The Thunder God is Defiled

Shen Yutan(沈雨潭) also said, on a day in the twenty-seventh year of Qianlong, thunder and lightning raged, and thunderbolts spun over the Huai’an(淮安) Orphanage. It was about to strike an old woman in the courtyard. At that time, this old woman was urinating. Suddenly, a loud thunder directly struck above her head. The old woman panicked, immediately lifted the chamber pot, and threw it in the direction of the thunder. Afterwards, a golden-armored Thunder God circled around the roof for a few rounds and then landed on the ground. In no time, the golden-armored Thunder God squatted beside the old woman. This Thunder God had a big mouth, all-black body, over two feet tall, with two wings under the ribs, and a black leather tied around the waist, resembling a skirt that covered the lower body. He stared with two eyes, silent, while the wings continued to flap.

The locals reported this to the Shanyin(山陽, in some versions山陰) government. The government sent Daoists to the scene, set up an altar, drew symbols, and chanted spells. They also used more than ten stones of clear water to wash the Thunder God’s head and body. The next day, there was a heavy rain, and the Thunder God took the opportunity to fly back to the heavenly realm.

Translated from《雷公被污》in 《子不語》:

沈公又云：是年淮安有雷轟轟然將擊孤貧院中一老婦。婦方解褲溲，心急甚，即以馬桶潑之，隨見金甲者繞屋而下。少頃，有雷神蹲老婦之旁，尖嘴黑身，長二尺許，腰下有黑皮如裙遮掩下體，瞪目無言，兩翅閃閃搖動不止。居民報知山陽縣官，官遣道士來畫符建醮，以清水沃其頭，至十餘石，次日復雨，才能飛去。