Hebo (Chinese: 河伯; lit. 'Lord of the River'), also known as Bingyi (冰夷),[1] is the god of the Yellow River (Huang He). The Yellow River is the main river of northern China, one of the world's major rivers and a river of great cultural importance in China. This is reflected in Chinese mythology by the tales surrounding the deity Hebo. The descriptive term Hebo is not the deity's only name, and his worship is geographically widespread. Some of the character ascribed to Hebo is related to the character of the Yellow River itself: a river that has been described as one of China's greatest assets as well as one of the greatest sources of sorrow. Some of the world's greatest floods accompanied by massive loss of human life have been due to the Yellow River overflowing its banks and even shifting course and establishing a new river bed. The Yellow River has also been one of the major agricultural sources for irrigation of farms that have provided for the dietary needs of the population at least from the cradle of Chinese civilization through the present day. To some extent, the deity Hebo is a personification of the character of the Yellow River. However, Hebo has also had an important role in the history of religious worship in China (especially North China) and also having a more general function in terms of Chinese culture, including literature and poetry. In the Chu Ci • Heavenly Questions, it is recorded: "The Emperor sent Hou Yi to reform the people of Xia. Why did he shoot Hebo and take his wife Luoshen?" The passage is from the poem "Heavenly Questions" in the Chu Ci anthology. It tells the story of Hou Yi, a legendary archer who was sent by the Emperor to reform the people of Xia. He was a skilled archer and hunter, and he used his skills to rid the world of many monsters and pests. However, he also became arrogant and tyrannical, and he eventually killed Hebo, the god of Yellow River and took his wife Luoshen as his own. Thus, Luoshen is considered to be the wife of Hebo.[2][3]
