Chinese Mythology

The Folk Gods and Spirits of the Middle Kingdom

YANLUO WANG

Chinese Death God

Also known as Bao Yanluo, King Yanlo, Yanluo Wang, Yen-Lo Wang, Yeng-Wang-Yeh

Deity of Death and Lord of the Fifth Floor of Hell

The God of Death and Ruler of the Fifth Court of Diyu, the Chinese Hell.

The Chinese version of Yama, he was originally King of the First Court of Hell, but Heaven accused him of undue leniency. Far too many souls were crossing the Golden Bridge to Heaven and the place was getting crowded.

To prevent spiritual overpopulation, the Jade Emperor put Qinguang Wang in charge of Judgment and assigned Yanluo Wang to the Fifth Hell of Wailing, Gouging and Boiling. Once there he developed a real relish for making souls miserable, so everyone was happy again. Except the souls, of course.

As a God of some importance, Yanluo Wang is far more than just a dealer of boiling oil. He rules over the whole of Diyu and has a team of deadly assistants. His filing system contains the records of every soul, complete with their allotted death date. Monkey once paid him a visit and wreaked havoc, but we imagine security has been tightened up since then.

Yanluo Wang Facts and Figures

Name: Yanluo Wang
Pronunciation: Yun Lor Warng
Alternative names: Bao Yanluo, King Yanlo, Yanluo Wang, Yen-Lo Wang, Yeng-Wang-Yeh

Gender: Male
Type: God
Celebration or Feast Day: Unknown at present

Role:
In charge of: Death
Area of expertise: Death

Good/Evil Rating: NEUTRAL, may not care
Popularity index: 20257

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Article last revised on September 25, 2018 by Rowan Allen.
Editors: Peter J. Allen, Chas Saunders

References: Coming soon.

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