The Myth of the Creation of the World in Chinese Mythology: Pangu and the Cosmic Egg
The Giant of the Primordial Egg In the early philosophical and mythological texts of China, compiled in the third century of the common era by the writer Xu Zheng in the San五历纪 (Historical Records of the Three Five Epochs), the origin of the cosmos is described as a process of organic growth and division. According to this mythology, before the heavens and the earth existed, the universe was in a state of chaotic, formless unity, resembling the contents of a giant Cosmic Egg ( Hundun ). Within this egg, the primordial giant Pangu was born, sleeping and growing for eighteen thousand years. When Pangu woke from his sleep, he found himself trapped in the darkness of the egg. Using a giant axe (or simply his strength), he struck the shell, causing the egg to crack. * The Yin (the heavy, dark, and passive elements) descended to become the Earth . * The Yang (the light, bright, and active elements) ascended to become the Heavens . To prevent the two halves from closing again, Pang...