Pangu, Creation God in Chinese Mythology
Pangu is the central character in one of a few creation myths within Chinese mythology. Within that folklore, Pangu is the first living being, and his references date back at least 3,000 years. A missionary in Hong Kong in the 1800s described Pangu as “…spoken of by the common people as ‘the first man, who opened up heaven and earth.’ In Taoist picture books I have seen him as shaggy, dwarfish, and wielding an immense hammer and chisel with which he is breaking the chaotic rocks.”¹
In one version of creation, formless chaos melded into an egg over 18,000 years. The egg balanced yin and yang, and from this balance Pangu was created. He lay asleep as his body formed, but soon awoke and hatched. The broken shells formed the sky (yang) and Earth (yin), and Pangu was pleased.
To prevent the egg from reforming, Pangu resolved to hold up the sky, never allowing it to touch Earth. He stood on Earth for another 18,000 years, growing about 3 meters a day and increasing the separation of the Earth and sky, until he died. Different parts of his body formed the sun, moon, mountains, rivers, and all other structures domestic to our planet. Some even say the mites from his fur eventually developed into humans.
The idea of a god holding up the sky or divine body parts forming the Earth is common in mythology, stretching from China to Scandinavia to the Pacific Islands.
[1] Mae Hamilton, “Pangu,” Mythopedia, accessed May 7, 2020, https://mythopedia.com/chinese-mythology/gods/pangu/
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