King Father of the East, also known as Dongwanggong (), is the

tutelary deity A tutelary (; also tutelar) is a deity or a Nature spirit, spirit who is a guardian, patron, or protector of a particular place, geographic feature, person, lineage, nation, culture, or occupation. The etymology of "tutelary" expresses the concept ...

of the Taoist immortals. Legends say that the King Father of the East is the consort of

Queen Mother of the West The Queen Mother of the West, known by #Names, various local names, is a mother goddess in Chinese folk religion, Chinese religion and Chinese mythology, mythology, also worshipped later in neighbouring countries. She is attested from ancient ...

. He is the manifestation of yang energy.

Legends

When the

(Xiwangmu) was a mountain demon, she was in love with the King Father of the East (Dongwanggong). Xiwangmu ruled the west and Dongwanggong ruled the east. In some versions of the Chinese creation myth, the two lovers created humanity through their union. According to one text in the ''

Classic of Mountains and Seas The ''Classic of Mountains and Seas'', also known as ''Shanhai jing'' (), formerly romanized as the ''Shan-hai Ching'', is a Chinese classic text and a compilation of mythic geography and beasts. Early versions of the text may have existed si ...

'', there was a bronze pillar on Kunlun Mountain that was so tall that it reached the sky. On top of this column, there was a huge bird named Xiyou (literally meaning "rare"). Under its left-wing, it held Dongwanggong and under its right wing, it held Xiwangmu. When Xiwangmu first met Dongwanggong, she had to climb onto the bird's wing to reach him. In another account, Dongwanggong lived in a big stone house on the East Wild Mountain. He was about ten feet high, and his hair was as white as snow. He looked like a man but had a bird's face and a tiger's tail. He rode a black bear and often played a game of throwing arrows/sticks into a pot with a Jade Maiden. ''The Book of Gods and Wonders'' () describes him as a white-maned being, again with a bird's face and tiger's tail, mounted on a black bear. One of the earliest notations of this pair appears as an inscription on a bronze mirror cast in 106 CE. The King Father of the East is paired with the Queen Mother of the West. The inscription wishes for fortune and longevity like the two of them. Many Taoist mythological works describe him as born of the Pure and the Holy Mother of Origins, ruling the animated beings and the yin and yang that breathes from the eastern sky. The god of

Mount Tai Mount Tai () is a mountain of historical and cultural significance located north of the city of Tai'an. It is the highest point in Shandong province, China. The tallest peak is the ''Jade Emperor Peak'' (), which is commonly reported as being t ...

, Mountain Dongyue Dadi, is said to be his younger brother. In the tradition of the alchemists, Quanzhen School, in particular, Wang Xuanfu, master of

Zhongli Quan Zhongli Quan, courtesy name Jidao, is a Chinese mythology, Chinese mythological figure and one of the Eight Immortals in the Taoism, Taoist pantheon. He is also known as Han Zhongli because he was said to have been born in the Han dynasty. In leg ...

and first of the Five Ancestors of the North, is his avatar, according to Lü Dongbin. There is another legend that honors the King Father of the East as the Heavenly Father and the Queen Mother of the West as the Heavenly Mother. King Father of the East transforms essence, and Queen Mother of the West transforms blood.

References

{{Taoism footer Chinese gods Taoist deities

Legends

See also

References