Nü Wa


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Nü Wa is creating humans.

Saddened by the desolation of the earth, Goddess Nü Wa wanted to add something exciting to it. “Why can't I create something that will look like me?”

With mud and water, she made a little figure and named him “human.” She then created more humans in the same fashion in the hope that they would populate the entire world. She worked day and night until she became exhausted. She then dipped a vine in the mud pool and swung it about her. Soon the earth was covered with lumps of mud, which in no time turned into humans.

For years, humans lived a happy life until one day disasters befell them. Gong Gong, a red-haired giant monster of half human and half snake started a war for power against the god of Zhuan Xu. Defeated, he flew into a rage and hit his humongous head upon the Buzhou Mountain, which was the pillar supporting the sky. The impact sent the pillar into pieces. A large chunck of the sky fell and the earth quaked and cracked. Huge forest fires and deluges ensued. Seeing this, Nü Wa began to began to melt the five-colored stones she had collected and forged a large piece of stone. With it, she filled the big hole in the sky....


  Text and translation by Haiwang Yuan, © copyright 2003
Last update: September 30, 2003

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