TYPE: God of thunder
ORIGIN: Taoist (Chinese)
INFORMATION: He heaads the deities of the pantheon who are responsible for storm, wind, and rain and is usually accompanied by Yu Shih, the god of rain. He appears in anthropomorphic form from about the beginning of the Christian era, depicted as a strong, youthful figure holding a hammer and chisel. In drama his movements are punctuated by rumblings on strings and drums. Circa CE 1000 he becomes depicted as a bird-like being with a monkey face. The transition was probably influenced by the popularity of the Hindu god Garuda.