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China · Huainanzi 6; 3

The sky breaks and Nüwa repairs it

EvidenceDocumentedThe text exists and is quoted from a published translation. What it describes is a separate question.What this means
ReferenceHuainanzi 6; 3
Writtenc. 139 BCE
SetHigh antiquity
The four pillars holding up the sky broke. Fire burned without stopping and water flooded without end. Nüwa melted stones of five colors to patch the sky and cut the legs off a giant turtle to set up new pillars. Elsewhere, Gonggong smashes Mount Buzhou and the sky tilts to the northwest.

Summary by the editors. Translation: Summary in my own words

Read it literally

A sky-and-flood disaster followed by a technical repair. The tilt explains why the stars wheel to the northwest.

What scholars say

A Han dynasty collection of older lore.

From the sky Looks like technology Strange time
People and places hereMount Buzhou

Quick answers about Huainanzi 6

Where is Huainanzi 6 found?

Huainanzi 6; 3 (China). Translation quoted: Summary in my own words.

When was Huainanzi 6 written?

c. 139 BCE.

What do scholars say about Huainanzi 6?

A Han dynasty collection of older lore.

Rabbit holes in this passage

GodGonggongA red-haired serpent water god who rammed a pillar of heaven, tilting the sky to the northwest and the land to the southeast.GodNüwaThe Chinese goddess who molded humans from yellow earth and repaired a broken sky with molten stones of five colors.

Sources

  1. Huainanzi 3 (Tianwen xun), c. 139 BCE, Chinese Text ProjectPrimary text
  2. Huainanzi 6 (Lanming xun), c. 139 BCE, Chinese Text ProjectPrimary text

Scholarly dates are rounded. The wording follows the named public-domain translation.

Updated