Hiii, first of all I love all your posts about Erlang, since the game came out I've taken a huge interest in him and I love to read your posts, they are extremely interesting and helpful as someone who loves to learn new things! So thanks a lot for that <3
Anyway I wanted to ask, is there any record of Erlang having a wife or something like that? I've read somewhere before that he was supposedly betrothed to a dragon princess?? (Something like that I don't really remember when or where I read it) And also, in the movie "New Gods: Yang Jian" when Yang Jian is at the casino ambushed by the three monkeys, the little monkey mentioned something like he had abandoned his wife or something similar to that? (I might be wrong here since the site where I watched the movie didn't have the best subtitles available, only good enough to understand the plot).
So I was wondering if you know something about that perhaps? (Btw I'm sorry if there are any grammar mistakes, English is not my first language <3)
Thank you! I’m so glad you’ve enjoyed my ramblings 😊
To answer your question, no, Erlang Shen does not have a wife or a partner in Chinese mythology. The only source linking him with a dragon princess is The Lotus Lantern TV series, which is more or less a fantasy romcom. Personally, I always feel that assigning every deity a love story is unnecessary and out of character. In New Gods: Yang Jian, the monkeys were referencing the rumor that Erlang Shen abandoned his sister beneath Mount Hua 12 years ago. Erlang didn’t bother explaining himself to them, perhaps because he didn't care about being misunderstood by those who didn’t matter to him. It might also reflect Erlang's self-imposed exile, driven by the guilt over his inability to save his sister when she chose to sacrifice herself for the mortal world.
If we were to make up a partner for Erlang, the dragon princess would still be a poor choice. Erlang Shen’s lore is closely associated with the flood myth, water taming, and, by extension, dragon slaying or subduing. On that note, there’s actually a tale in which Erlang Shen disguises himself as a beautiful woman betrothed to an evil dragon prince. He kills the dragon prince at their wedding banquet, saving the nearby villages from recurring floods.
One unexpected yet fitting adaptation appears in The Legend of Nezha, where a romantic subplot is added between Yang Jian and the mountain spirit (山鬼), a mythological figure tied to a legendary mountain near Sichuan. Following the plot of The Investiture of the Gods, the series concludes with Yang Jian declining the offer to serve in the new court and returning to the mountains, where he and the mountain spirit transform into birds and disappear into the woods. From a characterization standpoint, it is in character for Erlang Shen to step away from power hierarchies and be drawn instead to the untamed world.
Ultimately, Erlang Shen is never depicted with a partner in canonical lore. This might be because he is already a powerful figure with extensive stories of his own, making the addition of a complementary character unnecessary for enriching his narrative. He’s also canonically a young adult, with an apparent age ranging from 16 to 26. This places him forever at the cusp of adulthood—old enough to possess strength and independence, yet unbound by familial or societal responsibilities. It’s a phase of life defined by exploration and self-discovery, free from the constraints of a prescribed role in the worldly system.
I think there's a collective desire among humans to envision certain deities, like Erlang Shen, as unbound young adults, for they embody the idealized traits we often associate with youth—carefree, open-minded, daring, idealistic, hopeful, and full of aspiration. Please indulge me as I end with excerpts from The Song for the Divine Lord (《神君歌》) by Lu You (陆游,1174 C.E.), a tribute poem for Erlang Shen that captures this sentiment:
Great Mount Tai could serve as a whetstone,
The Eastern Sea could turn to dust over time.
Only the brave one's unyielding will
Strives forth through life and death.
泰山可为砺
东海可扬尘
惟有壮士志
死生要一伸
I dream of the Divine Lord descending from the celestial realm,
So majestic, too sublime to fully capture.
Flying loongs pull his chariot, with no steeds needed.
Ghosts and spirits attend him, before and behind his stride.
我梦神君自天下
威仪奕奕难具陈
飞龙驾车不用马
诃前殿后皆鬼神
...
The mortal world is constrained, steeped in sorrow and pain,
Yet the Divine Lord rejoices across endless springs.
O to live uncrowned and die unhonored—what of it?
True ones must not bear their aspirations in silence!
世间局促常悲辛
神君欢乐千万春
呜呼生不封侯死庙食
丈夫岂得抱志长默默
Of note, this poem was written at a temple honoring men who died defending against the Jin invasion. The sorrow and pain in Lu You’s verse reflect the turmoil of his era, marked by war and loss. His resilience and lifelong aspiration to reclaim lost lands draw from the idealism embodied by Erlang Shen.