Shennong
Chinese · deity · mythic · Recorded classification
Ox-headed Flame Emperor and Divine Farmer, founder of agriculture and herbal medicine.
Children
Domains
- agriculture
- medicine
Powers
- Invent the plough and farming
- Test medicinal herbs on his own body
Epithets
- 炎帝 The Flame Emperor; one of the legendary sovereignsShiji 史記 (Records of the Grand Historian), Wudi benji; Huainanzi 淮南子 (primary)
- 神農氏 The Divine Farmer clan; founder of agriculture and herbal medicineHuainanzi 淮南子, Xiuwu xun; Shennong bencao jing 神農本草經 tradition (primary)
- 五穀先帝 First Emperor of the Five Grains; his agrarian cult titleChinese folk-religious cult of the agriculture god (secondary)
Sources
- existence: Huainanzi, 2nd c. BCE (primary); Sima Qian, Shiji, c. 94 BCE (primary)