CHINESE MYTHOLOGY

Pangu: Chinese Creation Myth

In the beginning there was Chaos and from the
broiling mixture, in the darkness, grew an enormous
black egg. Inside this egg, the sleeping giant Pan Gu was
formed. For 18 thousand years he slept and he grew.
Finally, Pan Gu awoke and yawned and stretched his
enormous limbs and broke the egg in two.
The top half was lighter and flew up to become
the heavens and the heavier bottom half sank down to
became the earth, thus forming the yin and yang.
Pan Gu was pleased with what had happened
but also concerned, lest the two parts should come
together again and remake Chaos; so he stood
between, his head holding up the heavens and his feet
on the earth. Thus he stood, growing and growing,
pushing the sky and earth further and further apart for
another 18 thousand years.
Once sure they would never come together
again and now exhausted by his efforts, Pan Gu lay
down and died.
However, his whole being started to form the
world. His last breaths became the wind and clouds and
his voice the rumbling thunder. One eye became the
sun, the other the moon. His body and limbs became
the five biggest mountains in China, his blood formed
the rivers and seas.
The hairs on Pan Gus head turned into the
myriad stars twinkling in the skies, whilst his skin and
other hair became the plants and the trees growing in
the good earth created from his flesh.
His sweat flowed like the rain and dew,
nourishing all things on earth, while his teeth and bones
turned into precious stones and minerals.
Finally, from the numerous small creatures that
had lived on his body, came mankind, spreading out
over the earth into every corner of the creation that
was Pan Gu.
It is a prominent figure in Chinese creation
mythology. To this day, the Zhuang people sing a
traditional song about Pangu creating the Heaven and
Earth. The origin of the Pangu myth has been much
debated. Many believe it originated with Xu Zheng, a
Chinese author from the 3 rd century AD, as he was the
first writer known to record it; some propose that it
originated in the mythologies of the Miao or Yao people
of southern China, while others see a parallel to ancient
Hindu mythology of creation.
Chinas Sacred Mountains (5 Great Mountains):
Eastern Mountain
Western Great Mountain
Southern Great Mountain
Grand temple of Mt. Heng
Northern Great mountain
JAPANESE MYTHOLOGY
Heavily influenced by 2 primary religions of Japan,
Shinto and Buddhism.
In the middle of the 20th century, storytellers
would often travel from town to town telling
stories with special paper illustrations called
Kamishibai (picture storytelling).
Japanese Mythology attributed divine origins to
the Japanese Imperial family, assigning them

godhood. It boasts an uncountable number of

Kami (deities or spirits).
It is collectively chronicled in the Kojiki, the
oldest historical record written in Japan in 712
AD, and in the Nihon Shoki written in 720 AD.
Tenno- heavenly father; Japanese word for the
Emperor. Jimmu Tenno was the first emperor of Japan.
Kamiyonanayo- Seven Generations of the Age of the
Gods; the seven generations of Kami that emerged
after the formation of heaven and earth.
The 3 Creating Deities:
1. Ame-no-Minaka-Nushi-no-Mikoto- the Deity of the
August-Center-of-Heaven
2. Takami-Musubi-no-Mikoto- the High-AugustProducing-Wondrous-Deity
3. Kammi-Musubi-no-Mikoto- the Divine-ProducingWondrous-Deity
Many gods were born in succession and so they
increased in number but as long as the world remained
in a chaotic state, there was nothing for them to do.
Takamagahara- high Plain of heaven.
Creation Myth of Japan
Izanami and Izanagi
(Female deity) (Male deity)

The first God summoned 2 divine beings into

existence, Izanagi and izanami. They were charged to
create the first land. They were given a halberd,
decorated with jewels called Amanonuhoko (Heavenly
Halberd of the Marsh). The 2 Gods went to the bridge
between heaven and Earth called Amenoukihashi
(floating bridge of heaven) and swirled the sea below.
When drops of water fell from the halberd, they formed
the island of Onogoro. They descended from the bridge
of heaven and made their home on the island.
Eventually, they wished to mate, so they built a pillar
called Amenomihashira and built a palace called
Yahirodono. They circled the pillar in opposite
directions and when they met on the other side,
Izanami, the female deity, spoke first in greeting. Izanagi
didnt think that it was proper, but they mated anyway.
They had 2 children, Hiruko and Awashima, but they
were badly formed and are not considered deities. They
put the children into a boat and set them out to sea and
asked the other gods for an answer as to what they had
done wrong. They were told that the male deity should
have spoken first in greeting during the ceremony.
Izanami and Izanagi went around the pillar again, this
time, when they met, Izanagi spoke first and their union
was successful.
From their union formed the Oyoshima, or the 8 great
islands of Japan:
Awazi, Iyo (later Shikoku), Ogi, Tsukusi (later
Kyushu), Iki, Tsushima, Sado, Yamato (later
Honshu)
They bore 6 more islands and many deities. Izanami
died giving birth to the child Kagututi. In hher death,
Izanagi got angry and killed kagututi. His death also
created dozens of deities.