Happy Human's Day!

[Randy W]

Happy Human's Day, y'all! (Lunar month 1, day 7)
China's version of the Adam and Eve, and Great Flood stories

https://www.facebook.com/24100187963/posts/10158964221147964/

from Mythopedia

Nüwa (女媧)

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In Chinese mythology, Nüwa (女媧), also known as Empress Wa, is the creator of all mankind and both sister and wife of the hero Fuxi (伏羲). She is most well-known for her role in the creation myth and for repairing the Pillars of Heaven.

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The People of Clay
After Pangu (盤古) emerged from his mythical egg and created the physical universe, the earth separated from the heavens and became a beautiful place full of lush, green vegetation, vast rivers, tall mountains, and all sorts of animals.

One day, Nüwa decided to go for a walk in the woods among the mountains and animals. As she walked along, she was suddenly overcome with loneliness. Even though everything around her was strikingly beautiful, Nüwa had no one to keep her company. She decided to pause along the banks of a river and began to make figures out of clay from the mud.

At first she began to make easy shapes like chickens and sheep, and though they amused her, she soon became bored with them. Gazing into the river and seeing her reflection, she was struck with inspiration. Why not make clay figures that looked like her?

She began to shape the mud into figures with faces, arms, hands, and legs. To her delight, they began to dance and talk with her when she put them on the ground. She decided to name them humans (人).

Nüwa was so excited by her creation that she made clay figures until her hands hurt. She took the end of a rope, dipped it in the mud, and began to swing it around her head forming blobs of sticky mud around her. It is said that highborn, noble people are descendants of those that Nüwa created by hand, while working class people were formed from the rope.

The Marriage
In an alternative creation myth, a cataclysmic flood wiped out all of mankind except for Nüwa and her brother, Fuxi, who happened to escape into a boat at just the right moment. After the floodwaters died down, they discovered that they were the last humans left on Earth.

Although they realized that they should procreate to continue the survival of the human race, they were deeply conflicted about the idea since they were siblings. Fuxi and Nüwa, decided to ask for heaven’s guidance. After praying, they came to the conclusion that they needed to undergo a divination test that could indicate whether they were destined to be husband and wife.

Fuxi and Nüwa ascended two different mountains and lit two fires. They decided that if the smoke blew straight up that they would not get married. But, if the smoke trails intertwined with one another, it was a sign that they should continue the human race. The smoke from their fires twisted and curled in with one another so Fuxi and Nüwa became husband and wife and repopulated the earth.