anthropology comparing human origin accounts

Pangu and the Chinese Version of the Earth’s Origins Pangu  is  a  prominent  figure  in  Chinese  creation  mythology.  The  Zhuang  people  still  sing  a   “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  3rd  century  CE,  as  he  was  the  first  writer  known  to  record   it.    Some  believe  it  may  have  originated  in  the  mythologies  of  the  Miao  or  Yao  people  of   southern  China,  and  others  see  a  parallel  to  ancient  Hindu  mythology  of  creation.  

The  Pangu  myth  follows  as  thus:  In  the  beginning  the  universe  was  nothing  but  chaos,  and   the  heavens  and  the  earth  were  intermingled—a  big  black  egg  being  commonly  used  as  an   analogy.  Pangu  was  born  inside  of  this  egg  and  slept  for  18000  years,  during  which  time  the   Yin  and  Yang  balanced  as  he  grew.  When  he  awoke,  he  realized  he  was  trapped  within  it.  He   cracked  the  egg  and  began  to  push  it  apart,  essentially  splitting  the  Yin  and  Yang.  The  upper   half  of  the  shell  became  the  sky  above  him,  and  the  lower  half  became  the  earth.  The  longer   he  held  them  apart,  the  thicker  they  grew  and  the  taller  he  became,  thus  pushing  them   further  apart—by  precisely  10  feet  per  day.  Here  versions  begin  to  change.  Some  claim  that   a  turtle,  a  qilin,  and  phoenix  and  a  dragon  assisted  him  in  this  task.  After  another  18000   years  Pangu  died.    His  breath  became  the  wind  and  clouds,  his  voice  the  rolling  thunder.   One  eye  became  the  sun  and  one  the  moon.  His  body  and  limbs  turned  to  five  big   mountains  and  his  blood  formed  the  roaring  water.  His  veins  became  far-­‐stretching  roads   and  his  muscles  fertile  land.  The  innumerable  stars  in  the  sky  came  from  his  hair  and  beard,   and  flowers  and  trees  from  his  skin  and  the  fine  hairs  on  his  body.  His  marrow  turned  to   jade  and  pearls.  His  sweat  flowed  like  the  good  rain  and  sweet  dew  that  nurtured  all  things   on  earth.  According  to  some  versions  of  the  Pan  Gu  legend,  his  tears  flowed  to  make  rivers   and  radiance  of  his  eyes  turned  into  thunder  and  lighting.  When  he  was  happy  the  sun   shone,  but  when  he  was  angry  black  clouds  gathered  in  the  sky.  One  version  of  the  legend   has  it  that  the  fleas  and  lice  on  his  body  became  the  ancestors  of  mankind.    Another  version   states  that  he  formed  the  earth  with  a  chisel  and  hammer,  while  yet  another  version  states   that  a  goddess  who  later  inhabited  the  earth  formed  humans.  

According  to  this  myth,  Pangu  was  the  first  supreme  being  and  the  originator  of  the   heavens  and  the  Earth.  He  is  typically  depicted  as  a  dwarf—though  he  was  actually  a   giant—covered  in  hair  or  bearskin  or  leaves,  with  horns  fixed  atop  his  head  and  either  a   chisel  or  a  hammer  or  an  egg  in  his  hand.  

Other  tales  speak  of  a  Pangu  as  a  creature  from  heaven  that  had  the  head  of  a  dog  and  the   body  of  a  man  and  directly  accredits  Pangu  as  the  father  of  mankind,  while  another  version   claims  he  molded  men  from  clay.  

Some  versions  of  the  Pangu  creation  myth  state  that  the  giant  had  help  from  four  mythical   beasts.  Let  us  take  a  brief  look  these  beasts  one  by  one.  First,  the  turtle:  the  Chinese  were   not  the  only  ones  to  use  it  in  their  creation  myth,  and  various  world  myths,  creation  and   otherwise,  include  the  turtle  for  its  strength  and  immortality.  The  qilin,  though  indigenous   to  Asian  mythology,  is  said  to  have  been  dragon-­‐like.  Of  course,  dragons  are  central  to   Asian  mythology—though  also  found  world-­‐wide—as  bearers  of  wisdom  and  as  a  symbol  

of  power,  also  connected  to  the  succession  of  the  early  emperors.  Finally,  the  phoenix  has   consistently  been  a  symbol  of  rebirth.  

Adapted from http://www.ancient-origins.net/human-origins-folklore/pangu-and-chinese-creation-myth- 00347#sthash.9qbpzCQX.dpuf by Ancient Origins © 2013 and details about Pangu’s body becoming different parts of the Earth is from http://www.plesiosaur.com/creationism/creationmyths/myths_6.php