Background

Pangu was the supreme creation deity in some traditional Chinese folk religion customs. His name is said to literally translate to pan ("coil up") and gu ("antiquity").^[1] He was often shown carrying a hammer and chisel from which he carved the Earth. The primary creation narrative associated with Pangu is the Legend of Pangu.^[2] According to David Leeming, Pangu's body and features became features of the Earth itself after he died:

"When the firstborn, Pangu, was approaching
death, his body was transformed.
His breath became the wind
and the clouds; his voice became peals
of thunder. His left eye became the sun;
his right eye became the moon. His four
limbs and five extremities became the
four cardinal points and the five peaks.
His blood and semen became water and
rivers. His muscles and veins became the
Earth's arteries; his flesh became fields
and land. His hair and beard became the
stars; his bodily hair became plants and
trees. His teeth and bones became metal
and rock; his vital marrow became pearls
and jade. His sweat and bodily fluids became
streaming rain. All the mites on
his body were touched by the wind and
were turned into the black-haired people." ^[3]

In other traditions, Pangu may have played different roles.