Cosmic Paper

Cosmic Creation Myths Across

Taliah Daniels

Hum/105

December 19, 2012

GLORIA PUGLIESE

Cosmic Creation Myths Across

Regarding Creation

Although there are a great number of creation myths that are propagated by people of Chinese descent, virtually all of them acknowledge Pan Gu. Those that due generally state that Pan Gu was the first being and that all existence in the universe—especially the earth and the heavens—is comprised of this being. The general story of Pan Gu begins with his conception inside of an egg. In that egg is the yin and the yang, the notion of duality which brings an eternal harmony and balance to life. The egg is a cosmic egg, one of the very first things in existence. Most tradition regarding Pan Gu contends that he matures within his egg for 18,000 years prior to bursting out of it (some traditions say he utilizes an ax for this purpose).

What is key about this part of the story is that from Pan Gu’s destruction of the cosmic egg, the upper portion of it formed the heaven and the lower portion of it formed the earth. Pan Gu grew between the earth and the heavens for another 18,000 years, during which time both of these regions matured. Pan Gu was male, and is therefore akin to the universal father of all. Moreover, everything that exists in the earth is quite literally a part of his body after he dies. His eyes, for example become the sun and the moon, his breath becomes the wind, his blood forms rain and water, his hair becomes the stars. In this specific way, Pan Gu’s body is the essence of all that exists in the universe. There are some versions of the story that contends that people were created by a woman named Nv Wa, but most contend that people were formed from the lice and fleas that were on Pan Gu’s body.

The creation cycle evinced within this tale begins with the cosmic egg that contains the raw substance of the laws of the universe. The egg hatches Pan Gu, and then forms the sky and the earth. As Pan Gu grows...