How did Guan Yu become a deity from being a historical figure?

by mrpanadabear

When did he become so prominent as a deity and why? It seems weird to me that he is singled out.

lukeweiss

Well, that would be weird if he were singled out! Thankfully, he wasn't. Guan yu is just another deity in a long tradition (stretching back to the initial warring states period - 5th Century to 3rd Century BCE) of humans becoming deities. For a nice discussion of the growth of this tradition, see Michael Puett's To Become a God.