SHEN-NONGAlso known as SHEN-NUNG, SHEN-NONG-SHI, YAN-DI, SHENG-NONG, SHENG-NUNG
God of Plants, Agriculture and Herbal Medicine.
The second of the SAN-HUANG to rule over China, SHEN-NONG was a mortal in the very earliest days of China (2800 B.C.). Announcing himself 'Lord of the Burning Wind', his slash-and-burn policy of clearing scrublands left the ground rich in potash ready for plowing and planting. He then taught his fellow mortals how to farm, and became known as the Holy Plowman King.But he's best known for his knowledge of herbs, drugs and medicine. He single-handedly tasted each and every plant in China to see what was yummy and what would kill you. Legend tells that during his research he was once poisoned no less than seventy-two times in a single day. Amazingly, he suffered no long-term ill effects. Perhaps the medicinal plants and poisonous plants canceled each other out.
Apart from that, he has a transparent stomach, which did come in very handy for seeing what all those plants were doing to his insides. He also has a head of oxen. Does that mean he had an ox's head or that he drove oxen? Or even that he drank Oxo? It is all very garbled.
He married SIEN-TSANG, possibly had a son called QI-YU, and then the computer crashed and lost all our notes. We shall return in due course.
Authors: Peter J Allen and Chas Saunders
References: Coming soon.
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Godchecker's article on Shen-nong is based on material from ancient texts, original references and our own research. We strive for accuracy and update regularly with new information. If you spot a mistake please contact us and we'll try to fix it.
Location : China
Gender : Male
Type : Deity
Celebration or Feast Day : Unknown at present
Pronunciation : Sshun Norng
Alternative names : SHEN-NUNG, SHEN-NONG-SHI, YAN-DI, SHENG-NONG, SHENG-NUNG
Popularity index : 457
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