Mythology Book

215

See also: Creation 18–23 ■ Creation of the universe 130–33 ■

Yi shoots the sun 216–17 ■ Jumong 230–31 ■ Cherokee creation 236–39

ASIA

tall—the distance between Yin and

Yang. Pangu was more divine than

heaven and more sacred than the

Earth, but some accounts suggest

that he had divine assistance in his

creation of the universe. He was

aided by cosmic beings: a unicorn,

a tortoise, a phoenix, and a dragon.

Shaping the earth

Once the heavens and Earth had

formed, Pangu began to die. His

body divided up to create the most

important features of the universe.

His breath became the wind and

the clouds, and his voice was the

thunder. His right eye became the

moon and his left turned into the

sun. His hair became the stars,

while his sweat and bodily fluids

became the rain. Pangu’s blood and

semen gave rise to the seas and

rivers, while his muscles and veins

acted as tunnels in the earth. His

teeth and bones became metal and

rock, and his bone marrow, pearls

and jade. Pangu’s body hair

became the plants and trees. Some

accounts say that the small fleas

that lived on his body became

people after being touched by the

wind; others suggest that Pangu

formed the human race from clay.

Pangu’s arms, head, belly, and

feet became China’s five sacred

mountains—sites of religious

ceremony connected to one of the

five elements and the five cardinal

points. Mount Tai was believed to

have been formed from Pangu’s

head, because of its location in the

east, where the sun rises. ■

Yin and Yang

The maintenance of the

correct balance of the universe

is a key theme of Daoist

thinking. This is expressed

through the concept of Yin and

Yang—a phrase generally

familiar in the Western world

as representing the dual or

opposing characteristics

of one entity.

The words “Yin” and

“Yang” translate as the “dark

side” and “sunny side” of a

hill, respectively. More

broadly, though, they stand for

the dual features that make up

the cosmos, such as woman

and man, birth and death, and

heaven and Earth. Although

these forces might appear to

be opposites, they are, in fact,

complementary. Neither Yin

nor Yang is regarded as being

superior or able to exist

without the other. According

to the I Ching, the ancient

Chinese book of divination,

natural catastrophes, such as

famine and flood, are caused

by a loss of equilibrium

between Yin and Yang.

Left arm: (Mount Heng,

Shanxi Province)

“Permanent Mountain”

Element: Water

Right arm: (Mount Heng,

Hunan Province)

“Balancing Mountain”

Element: Fire

Feet: (Mount

Hua, Shanxi

Province)

“Splendid

Mountain”

Element:

Metal

Head:

(Mount Tai,

Shandong

Province)

“Tranquil

Mountain”

Element:

Wood

Belly: (Mount Song,

Henan Province)

“Lofty Mountain”

Element: Earth

Pangu’s body

became the five

sacred mountains.

Each corresponded to

one of the five Chinese

cardinal points: north,

east, south, west,

and center.

His breath became the wind

and clouds; his voice became

peals of thunder. His left eye

became the sun; his right

eye became the moon.

Historical Records of the

Three Sovereign Divinities

and the Five Gods

US_214-215_Pan_Gu.indd 215 01/12/17 4:23 pm