traditionale, s-
au manifestat prin unele obiceiuri, superstitii sau atitudini gestuale ale
oamenilor obisnuiti. Ca structura, miturile sunt purtatoare de sens, de
semnificatii. Ele vehiculeaza in mod continuu un mesaj venit din
trecut pentru a sluji binelui prezentului. Acest mesaj poate sta ascuns
in carnea epicului unui mit, de aceea este necesara o atitudine
hermeneutica fata de el, o incercare de traducere grijulie, cat mai
rationala si obiectiva, ceea ce presupune o minima familiarizare cu
lumea chineza. Este si unul din telurile propuse prin cartea de fata.

Folosind o metafora, am spune ca daca istoria ar fi o cometa in

deplasarea ei eterna, mitologia ar pute