Pangu : Chinese God of creation | Chinese Mythology

Summary

In Chinese mythology, Pangu is a primordial being who separated heaven and earth from a vast, egg-shaped entity, symbolizing the division of Yin and Yang. He used a giant axe to cleave the shell, with the upper half becoming the sky and the lower half the earth. Pangu grew alongside the expanding universe, until his death, after which his body transformed into natural elements: his breath into wind, eyes into sun and moon, blood into rivers, and so on. The myth's origin is debated, with some attributing its first recording to Zhu Zheng, a 3rd-century AD Chinese author.

Takeaways

• 🌌 In Chinese mythology, Pangu is a primordial being who played a crucial role in the creation of the universe.
• 🥚 The beginning of the universe was described as an enormous egg-shaped entity where heaven and earth were intermingled.
• 🔨 Pangu cracked the egg and separated the yin (earth) and yang (sky) with a swing of his giant axe.
• 🌄 He pushed the sky upwards and the earth downwards, causing them to be distinct from each other.
• 🌱 Pangu's daily efforts to keep the sky and earth apart resulted in the sky growing ten feet higher, the earth ten feet thicker, and Pangu himself ten feet taller each day.
• 🕰️ After 18,000 years, Pangu died, and his body transformed into various geographic and natural features of the earth.
• 🌬️ His breath became the wind, his eyes the sun and the moon, and his blood turned into rivers.
• 🌟 His bones became valuable resources, his muscles fertile land, and his facial hair the stars and Milky Way.
• 🌧️ His sweat became rain, and the fleas on his fur, carried by the wind, became animals.
• 📜 The origin of the Pangu myth is debated, with some attributing its first written record to the 3rd-century AD Chinese author Zhu Zheng.

Q & A

Who is Pangu in Chinese mythology?

Pangu is a primordial being and creature figure in Chinese mythology who separated heaven and earth and became the creator of geographic features such as mountains and rivers.

How did the universe begin according to the Pangu myth?

In the beginning of the universe, there was nothing except an enormous egg-shaped entity where heaven and earth were intermingled.

What did Pangu do to separate heaven and earth?

Pangu cracked the egg and began to push the two halves apart, essentially splitting the yin and yang, with the upper half becoming the sky and the lower half becoming the earth.

How is Pangu typically depicted?

Pangu is usually depicted as a primitive, hairy giant with horns on his head.

What did Pangu do to keep heaven and earth separated?

To keep heaven and earth separated, Pangu stood between them and pushed the sky upwards, with the earth and sky growing thicker and higher each day.

How did the physical characteristics of Pangu contribute to the formation of the world after his death?

After Pangu's death, his breath became the wind, his left eye the sun, his right eye the moon, his blood became rivers, his bones valuable resources, his muscles fertile land, his facial hair the stars and Milky Way, and his sweat rain.

What is another version of how Pangu formed the earth?

Another version states that Pangu formed the earth with a chisel and hammer.

Is there a version of the myth that involves a goddess creating humans?

Yes, another version of the myth states that a goddess who later inhabited the earth formed humans.

When and by whom was the Pangu myth first recorded?

The Pangu myth is believed to have originated with Zhu Zheng, a Chinese author from the 3rd century AD, who was the first writer known to record it.

What is the significance of the number of years mentioned in the myth?

The number of years, 18,000, mentioned in the myth signifies the vast amount of time it took for Pangu to separate heaven and earth and for the world to take its final form.

How did the fleas on Pangu's fur become part of the world according to the myth?

In the myth, the fleas on Pangu's fur, carried by the wind, became animals.