Jade Emperor

The Heavenly Grandfather (Art from the White Cloud Temple)

### Aliases

Śakra, Haneullim, Yù Huáng, Yù Dì, Cao Đài, Ngọc Hoàng Thượng đế, Ông Trời, Heavenly Grandfather, Heavenly Duke, Jade Lord, The Highest Emperor, Great Emperor of Jade, Avatar of the First God

### Affiliation

Yuanshi Tianzun, Council of Godheads, Elder Gods

## Physical Description

### Spirit of

The Sky, Celestial Bodies, Kindness, Benevolence

## Relatives

### Offspring

Zhinü, Liễu Hạnh, Địa Mẫu

The **Jade Emperor**, sometimes known as **Yù Huáng**, is the king of the Chinese Heavens and one of the oldest gods in the Chinese Pantheon.

## Overview

The Jade Emperor is the assistant of one of the Three Pure Ones, Yuanshi Tianzun, in Daoist Theology. In Caodaism, he is called Cao Đài and Ngọc Hoàng Thượng Đế. He is also  associated with several important figures in other mythologies like Śakra and Haneullim.

## Personality

Known as the highest Deity venerated in Taoism (second and next only to Gautama Buddha), the Jade Emperor is a strict adherent of the celestial laws of the Heavenly palace and the moral code of the Council of Godheads. He prioritize the peace and prosperity of the Chinese Heavens, as he will punish those who deliberately rebels and defy the laws of the heavens.

The Jade Emperor, however, according to many (both deities and mortals) views and considers him a benevolent, righteous, and just ruler and deity. He is fair to his rule, and traits his subjects as equals, the Jade Emperor is also highly humble and quiet immodest, as he is not bothered to any behavior that can offend a god or behavior that seems to be appropriate in the eyes of the deities. Even the likes of Sun Wukong who is known to be very mischievous, rebellious, and disrespectful towards the gods of the Heavenly palace, earns his respect. The Jade Emperor in turn is amuse to his naughty and playful natures.

Because of his noble, benevolent, and many heroic deeds, the gods and humans (in ancient Asia) proclaimed the Jade Emperor the supreme sovereign of all. So much that during his birth, he emitted a wondrous light that filled the entire kingdom. When he was young, he was a very kind, intelligent and wise person. He devoted his entire childhood to helping the needy (the poor and suffering, the deserted and single, the hungry and disabled). Furthermore, he showed respect and benevolence to both humans and creatures. After his father died, he ascended the throne. He made sure that everyone in his kingdom found peace and contentment.

He is a ruler that has high sense of justice and impartiality, he strongly against any injustice or senseless violence. Yet he is merciful and can show compassion, even towards the demons. In battle he is very skilled and formidable fighter, the Jade Emperor is also a very skilled and calculating leader, tactician, and strategist, he finish battles as quickly as possible and doesn't want to draw any senseless fights. He can be very cruel, cold, and calculating, yet he is honorable enough to spare his opponent's life if they are no longer has the strength to fight back. Compared to any chief deities of various pantheons, he is one of the gods that rarely exhibits his superior status and arrogance (unlike Zeus or Odin). He doesn't like any form of treachery, betrayal, or rebellious actions, and any betrayals against him will receive heinous punishment.

## Powers and Abilities

The Jade Emperor considered to be among the most powerful Deities on Earth, he is revered by many and he is strong enough to rival the likes of Zeus, Odin, and Ra in terms of raw strength and magical power. His power is more than enough to wipe out an army of demons and monsters, he also holds absolute authority and lordship over all deities of the Chinese pantheon, including the 28 constellations, four Heavenly Kings, Prince Nezha, and even Erlang Shen. During the ancient times of Earth his power is further demonstrate that he single handedly defeats and imprison an army of demonic entities that came from the darkness of chaos, he even put a good fight and successfully defeat the Primordial Deity of darkness and evil Amatsu-Mikabushi, an entity that far exceeds the powers of many gods, that came from Khaos. By mastering his 3.200 trials, completely attaining godhood and divinity, and ascend himself on the throne of the Heavenly palace and proclaimed himself as the supreme emperor of Heaven.

* **Supreme Power**: As the supreme sovereign ruler of the Heavenly palace, the Jade Emperor is supernaturally a powerful deity, being he rules over all deities of the Chinese pantheon. He possess power that rivals the other Chief Deities of the Council of Godheads, like Zeus, Odin, and Ra, putting him among the Kings of the Gods.
* **Sancti-Photokinesis**: The Jade Emperor is the sovereign ruler of Heaven, so it is normal for him to wield and has the power to manipulate, shape, and generate divine light, capable of harming and/or killing beings of darkness and demonic origins. He can generate light, so intense that it can vaporize an army of demons, and he is able to visibly hurt Amatsu-Mikaboshi, by projecting intense light against him.
* **Master Magician & Sorcerer**: Being one of the founding rulers of the Heavenly palace, the Jade Emperor possess extraordinary with magics, sorcery, and even magical and mystic arts, spells that can create supernatural phenomena. He can even manipulate the nature and various elemental natures, shape and warp reality, and can cast curse.
* **Supernatural Master Combatant**: Aside of being a powerful deity the Jade Emperor is also a very skilled and proficient fighter, he masters all forms of armed and unarmed combat, that he can fight on par or possibly superior than Sun Wukong for a longer period, something that not even the Monkey King himself considers possible, he is also superior than his best generals, like Erlang Shen and the Jade Warlord. Using his dragon sword and synchronizing himself with it, he is nearly unstoppable, not even the likes of the Bull Demon King can even put a good fight to him that he almost kill him, if not for the intervention of Princess Iron Fan. He is also skilled and strong enough to single-handedly fight an army of demons and monsters, and even put a good fight with Amatsu-Mikaboshi, he also successfully defeated and imprisoned the primordial deity of evil and darkness, something that few gods can do.

## History

### Origins

The Jade Emperor was originally the crown prince of a majestic kingdom. When he was born, a bright light that enveloped the entire kingdom emitted from him.  The Jade Emperor was a kind, intelligent, and wise child, spending a lot of his time helping the unfortunate. He also demonstrated kindness, benevolence, and respect towards humans and creatures alike. When his father died, he became king and did his best to make sure that his subjects were happy and safe. Eventually, he told his ministers about his wish to cultivate Tao on the Bright and Fragrant Cliff.

After 337,050,000 years, he achieved Godhood, thanks to his benevolence and noble achievements. When 100,000,000 passed, he became the Jade Emperor.

### Vanquishing Evil

There was a myth in Chinese Mythology that not only explained how the Jade Emperor became the king of the gods, but also showcased his true power.

In the beginning of time, Earth was a harsh and difficult place to live in. Humanity had to deal with many dangerous monsters without the help of the gods. To add to the trouble, many powerful demons were roaming Earth, causing chaos and defying the deities. The Jade Emperor, who was an ordinary god at that time, helped humanity to the best of his ability, but it wasn’t enough. Upset that he couldn’t do more, he went to a mountain cave to cultivate his Tao to gain more power. He spend millions of years in that cave, passing trial after trial. By the time he left, he had passed 3200 trials.

Meanwhile, a powerful, evil entity desired to defeat the gods and rule the universe. Like the Jade Emperor, the entity mediated to expand his power. He passed through 3,000 trials, with each trial lasting 3 million years. After it passed the 3000th trial, it felt confident that it will be unstoppable and untouchable. It re-entered the world and raised an army of demons to help him conquer Heaven and defeat the gods.

When the gods learned of this evil entity, they prepared themselves for war. Despite their preparation, they were defeated by the demon one by one.

By the time the Jade Emperor finished his cultivation, the war had already begun. He was making the land more habitable for humanity when he noticed that something was amiss about Heaven. He ascended to Heaven and saw a powerful, evil entity that had defeated all the gods. He challenged it and the two of them fought each other in a terrible and seemingly never ending battle. After a long and arduous battle, the Jade Emperor won the duel and forced the demon to flee. With the defeat of their leader, the army of demons was left vulnerable and were scattered by the gods.

Because of his victory as well as his nobility, wisdom, and benevolence, the Jade Emperor was proclaimed the king of Heaven and the supreme sovereign by humans and gods alike.

### The Cowherd and the Weaver Girl

The Jade Emperor and the Celestial Queen Mother, weaver of the Milky Way, had a daughter named Zhinü, who is well known for weaving the colorful clouds in Heaven. Everyday, Zhinü goes to a stream on Earth with the help of a magic robe to bathe. One day a cowherd named Niu Lang spotted Zhinü while she was bathing and he instantly fell in love. Wanting her to be his wife, he took her magic robe and carried her back to his home as soon as she emerged from the stream.

When the Jade Emperor heard of what happened to his daughter, he was furious. No matter how much he fumed, he could not interfere. All he could do was watch as Zhinü fell in love and married the cowherd. Eventually, Zhinü started to miss her home and her father so she decided to take back her magic robe and visit her father. Unfortunately, as soon as she returned, the Jade Emperor separated her and her husband with a river that flowed across the sky. However, the Jade Emperor took pity on the young lovers after some time, so one the seven day of the seven month every year, he created a bridge that allows Zhinü and Niu Lang to meet for a few hours.

### The Four Dragons

One day, four dragons noticed a great drought spreading across the land and causing people suffering. So they went to The Jade Emperor and asked him to bless the land with rain. The Jade Emperor, who was very busy ruling his kingdom, agreed to do so if they returned to the sea. However, after the dragons departed, he did not fulfill his promise as he forgot.

When the rain did not come after ten days, people began to die from starvation. Not wanting to see humanity die from starvation, the dragons took it upon themselves to bring rain to the land. When the Jade Emperor found out what they had done, he was furious that they had helped humans without his blessing so he decided to punish them.

The Mountain God, at the command of the Jade Emperor, trapped the four dragons within four different mountains. From each mountain sprung a river. From where the yellow dragon was trapped sprung the Yellow River. From where the Long Dragon was sprung the Yangtze River. From the mountain that trapped the Black Dragon the Amur River was born. And from the prison of the Pearl Dragon came the Pearl River. The rivers flowed throughout China, providing the people with an abundant supply of water. Even though the dragons were trapped, in a way, they are still providing water to humanity.

## Trivia

* Despite being most well-known as the God-King of Chinese Pantheon, his influence also includes other Asian countries, such as Vietnam, Taiwan, Malaysia, and North Korea.