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Nuwa, sometimes also known as Nugua, is an ancient Chinese goddess who is most famous for the creation of mankind and repairing the pillar of heaven. She is often depicted as either a woman with a serpentine lower body or even just a woman's head on a serpent's body, earning her the name 'Snake Goddess'. Nuwa and her brother/husband Fuxi forged humanity out of clay, breathing life into them.<br/><br/> After a fight between the fire god Zhurong and the sea monster Gong Gong caused the latter to smash into Buzhou Mountain, one of the pillars holding up the sky, calamity ensued. Great floods and much suffering affected the people, and Nuwa is said to have cut the legs off the giant turtle Ao, using them in place of the fallen pillar to end the disaster. However, she was not able to fully correct the tilted sky and earth, thus explaining why Chinese rivers generally flow to the southeast while the sun, moon and stars move towards the northwest.<br/><br/> Nuwa also plays an important role in the Ming Dynasty novel 'Fengshen Yanyi, after King Zhou of Shang Dynasty insulted the goddess by lusting after her and writing an obscene poem on the wall of her temple. In vengeance, she sent three spirits to bewitch King Zhou, eventually causing the downfall of the Shang Dynasty.
Nuwa, sometimes also known as Nugua, is an ancient Chinese goddess who is most famous for the creation of mankind and repairing the pillar of heaven. She is often depicted as either a woman with a serpentine lower body or even just a woman's head on a serpent's body, earning her the name 'Snake Goddess'. Nuwa and her brother/husband Fuxi forged humanity out of clay, breathing life into them.<br/><br/> After a fight between the fire god Zhurong and the sea monster Gong Gong caused the latter to smash into Buzhou Mountain, one of the pillars holding up the sky, which resulted in calamity. Great floods and much suffering affected the people, and Nuwa is said to have cut the legs off the giant turtle Ao, using them in place of the fallen pillar to end the disaster. However, she was not able to fully correct the tilted sky and earth, thus explaining why Chinese rivers generally flow to the southeast while the sun, moon and stars move towards the northwest.<br/><br/> Nuwa also plays an important role in the Ming Dynasty novel 'Fengshen Yanyi'. After King Zhou of Shang Dynasty insulted the goddess by lusting after her and writing an obscene poem on the wall of her temple. In vengeance, she sent three spirits to bewitch King Zhou, eventually causing the downfall of the Shang Dynasty.
Nuwa, sometimes also known as Nugua, is an ancient Chinese goddess who is most famous for the creation of mankind and repairing the pillar of heaven. She is often depicted as either a woman with a serpentine lower body or even just a woman's head on a serpent's body, earning her the name 'Snake Goddess'. Nuwa and her brother/husband Fuxi forged humanity out of clay, breathing life into them.<br/><br/> After a fight between the fire god Zhurong and the sea monster Gong Gong caused the latter to smash into Buzhou Mountain, one of the pillars holding up the sky, which resulted in calamity. Great floods and much suffering affected the people, and Nuwa is said to have cut the legs off the giant turtle Ao, using them in place of the fallen pillar to end the disaster. However, she was not able to fully correct the tilted sky and earth, thus explaining why Chinese rivers generally flow to the southeast while the sun, moon and stars move towards the northwest.<br/><br/> Nuwa also plays an important role in the Ming Dynasty novel 'Fengshen Yanyi'. After King Zhou of Shang Dynasty insulted the goddess by lusting after her and writing an obscene poem on the wall of her temple. In vengeance, she sent three spirits to bewitch King Zhou, eventually causing the downfall of the Shang Dynasty.
Nuwa is a creator deity. It is said that Nuwa existed in the beginning of the world. She felt lonely as there were no animals so she began the creation of animals and humans. On the first day she created chickens. On the second day she created dogs. On the third day she created sheep. On the fourth day she created pigs. On the fifth day she created cows. On the sixth day she created horses. On the seventh day she began creating men from yellow clay. By the Han Dynasty, she is described in literature with her husband Fuxi as the 'parents of humankind'. Paintings depicting them joined as half people - half serpent or dragon date to the Warring States period.<br/><br/> Nuwa is also the traditional divine goddess of the Miao (Hmong) people.
Fu Xi or Fu Hsi (mid 29th century BCE) was the first of the Three Sovereigns (sanhuang) of ancient China. He is a cultural hero reputed to be the inventor of writing, fishing, and trapping. Note, however, that Cangjie is also said to have invented writing.<br/><br/> The Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors (Sanhuang wudi; Wade–Giles: San-huang wu-ti) are a blend of mythological rulers and cultural heroes from ancient China dating loosely from the period from c.3500-2000 BCE. This represents the earliest period of recorded Chinese history and is regarded as largely mythological. In chronological terms it precedes the Xia Dynasty (c.2070-1600 BCE).<br/><br/> There are several variations as to who constitute the various Three Sovereigns and Seven Emperors. According to the Diwang Xishi or Record of Imperial Lineages, also called the 'Sovereign Series' in English, the Three Sovereigns were, in chronological sequence: Fuxi, Shennong and Huangdi. The same source lists the Five Emperors, again chronologically, as: Shaohao, Zhuanxu, Gaoxin, Yao and Shun.
According to legend, the land was swept by a great flood and only Fu Xi and his sister Nuwa survived. They retired to the Kunlun Mountains where they prayed for a sign from the Emperor of Heaven. The divine being approved their union and the siblings set about procreating the human race. It was said that in order to speed up the procreation of humans, Fu Xi and Nuwa found an additional way by using clay to create human figures, and with the power divine being entrusted to them, they made the clay figures come alive. Fu Xi then came to rule over his descendants, although reports of his long reign vary between sources from 115 years (2852–2737 BCE) to 116 years (2952–2836 BCE).
Nuwa is a creator deity. It is said that Nuwa existed in the beginning of the world. She felt lonely as there were no animals so she began the creation of animals and humans. On the first day she created chickens. On the second day she created dogs. On the third day she created sheep. On the fourth day she created pigs. On the fifth day she created cows. On the sixth day she created horses. On the seventh day she began creating men from yellow clay. By the Han Dynasty, she is described in literature with her husband Fuxi as the 'parents of humankind'. Paintings depicting them joined as half people - half serpent or dragon date to the Warring States period. Nuwa is also the traditional divine goddess of the Miao (Hmong) people.
According to legend, the land was swept by a great flood and only Fu Xi and his sister Nuwa survived. They retired to the Kunlun Mountains where they prayed for a sign from the Emperor of Heaven. The divine being approved their union and the siblings set about procreating the human race. It was said that in order to speed up the procreation of humans, Fu Xi and Nuwa found an additional way by using clay to create human figures, and with the power divine being entrusted to them, they made the clay figures come alive. Fu Xi then came to rule over his descendants, although reports of his long reign vary between sources from 115 years (2852–2737 BCE) to 116 years (2952–2836 BCE).
Nuwa is a creator deity. It is said that Nuwa existed in the beginning of the world. She felt lonely as there were no animals so she began the creation of animals and humans. On the first day she created chickens. On the second day she created dogs. On the third day she created sheep. On the fourth day she created pigs. On the fifth day she created cows. On the sixth day she created horses. On the seventh day she began creating men from yellow clay. By the Han Dynasty, she is described in literature with her husband Fuxi as the 'parents of humankind'. Paintings depicting them joined as half people - half serpent or dragon date to the Warring States period. Nuwa is also the traditional divine goddess of the Miao (Hmong) people.
According to legend, the land was swept by a great flood and only Fu Xi and his sister Nuwa survived. They retired to the Kunlun Mountains where they prayed for a sign from the Emperor of Heaven. The divine being approved their union and the siblings set about procreating the human race. It was said that in order to speed up the procreation of humans, Fu Xi and Nuwa found an additional way by using clay to create human figures, and with the power divine being entrusted to them, they made the clay figures come alive. Fu Xi then came to rule over his descendants, although reports of his long reign vary between sources from 115 years (2852–2737 BCE) to 116 years (2952–2836 BCE).
Fu Xi or Fu Hsi (mid 29th century BCE), was the first of the Three Sovereigns ( sanhuang) of ancient China. He is a cultural hero reputed to be the inventor of writing, fishing, and trapping. However Cangjie is also said to have invented writing. According to legend, the land was swept by a great flood and only Fu Xi and his sister Nuwa survived. They retired to the Kunlun Mountains where they prayed for a sign from the Emperor of Heaven. The divine being approved their union and the siblings set about procreating the human race. It was said that in order to speed up the procreation of humans, Fu Xi and Nuwa found an additional way by using clay to create human figures, and with the power divine being entrusted to them, they made the clay figures come alive. Fu Xi then came to rule over his descendants, although reports of his long reign vary between sources from 115 years (2852–2737 BCE) to 116 years (2952–2836 BCE).
According to legend, the land was swept by a great flood and only Fu Xi and his sister Nuwa survived. They retired to the Kunlun Mountains where they prayed for a sign from the Emperor of Heaven. The divine being approved their union and the siblings set about procreating the human race. It was said that in order to speed up the procreation of humans, Fu Xi and Nuwa found an additional way by using clay to create human figures, and with the power divine being entrusted to them, they made the clay figures come alive. Fu Xi then came to rule over his descendants, although reports of his long reign vary between sources from 115 years (2852–2737 BCE) to 116 years (2952–2836 BCE).
Nuwa, sometimes also known as Nugua, is an ancient Chinese goddess who is most famous for the creation of mankind and repairing the pillar of heaven. She is often depicted as either a woman with a serpentine lower body or even just a woman's head on a serpent's body, earning her the name 'Snake Goddess'. Nuwa and her brother/husband Fuxi forged humanity out of clay, breathing life into them.<br/><br/> After a fight between the fire god Zhurong and the sea monster Gong Gong caused the latter to smash into Buzhou Mountain, one of the pillars holding up the sky, which resulted in calamity. Great floods and much suffering affected the people, and Nuwa is said to have cut the legs off the giant turtle Ao, using them in place of the fallen pillar to end the disaster. However, she was not able to fully correct the tilted sky and earth, thus explaining why Chinese rivers generally flow to the southeast while the sun, moon and stars move towards the northwest.<br/><br/> Nuwa also plays an important role in the Ming Dynasty novel 'Fengshen Yanyi'. After King Zhou of Shang Dynasty insulted the goddess by lusting after her and writing an obscene poem on the wall of her temple. In vengeance, she sent three spirits to bewitch King Zhou, eventually causing the downfall of the Shang Dynasty.