Editing Nüwa

{{Short description|Mother goddess of Chinese mythology}}
{{Redirect|Nuwa|other uses}}
{{Infobox Chinese
| title = Nüwa
| pic = Shanhaijing Nüwa Mends the Heavens.svg
| piccap = Nüwa repairing the pillar of heaven by [[Xiao Yuncong]] (1596–1673)
| picsize = 
| t = {{linktext|女媧}}
| s = {{linktext|女娲}}
| p = Nǚwā
| w = Nü<sup>3</sup>-wa<sup>1</sup>
| poj = Lú-o
| j = neoi5 wo1
| y = Néuihwō
| mi = {{IPAc-cmn|n|ü|3|.|ua|1}}
| mc = nrɨa<sup>X</sup> kwue
| ci = {{IPAc-yue|n|eoi|5|.|w|o|1}}
| bpmf = ㄋㄩˇ ㄨㄚ
| kanji = 女媧
| kana = じょか
| hanja = 女媧
| hangul = 여와
| rr = Yeowa
| mr = Yŏwa
| qn = Nữ Oa
| chuhan = 女媧
| romaji = Joka
}}
{{Chinese folk religion}}

'''Nüwa''', also read '''Nügua''', is a [[mother goddess]], [[culture hero]],<ref name=":4">{{Cite book |last=Scarpari |first=Maurizio |title=Ancient China: Chinese Civilization from the Origins to the Tang Dynasty |publisher=[[Barnes & Noble]] |year=2006 |isbn=978-0-7607-8379-5 |location=New York |page=86 |translator-last=Milan |translator-first=A.B.A.}}</ref> and/or member of the [[Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors|Three Sovereigns]] of [[Chinese mythology]]. She is a goddess in [[Chinese folk religion]], [[Chinese Buddhism]], [[Confucianism]] and [[Taoism]].<ref name=":5">{{Cite book |title=The Secrets of the Universe in 100 Symbols |publisher=[[Chartwell Books]] |year=2022 |isbn=978-0-7858-4142-5 |location=New York |pages=105, 127}}</ref> She is credited with [[creator deity|creating]] humanity and repairing the Pillar of [[Tian|Heaven]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/oi/authority.20110803100241815 |title= Nügua |work=Oxford Reference |access-date=18 November 2017}}</ref>

As creator of mankind, she molded humans individually by hand with yellow clay.<ref name=":1">{{Cite journal|last=Lee|first=Irwin|date=1990|title=Divinity and Salvation: The Great Goddesses of China|journal=Asian Folklore Studies|volume=49|issue=1 |pages=53–68|doi=10.2307/1177949 |jstor=1177949 }}</ref> In other stories where she fulfills this role, she only created [[nobles]]<ref name=":024">{{Cite book |last=Harari |first=Yuval Noah |title=Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind |publisher=Penguin Random House UK |year=2015 |isbn=978-0-09-959008-8 |location=London |page=152 |translator-last=Harari |translator-first=Yuval Noah |oclc=910498369 |author-link=Yuval Noah Harari |translator-last2=Purcell |translator-first2=John |translator-last3=Watzman |translator-first3=Haim |translator-link=Yuval Noah Harari |translator-link3=Haim Watzman}}</ref> and/or the rich<ref name=":10027">{{Cite book |title=World Religions: Eastern Traditions |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |editor=Willard Gurdon Oxtoby |year=2002 |isbn=0-19-541521-3 |edition=2nd |location=Don Mills, Ontario |page=325 |oclc=46661540}}</ref> out of yellow soil. The stories vary on the other details about humanity's creation, but it was a tradition commonly believed in ancient China that she created commoners from brown mud.<ref name=":024" /> A story holds that she was tired when she created "the rich and the noble", so all others, or "cord-made people", were created from her "dragg[ing] a string through mud".<ref name=":10027" />

In the ''[[Huainanzi]]'', there is a description of a great battle between deities that broke the pillars supporting Heaven and caused great devastation. There was great flooding, and Heaven had collapsed. Nüwa was the one who patched the holes in Heaven with five colored stones, and she used the legs of a tortoise to mend the pillars.<ref name=":1" />

There are many instances of her in literature across China which detail her in creation stories, and today, she remains a figure important to Chinese culture. She is one of the most venerated Chinese goddesses alongside [[Guanyin]] and [[Mazu]].{{citation needed|date=March 2024}}

In [[Chinese mythology]], the [[goddess]] Nüwa is a legendary [[progenitor]] of all human beings. She also creates a [[magic (paranormal)|magic]] stone.<ref name="Gu2006">{{cite book|author=Ming Dong Gu|title=A Chinese Theory of Fiction: A Non-Western Narrative System|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uttmubGXucIC&pg=PA194|access-date=2 December 2012|year=2006|publisher=SUNY Press|isbn=978-0-7914-6815-9|pages=194–}}</ref> Her husband [[Fu Xi]] is suggested to be the progenitor of [[divination]] and the patron saint of [[number]]s.<ref name="Lewis2006">{{cite book|author=Mark Edward Lewis|title=The Flood Myths of Early China|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LfrrSMnqseQC&pg=PA119|access-date=2 December 2012|year=2006|publisher=SUNY Press|isbn=978-0-7914-6664-3|pages=119–}}</ref>

==Name==
The character {{lang-zh|c=女|l=female|p=nü|out=p}} is a common prefix on the names of goddesses. The proper name is {{Transliteration|zh|pinyin|wa}}, also read as {{zhp|c=媧|p=gua}}. The Chinese character is unique to this name. Birrell translates it as 'lovely', but notes that it "could be construed as 'frog{{'"}}, which is consistent with her aquatic myth.<ref>Anne Birrell (1999), trans., ''The Classic of Mountains and Seas.'' Penguin Books.{{pages needed|date=April 2025}}</ref> In Chinese, the word for 'whirlpool' is {{zhp|c=渦|p=wo}}, which shares the same pronunciation with the word for 'snail' ({{zhi|t=蝸}}). These characters all have their right side constructed by the word {{zhp|c=咼|p=wa}}, which can be translated as 'spiral' or 'helix' as noun, and as 'spin' or 'rotate' when as verb, to describe the 'helical movement'. This mythical meaning has also been symbolically pictured as compasses in the hand which can be found on many paintings and portraits associated with her.

Her reverential name is {{Transliteration|zh|pinyin|'''Wahuang'''}} ({{zhi|c=媧皇|l=Empress Wa}}).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.zdic.net/c/2/77/122254.htm |script-title=zh:媧皇 |publisher=Handian |access-date=18 November 2017}}</ref>

==Description==
[[File:Imperial Encyclopaedia - Spirits and the Supernatural - pic54 - 女媧神圖.svg|thumb|Image of Nüwa from [[Gujin Tushu Jicheng]] by [[Chen Menglei]], [[Qing dynasty]]]]
The ''[[Huainanzi]]'' relates Nüwa to the time when Heaven and Earth were in disruption:

{{blockquote|Going back to more ancient times, the four pillars were broken; the [[Nine Provinces of China|nine provinces]] were in tatters. [[Tian|Heaven]] did not completely cover [the earth]; Earth did not hold up [[Tian|[Heaven]]] all the way around [its circumference]. Fires blazed out of control and could not be extinguished; water flooded in great expanses and would not recede. Ferocious animals ate blameless people; predatory birds snatched the elderly and the weak. Thereupon, Nüwa smelted together five-colored stones in order to patch up the [[qing (color)|azure]] sky, cut off the legs of [[ao (turtle)|the great turtle]] to set them up as the four pillars, killed the black dragon to provide relief for [[Ji Province]], and piled up reeds and cinders to stop the surging waters. The [[qing (color)|azure]] sky was patched; the four pillars were set up; the surging waters were drained; the [[Nine Provinces of China|province]] of [[Ji Province|Ji]] was tranquil; crafty vermin died off; blameless people [preserved their] lives.{{sfnp|Major & al.|2010|loc=ch. 6}}{{efn|A different translation of the same text is also given in Lewis.{{sfnp|Lewis|2006|p=111}}}} }}

The catastrophes were supposedly caused by the battle between the deities [[Gonggong]] and [[Zhuanxu]] (an event that was mentioned earlier in the ''Huainanzi''),{{refn|group=lower-alpha|"In ancient times [[Gonggong|Gong Gong]]<!--sic--> and [[Zhuanxu|Zhuan Xu]]<!--sic--> fought, each seeking to become the [[thearch]]. Enraged, they crashed against Mount Buzhou; [[Tian|Heaven]]'s pillars broke; the cords of Earth snapped. [[Tian|Heaven]] tilted in the northwest, and thus the sun and moon, stars and planets shifted in that direction. Earth became unfull in the southeast, and thus the watery floods and mounding soils subsided in that direction."{{sfnp|Major & al.|2010|loc=ch. 3}}}} the five-colored stones symbolize the [[Wuxing (Chinese philosophy)|five Chinese elements]] (wood, fire, earth, metal, and water), the black dragon was the essence of water and thus cause of the floods, [[Ji Province]] serves metonymically for the [[Zhongyuan|central regions]] (the Sinitic world).{{sfnp|Major & al.|2010|loc=ch. 6 n}} Following this, the ''Huainanzi'' tells about how the sage-rulers Nüwa and [[Fuxi]] set order over the realm by following [[Tao|the Way]] ({{lang|zh|道}}) and [[De (Chinese)|its potency]] ({{lang|zh|德}}).{{sfnp|Major & al.|2010|loc=ch. 6}}

The ''[[Classic of Mountains and Seas]]'', dated between the [[Warring States period]] and the [[Han dynasty]], describes Nüwa's intestines as being scattered into ten spirits.<ref>{{cite book |trans-title=[[Shan Hai Jing]] |script-title=zh:山海經 |script-chapter=zh:大荒西經 |language=zh |url=http://ctext.org/shan-hai-jing/da-huang-xi-jing }}</ref>{{primary source inline|date=October 2014}}

In {{Transliteration|zh|pinyin|[[Liezi]]}} (c. 475 – 221 BC), Chapter 5 "Questions of Tang" ({{zhi|c=卷第五 湯問篇}}), author [[Lie Yukou]] describes Nüwa repairing the original imperfect heaven using five-colored [[stones]], and cutting the legs off a [[ao (turtle)|tortoise]] to use as struts to hold up the sky.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Giles |first1=Lionel |title=TAOIST TEACHINGS Translated from the Book of Lieh-Tzü |date=1912 |publisher=London: John Murray |location=Sacred texts |pages=78–79 |edition=1st |url=https://www.sacred-texts.com/tao/tt/tt03.htm |access-date=19 April 2023}}</ref>

In {{Transliteration|zh|pinyin|[[Chuci|Songs of Chu]]}} (c. 340 – 278 BC), Chapter 3 "[[Heavenly Questions|Asking Heaven]]" ({{zhi|s=问天}}), author [[Qu Yuan]] writes that Nüwa molded figures from the yellow earth, giving them life and the ability to bear children. After demons fought and broke the pillars of the heavens, Nüwa worked unceasingly to repair the damage, melting down the five-coloured stones to mend the heavens.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Qu |first1=Yuan |title=The Songs of Chu: An Anthology of Ancient Chinese Poetry by Qu Yuan and Others |date=2017 |publisher=Columbia University Press |pages=61–102}}</ref>

In {{Transliteration|zh|pinyin|[[Shuowen Jiezi]]}} (c. 58 – 147 AD), China's earliest dictionary, under the entry for Nüwa author [[Xu Shen]] describes her as being both the sister and the wife of [[Fuxi]]. Nüwa and Fuxi were pictured as having snake-like tails interlocked in an [[Eastern Han dynasty]] mural in the Wuliang Temple in Jiaxiang county, Shandong province.{{citation needed|date=November 2014}}

In {{Transliteration|zh|pinyin|[[Duyizhi|Duyi Zhi]]}} ({{zhi|c=獨異志}}; c. 846 – 874 AD), Volume 3, author Li Rong gives this description.

{{blockquote|Long ago, when the world first began, there were two people, Nü Kua and her older brother. They lived on [[Kunlun Mountain (mythology)|Mount K'un-lun]]. And there were not yet any ordinary people in the world. They talked about becoming husband and wife, but they felt ashamed. So the brother at once went with his sister up [[Kunlun Mountain (mythology)|Mount K'un-lun]] and made this prayer: "Oh Heaven, if Thou wouldst send us two forth as man and wife, then make all the misty vapor gather. If not, then make all the misty vapor disperse." At this, the misty vapor immediately gathered. When the sister became intimate with her brother, they plaited some grass to make a fan to screen their faces. Even today, when a man takes a wife, they hold a fan, which is a symbol of what happened long ago.<ref>Translation in {{harvp|Birrell|1993|p=35}}</ref>}}

There are stories that have her as the "consort" of Fuxi rather than his sister.<ref name=":5" />

In ''[[Yuchuan Ziji]]'' ({{zhi|s=玉川子集}} c. 618 – 907 AD), Chapter 3 ({{zhi|s="與馬異結交詩" 也稱 "女媧本是伏羲婦"}}), author [[Lu Tong]] describes Nüwa as the wife of Fuxi.{{citation needed|date=November 2014}}

In ''[[Siku Quanshu]]'', [[Sima Zhen]] (679–732) provides commentary on the prologue chapter to [[Sima Qian]]'s ''[[Shiji]]'', "Supplemental to the Historic Record: History of the Three August Ones", wherein it is found that the [[Three August Ones and Five Emperors|Three August Ones]] are Nüwa, Fuxi, and [[Shennong]]; Fuxi and Nüwa have the same last name, Feng ({{zhi|c=風}}; Hmong: Faj).{{efn|Sima Zhen's commentary is included with the later ''Siku Quanshu'' compiled by [[Ji Yun]] and [[:zh:陆锡熊|Lu Xixiong]]({{lang|zh|陸錫熊}}).{{citation needed|date=November 2014}}}}{{CSS image crop
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In the collection ''[[Songsi Dashu|Four Great Books of Song]]'' (c. 960 – 1279 AD), compiled by [[Li Fang (Song dynasty)|Li Fang]] and others, Volume 78 of the book ''[[Taiping Yulan|Imperial Readings of the Taiping Era]]'' contains a chapter "Customs by Yingshao of the Han Dynasty" in which it is stated that there were no men when the sky and the earth were separated. Thus Nüwa used yellow clay to make people. But the clay was not strong enough so she put ropes into the [[clay]] to make the bodies erect. It is also said that she prayed to gods to let her be the goddess of marital affairs. Variations of this story exist.{{citation needed|date=November 2014}}

In Ming dynasty myths about the transition from the [[Shang dynasty]] to the [[Zhou dynasty]], Nüwa made evil decisions that ultimately benefited [[China]], such as sending a [[fox spirit]] to encourage the debauchery of [[King Zhou of Shang|King Zhou]], which led to him being deposed.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Ni |first=Xueting C. |title=Chinese Myths: From Cosmology and Folklore to Gods and Immortals |publisher=Amber Books |year=2023 |isbn=978-1-83886-263-3 |location=London |pages=76–77}}</ref> Other tales have her and Fuxi as exclusively the "great gentle protectors of humanity" unwilling to use subterfuge.<ref>{{Cite book |title=Chinese Myths & Tales |publisher=[[Flame Tree Publishing]] |year=2018 |isbn=978-1-78755-237-1 |location=London |pages=25, 27}}</ref>

Nüwa and Fuxi were also thought to be gods of silk.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Wood |first=Frances |title=The Silk Road: Two Thousand Years in the Heart of Asia |publisher=[[University of California Press]] |year=2002 |isbn=978-0-520-23786-5 |location=Berkeley, California |page=29 |author-link=Frances Wood}}</ref>

== Iconography of Fuxi and Nüwa ==
[[File:NuwaFuxi1.JPG|thumb|Nüwa and [[Fuxi]] on the murals (rubbing depicted) of the [[Wu Liang shrines]], [[Han dynasty]] (206 BC – 220 AD)|left|upright=1.1]]The iconography of Fuxi and Nüwa vary in physical appearance depending on the time period and also shows regional differences.<ref name=":2">{{Cite journal|last=Vampelj Suhadolnik| first=Nataša|date=2019-06-28|title=Transmission of Han Pictorial Motifs into the Western Periphery|url=https://revije.ff.uni-lj.si/as/article/view/8458| journal=Asian Studies|volume=7|issue=2|pages=47–86| doi=10.4312/as.2019.7.2.47-86| s2cid=198704018 |issn=2350-4226|doi-access=free}}</ref> In Chinese tomb murals and iconography, Fuxi and Nüwa generally have snake-like bodies and human face or head.<ref name=":2" /><ref>{{Cite journal|last=Zhang| first=Fan|date=2019-06-28| title=Chinese-Buddhist Encounter: Synthesis of Fuxi-Nüwa and the Cintamani in Early Medieval Chinese Art| url=https://revije.ff.uni-lj.si/as/article/view/8318| journal=Asian Studies| language=en|volume=7| issue=2|pages=87–111| doi=10.4312/as.2019.7.2.87-111|s2cid=198651581 |issn=2350-4226|doi-access=free}}</ref><ref name=":3">{{Cite book|last=Nelson|first=Sarah M.| title=Shamanism and the origin of states: spirit, power, and gender in East Asia|date=2019|isbn=978-1-315-42029-5 | location=London |publisher=Routledge |oclc=1111577750}}</ref>

Nüwa is often depicted holding a [[compass]] or multiple compasses, which were a traditional Chinese symbol of a dome-like sky.<ref name=":4" /> She was also thought to be an embodiment of the stars and the sky<ref name=":4" /> or a star god.

Fuxi and Nüwa can be depicted as individual figures arranged as a symmetrical pair or they can be depicted in double figures with intertwined snake-like bodies.<ref name=":2" /> Their snake-like tails can also be depicted stretching out towards each other.<ref name=":2" />

Fuxi and Nüwa can also appear individually on separate tomb bricks.<ref name=":2" /> They generally hold or embrace the sun or moon discs containing the images of a [[Three-legged crow|bird]] (or a three-legged crow) or a toad (sometimes a hare) which are the sun and moon symbolism respectively, and/or each holding a [[try square]] or a pair of [[Compass (drawing tool)|compasses]], or holding a longevity mushroom ({{zhi|c=靈芝|p=lingzhi}}) plant.<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":3" /> Fuxi and Nüwa holding the sun and the moon appears as early as the late Western Han dynasty.<ref name=":2" /> Other physical appearance variation, such as lower snake-like body shape (e.g. thick vs thin tails), depictions of legs (i.e. legs found along the snake-like body) and wings (e.g. wings with feathers which protrude from their backs as found in late Western Han Xinan ({{lang|zh|新安}}) Tomb or smaller quills found on their shoulders), and in hats and hairstyles, also exist.<ref name=":2" />

In the Luoyang regions murals dating to the late [[Han dynasty|Western Han dynasty]], Fuxi and Nüwa are generally depicted as individual figures, each one found at each side of the central ridge of tomb chambers as found in the Bu Qianqiu Tomb.<ref name=":2" /> They can also be found without intertwining tails from the stone murals of the same period.<ref name=":2" /> Since the middle of the [[Han dynasty|Eastern Han dynasty]], their tails started to intertwine.<ref name=":2" />

In the Gansu murals dating to the [[Cao Wei|Wei]] and [[Jin dynasty (266–420)|Western Jin]] period, one of the most typical features of Fuxi is the "mountain-hat" ({{zhi|c=山字形|p=Shanzixing}}) which looks like a three-peaked cap while Nüwa is depicted wearing various hairstyles characteristic of Han women.<ref name=":2" /> Both deities dressed in wide-sleeved clothing, which reflects typical [[Hanfu|Han clothing style]] also commonly depicted in Han dynasty art.<ref name=":2" /><gallery mode="nolines">
File:NuwaFuxi2.JPG|Fuxi and Nüwa
File:Nuwafuxi3.jpg
File:Fuxi and Nvwa with tower and twin dragons, China, unearthed from a cliff tomb, Alkali factory, Pengshan, Eastern Han dynasty, 25-220 AD, tomb tile - Sichuan Provincial Museum - Chengdu, China - DSC04841.jpg|Fuxi and Nüwa with tower and twin dragons, China, unearthed from a cliff tomb, Alkali factory, Pengshan, Eastern Han dynasty, 25–220 AD
File:Fuxi and Nvwa, China, collected from Chongzhou City, Sichuan, Eastern Han dynasty, 25-220 AD, tomb tile - Sichuan Provincial Museum - Chengdu, China - DSC04803.jpg|Fuxi and Nüwa holding the sun disc and moon disc respectively, Eastern Han dynasty, 25–220 AD
File:Fuxi and Nüwa. National Museum of Korea.jpg|The two conjoined figures are Fuxi and Nüwa holding a compass and a ruler respectively; a painting discovered at the Astana Graves. Burial objects in the Turpan region often display a strong Chinese influence as Chinese Han culture was introduced early in its history.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Painting of Fuxi and Nüwa {{!}} Highlights|url=https://www.museum.go.kr/site/eng/relic/represent/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.museum.go.kr%2Fsite%2Feng%2Frelic%2Frepresent%2Fview%3FrelicId%3D435|access-date=2021-12-04|website=NATIONAL MUSEUM OF KOREA}}</ref>
File:Fuxi and Nüwa. 1967 Astana Cemetery.png|Fuxi and Nüwa, 1967 Astana Cemetery
File:Fuxi and Nüwa. 1976 Astana Cemetery.jpg
</gallery>

==Legends==
===Appearance in ''Fengshen Yanyi''===
[[File:Anonymous-Fuxi and Nüwa.jpg|thumb|{{center|An ancient painting of Nüwa and Fuxi unearthed at the [[Astana Graves]].}}]]

Nüwa is featured within the famed [[Ming dynasty]] novel {{Transliteration|zh|pinyin|[[Investiture of the Gods|Fengshen Bang]]}}. As featured within this novel, Nüwa is revered since [[Xia dynasty]] for creating the five-colored stones to mend the heavens, which tilted after [[Gonggong]] toppled one of the heavenly pillars, [[Mount Buzhou]]. [[Shang Rong]] asked [[King Zhou of Shang]] to pay her a visit as a sign of deep respect. Upon seeing her statue, Zhou was completely overcome with lust at the sight of the beautiful ancient goddess Nüwa. He wrote an erotic poem on a neighboring wall and took his leave. When Nüwa later returned to her temple after visiting the [[Yellow Emperor]], she saw the foulness of Zhou's words. In her anger, she swore that the [[Shang dynasty]] would end in payment for his offense. In her rage, Nüwa personally ascended to the palace in an attempt to kill the king, but was suddenly struck back by two large beams of red light.

After Nüwa realized that [[King Zhou of Shang|King Zhou]] was already destined to rule the kingdom for twenty-six more years, Nüwa summoned her three subordinates—the Thousand-Year Vixen (later becoming [[Daji]]), the [[Pipa Jing|Jade Pipa]], and the [[Jiutou Zhiji Jing|Nine-Headed Pheasant]]. With these words, Nüwa brought destined chaos to the Shang dynasty, "The luck [[Cheng Tang]] won six hundred years ago is dimming. I speak to you of a new [[mandate of heaven]] which sets the destiny for all. You three are to enter King Zhou's palace, where you are to bewitch him. Whatever you do, do not harm anyone else. If you do my bidding, and do it well, you will be permitted to reincarnate as human beings."<ref>{{Cite book|last1=Allan|first1=Sarah|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QlEZd4x9LUAC|title=The shape of the turtle: myth, art, and cosmos in early China |last2=Allan |first2=Sarah |date=1991 |publisher=SUNY Press |isbn=978-0-7914-0460-7 |series=SUNY series in Chinese philosophy and culture}}</ref> With these words, Nüwa was never heard of again, but was still a major indirect factor towards the Shang dynasty's fall.

=== Creation of humanity ===

[[Pangu]] was said to be the creation god in [[Chinese mythology]]. He was a giant sleeping within an egg of chaos. As he awoke, he stood up and divided the sky and the earth. Pangu then died after standing up, and his body turned into rivers, mountains, plants, animals, and everything else in the world, among which is a powerful being known as [[Huaxu]] ({{lang|zh|華胥}}). Huaxu gave birth to a twin brother and sister, Fuxi and Nüwa. Fuxi and Nüwa are said to be creatures that have faces of human and bodies of snakes.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Millidge |first1=Judith |title=Chinese Gods and Myths |date=1999 |publisher=Chartwell Books |isbn=978-0-7858-1078-0 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9WbWAAAAMAAJ&q=hua+hsu+mythology |language=en}}</ref>

Nüwa created humanity due to her loneliness, which grew more intense over time. She molded yellow earth or, in other versions, yellow clay into the shape of people. These individuals later became the wealthy nobles of society, because they had been created by Nüwa's own hands. However, the majority of humanity was created when Nüwa dragged string across mud to mass-produce them, which she did because creating every person by hand was too time- and energy-consuming. This creation story gives an [[Etiology|aetiological]] explanation for the [[social hierarchy]] in ancient China. The nobility believed that they were more important than the mass-produced majority of humanity, because Nüwa took time to create them, and they had been directly touched by her hand.<ref name=":0" /> In another version of the creation of humanity, Nüwa and [[Fuxi]] were survivors of a great flood. By the command of the God of the heaven, they were married and Nüwa had a child which was a ball of meat. This ball of meat was cut into small pieces, and the pieces were scattered across the world, which then became humans.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Lianfe|first=Yang|date=1993|title=Water in Traditional Chinese Culture|journal=The Journal of Popular Culture|volume=27|issue=2|pages=51–56|doi=10.1111/j.0022-3840.1993.00051.x|issn=0022-3840}}</ref>

Nüwa was born three months after her brother, [[Fuxi]], whom she later took as her husband; this marriage is the reason why Nüwa is credited with inventing the idea of marriage.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|title=Introduction to mythology: contemporary approaches to classical and world myths|author=Thury, Eva M.|isbn=978-0-19-026298-3|oclc=946109909|year=2017|publisher=Oxford University Press }}</ref>

Before the two of them got married, they lived on mount [[Kunlun Mountains|K'un-lun]]. A prayer was made after the two became guilty of falling for each other. The prayer is as follows,

"Oh Heaven, if Thou wouldst send us forth as man and wife, then make all the misty vapor gather. If not, then make all the misty vapor disperse."<ref name=":0" />

Misty vapor then gathered after the prayer signifying the two could marry. When intimate, the two made a fan out of grass to screen their faces which is why during modern day marriages, the couple hold a fan together. By connecting, the two were representative of [[Yin and yang|Yin and Yang]]; [[Fuxi]] being connected to [[Yin and yang|Yang]] and masculinity along Nüwa being connected to [[Yin and yang|Yin]] and femininity. This is further defined with Fuxi receiving a [[Steel square|carpenter's square]] which symbolizes his identification with the physical world because a carpenter's square is associated with straight lines and squares leading to a more straightforward mindset. Meanwhile, Nüwa was given a [[compass]] to symbolize her identification with the heavens because a compass is associated with curves and circles leading to a more abstract mindset. With the two being married, it symbolized the union between heaven and Earth.<ref name=":0" /> Other versions have Nüwa invent the compass rather than receive it as a gift.<ref>{{Citation|last1=Roberts|first1=David Lindsay|title=From the Slate to the Web: Technology in the Mathematics Curriculum|date=2012|work=Third International Handbook of Mathematics Education|pages=525–547|publisher=Springer New York|isbn=978-1-4614-4683-5|last2=Leung|first2=Allen Yuk Lun|last3=Lins|first3=Abigail Fregni|doi=10.1007/978-1-4614-4684-2_17}}</ref> In addition, the system of male and female sex, the yang-yin philosophy, is expressed here in a complex way: first as Fuxi and Nüwa, then as a compass (masculine) and a square (feminine), and thirdly, as Nüwa (woman) with a compass (man) and Fuxi (man) with a square (woman).<ref>{{Cite book|last=Schinz|first=Alfred|title=The Magic Square: Cities in Ancient China|publisher=Edition Axel Menges|year=1996|isbn=978-3-930698-02-8}}</ref>

===Nüwa Mends the Heavens===
[[File:Ping Sien Si - 065 Nu Wa Niang Niang (16140351273).jpg|thumb|Modern relief of Nüwa at the Ping Sien Si Temple in Perak, Malaysia]]

{{zhi|t=女媧補天|p=Nǚwā bǔtiān|s=女娲补天|tr=Nüwa Mends the Heavens|out=tr}} is a well-known theme in [[Culture of China|Chinese culture]]. The courage and wisdom of Nüwa inspired the ancient Chinese to control nature's elements and has become a favorite subject of Chinese [[poets]], [[painters]], and [[sculptors]],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.chinaonyourmind.com/Chinese%20culture/Chinese%20tales%203.htm |title=NUWA REPAIRS THE HEAVENS (Nüwa Bu Tian)|year=2013|location=Beijing|publisher=China on Your Mind|access-date=15 November 2015}}</ref> along with so many poetry and arts like novels, films, paintings, and sculptures; e.g. the sculptures that decorate [[Nanshan District, Shenzhen|Nanshan]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.panoramio.com/photo/13025369 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161012233919/https://www.panoramio.com/photo/13025369 |archive-date=2016-10-12 |author=dartman|title=Goddess Nu Wa Patching the Sky |website=Panoramio|access-date=15 November 2015}}</ref> and [[Yaan|Ya'an]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dreamstime.com/royalty-free-stock-photos-nuwa-patching-sky-stone-sculpture-ya-city-image35620748|author=Zhitao Li |title=Nüwa Patching the Sky|publisher=Dreamstime|access-date=15 November 2015}}</ref>

The [[Huainanzi]] tells an ancient story about how the four pillars that support the sky crumbled inexplicably. Other sources have tried to explain the cause, i.e. the battle between [[Gonggong|Gong Gong]] and [[Zhuanxu]] or [[Zhurong]]. Unable to accept his defeat, Gong Gong deliberately banged his head onto [[Mount Buzhou]] ({{lang|zh|不周山}}) which was one of the four pillars. Half of the sky fell which created a gaping hole and the Earth itself was cracked; the Earth's [[axis mundi]] was tilted into the southeast while the sky rose into the northwest. This is said to be the reason why the western region of [[China]] is higher than the eastern and that most of its rivers flow towards the southeast. This same explanation is applied to the Sun, Moon, and stars which moved into the northwest. A wildfire burnt the forests and led the wild animals to run amok and attack the innocent peoples, while the water which was coming out from the earth's crack didn't seem to be slowing down.<ref name=yang>{{cite web|url=http://www.chinese.cn/culture/en/article/2009-10/26/content_43196.htm|title=The Nüwa Sacrificial Ceremonies|location=Beijing|publisher=Confucius Institute Online|date=26 October 2009|access-date=15 November 2015|archive-date=17 November 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151117024630/http://www.chinese.cn/culture/en/article/2009-10/26/content_43196.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Nüwa pitied the humans she had made and attempted to repair the sky. She gathered [[Color in Chinese culture|five colored-stones (red, yellow, blue, black, and white)]] from the riverbed, melted them and used them to patch up the sky: since then the sky (clouds) have been colorful. She then killed a giant turtle (or tortoise), some version named the tortoise as [[Ao (turtle)|Ao]], cut off the four legs of the creature to use as new pillars to support the sky. But Nüwa didn't do it perfectly because the unequal length of the legs made the sky tilt. After the job was done, Nüwa drove away the wild animals, extinguished the fire, and controlled the flood with a huge amount of ashes from the burning reeds and the world became as peaceful as it was before.<ref name=yang/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://chinesegeography.skyrock.com/3141683868-Nuwa-Repairs-the-Heavens.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151117014305/http://chinesegeography.skyrock.com/3141683868-Nuwa-Repairs-the-Heavens.html |archive-date=2015-11-17 |website=Skryrock |title=Nüwa Repairs the Heavens|date=5 February 2013 |access-date=15 November 2015}}</ref>

===Empress Nüwa===
Many Chinese know well their [[Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors]], i.e. the early leaders of humanity as well as [[culture heroes]] according to [[Chinese mythology|the Northern Chinese belief]]. But the lists vary and depend on the sources used.<ref>{{cite book|title=China's Imperial Past: An Introduction to Chinese History and Culture|author=Hucker, Charles|publisher=[[Stanford University Press]]|year=1995|isbn=978-0-8047-2353-4|page=22}}</ref> One version includes Nüwa as one of the Three Sovereigns, who reigned after [[Fuxi]] and before [[Shennong]].<ref>{{lang|zh|劉煒/著}}. (2002) Chinese civilization in a new light. Commercial press publishing.  {{ISBN|962-07-5314-3}}, p. 142.</ref>

The myth of the Three Sovereigns sees the three as demigod figures, and the myth is used to stress the importance of an imperial reign. The variation between sources stems from China being generally divided before the Qin and Han dynasties, and the version with Fuxi, Shennong, and Nüwa was used to emphasize rule and structure.<ref name="ty">{{Cite journal|last=Nagel-Angermann|first=Monique|date=November 2015|title=The Three August Ones|url=https://uhawaii-primo.hosted.exlibrisgroup.com/primo-explore/fulldisplay?docid=TN_gale_ofg437506581&context=PC&vid=OUZ&search_scope=OUZ_ALL&tab=default_tab&lang=en_US|journal=Dig into History|volume=17|page=4|via=EBSCOhost}}</ref>

In her matriarchal reign, she battled against a neighboring tribal chief, defeated him, and took him to the peak of a mountain. Defeated by a woman, the chief felt ashamed to be alive and banged his head on the heavenly bamboo to kill himself and for revenge. His act tore a hole in the sky and made a flood hit the whole world. The flood killed all people except Nüwa and her army which was protected by her divinity. After that, Nüwa patched the sky with five colored-stones until the flood receded.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/flood-myths.html#China|author=Mark Isaak |title=Flood Stories from Around the World|date=2 September 2002|access-date=15 November 2015}}</ref>

==Popular culture==
* The [[Ming dynasty]] fantasy novel ''[[Investiture of the Gods]]'' (1567) has Nüwa being an instigator of the [[Shang dynasty]]'s collapse, as she sent the [[hulijing|fox demon]] [[Daji]] to corrupt [[King Zhou of Shang|King Zhou]] for the latter verbally [[desecrating]] her statue at a temple.
* The [[Qing dynasty]] novel ''[[Dream of the Red Chamber]]'' (1754) narrates how Nüwa gathered 36,501 stones to patch the sky but left one unused. The unused stone plays an important role in the novel's storyline.
* A goddess Nüwa statue named ''Sky Patching'' by [[Yuan Xikun]] was exhibited at [[Times Square]], [[New York City]], on 19 April 2012 to celebrate [[Earth Day]] (2012), symbolized the importance of protecting the [[ozone layer]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.unep.org/ozonaction/Default.aspx?tabid=104143|title=Unveiling Goddess Nüwa in NY Times Square and Beijing|publisher=United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)|date=22 April 2012|access-date=15 November 2015|archive-date=17 November 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151117014623/http://www.unep.org/ozonaction/Default.aspx?tabid=104143|url-status=dead}}</ref> Previously, this 3.9 meter tall statue was exhibited on [[Beijing]] and now is placed on [[Vienna International Centre]], [[Vienna]] since 21 November 2012.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.unido.org/news/press/ozone-anniversary.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151117033429/http://www.unido.org/news/press/ozone-anniversary.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=November 17, 2015|title=Ozone statue unveiled in Vienna to mark Montreal Protocol anniversary|publisher=UNIDO|date=22 November 2012|access-date=15 November 2015}}</ref>
* The story of Nüwa patching the sky was being retold by Carol Chen in her book ''Goddess Nuwa Patches Up the Sky'' (2014) which was illustrated by Meng Xianlong.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.abebooks.co.uk/Goddess-Nuwa-Patches-Sky-Chinese-Library/15847212438/bd |title=Goddess Nuwa Patches Up the Sky – the Chinese Library Series (Paperback)|year=2014|website=AbeBooks |access-date=15 November 2015}}</ref>
* In [[Shin Megami Tensei 5]], Nuwa (voiced by [[Ayana Taketatsu]]) is the partner to Shohei Yakumo (voiced by [[Tomokazu Sugita]]) as two of the main characters who aid the protagonist.
* In the [[Gremlins (TV series)|''Gremlins'']] animated series, Nuwa (voiced by [[Sandra Oh]]) is portrayed as the creator of the Mogwai species that Gizmo originated from and fell into a depression when the humans could not properly coexist with them.

==See also==
* [[Flood Mythology of China]]

== Explanatory notes==
{{notelist}}

== Citations ==
{{Reflist|30em}}

== General bibliography ==
*{{citation |last=Birrell |first=Anne |date=1993 |title=Chinese Mythology: An Introduction |location=Baltimore |publisher=Johns Hopkins University Press }}.
*{{citation |last=Lewis |first=Mark Edward |title=The Flood Myths of Early China |date=2006 |publisher=State University of New York Press |location=Albany |isbn=978-0-7914-6663-6 }}.
*{{citation |editor-last=Major |editor-first=John S. |editor2=Sarah A. Queen |editor3=Andrew Seth Meyer |editor4=Harold D. Roth |display-editors=1 |title=The Huainanzi: A Guide to the Theory and Practice of Government in Early Han China |date=2010 |publisher=Columbia University Press |location=New York |isbn=978-0-231-14204-5 |ref={{harvid|Major & al.|2010}} }}.

==Further reading==
* {{citation |first=Sarah |last=Allan |author-link=Sarah Allan |publisher=SUNY Press |year=1991 |isbn=0-7914-0460-9 |title=The shape of the turtle: myth, art, and cosmos in early China |series=SUNY series in Chinese philosophy and culture |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=QlEZd4x9LUAC}}

==External links==
* {{Commons category-inline|Nüwa}}

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[[Category:Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors]]
[[Category:Investiture of the Gods characters]]
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[[Category:Dream of the Red Chamber characters]]
[[Category:Arts goddesses]]
[[Category:Bodhisattvas]]
[[Category:Buddhist goddesses]]
[[Category:Deities in Chinese folk religion]]
[[Category:Chinese goddesses]]
[[Category:Creation myths]]
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[[Category:Marriage goddesses]]
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[[Category:Sky supporters]]
[[Category:Taoist deities]]
[[Category:Legendary progenitors]]
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