Houtu

Goddess of the Earth

Deity of the earth, paired with the sky god Huangtian, later also associated with the underworld.

Houtu, the Sovereign of the Earth, began as the god of the soil honored in every village shrine, paired with the sky as “August Heaven and Sovereign Earth.” In later Daoist theology Houtu became the great Earth Mother who also governs the underworld, receiving souls beneath the land she nourishes. Oaths sworn to heaven and earth still call her name.