Collection and Translation of Chinese Mythological Stories

Adapted from the traditional Chinese myth "Nüwa Mends the Sky" In ancient times, the sky collapsed, and the earth cracked. The heavens tilted to the northwest, leaving the sun, moon, and stars to drift there; the earth sank to the southeast, making rivers and oceans flow toward that direction. Fires blazed endlessly, floods surged unchecked, and ferocious beasts devoured the weak, while venomous snakes attacked humans. Nüwa, seeing the suffering of all living beings, felt deep sorrow. She decided to mend the broken sky. She gathered five-colored stones—blue, yellow, red, white, and black—and melted them in a roaring flame. With the molten stone, she patched the gaping hole in the sky, stopping the downpour of chaos. To prop up the sagging sky, she cut off the legs of a giant turtle and used them as pillars, setting them at the four corners of the earth to steady the heavens. She slew a ferocious black dragon to pacify the people, and drove away other beasts that preyed on humans. Finally, she burned reeds to ashes, using them to plug the surging floods, stemming the relentless waters. When the sky was mended, the earth stabilized, floods receded, and humans were saved. Though Nüwa exhausted herself in the process, her kindness and courage became a legend, remembered by generations as the savior who restored order to the world. Since the cover of this book features the story of Nüwa Mends the Sky, it is placed as the first chapter.