HE-BO

HE-BO: God of the Yellow River.

The Yellow River (Huang He) is China's second longest river and probably the muddiest river in the world. Over a billion tonnes of silt and sediment flow through it each year, giving the Huang He its distinctive yellow color and making it a poor choice for washing your socks in.

Although the Great DA-YU took care of the Great Flood, the Yellow River was still prone to flooding. So an enthusiastic mortal named HE-BO tied heavy rocks to his back and jumped into the water as a supreme sacrifice.

For his pains he was granted immortality and promoted to God of the Yellow River.

Following his example, it became the custom to throw a young virgin into the river on the anniversary of his death. This practice appears to have died out.

Incidentally, his sister is the Moon Goddess CHANG-O. Godliness must run in the family.