Nüwa or Nügua is a mother goddess, culture heroine and member of the Three Sovereigns of Chinese mythology. A primordial snake deity, she creates humanity and repairs the Pillars of Heaven. Her symbol is a mathematical compass.
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As creator goddess, she molds each human by hand with yellow clay. In other stories she makes only nobles and elite with yellow clay. She's thought to create commoners with brown mud or by dragging a cord through mud, as she's tired from creating the elite.
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In the Huainanzi (before 139 BCE) a great battle between Gonggong, a sea god, and Zhuanxu a legendary Emperor breaks the pillars supporting Heaven. Amid massive flooding, the heavens collapse.
The Huainanzi describes the disruptions:
Going back to more ancient times, the four pillars were broken; the nine provinces were in tatters. Heaven did not completely cover [the earth]; Earth did not hold up [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 azure sky, cut off the legs of 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 azure sky was patched; the four pillars were set up; the surging waters were drained; the province of Ji was tranquil; crafty vermin died off; blameless people [preserved their] lives.
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The five colored stones symbolize the five Chinese elements (wood, fire, earth, metal, and water). The black dragon is the essence of water, thus the cause of the floods.
In imagery she's often pictured with male entity Fuxi (Fu Xi). They're twins, brother and sister, husband and wife, Fuxi and consort, female and male primordial deities. In some stories Nüwa is predecessor of Fu Xi. In others she reigns after Fuxi and before Shennong.
Together with Shennong they're the Three Sovereigns at the start of the Chinese dynastic period. Shennong is especially connected to farming and agriculture. The Three Sovereigns teach people how to hunt, fish, make tea, grow crops, domesticate animals and much more.
Nüwa is commonly depicted holding a compass or multiple compasses, which are traditional Chinese symbols of the dome-like sky. She's also thought to be an embodiment of the stars and the sky or a star deity.
Fuxi and Nüwa can be individual figures in symmetrical pairing or double figures with intertwined snake-like bodies. Their snake-like tails can also stretch towards each other, similar to Rahu and Ketu in Indian astrology.
Fuxi and Nüwa can also appear on separate blocks. They generally hold or embrace the sun (Fu Xi) or moon (Nüwa) discs containing images of a three-legged crow, a toad or hare. They carry compasses or rulers. They might also hold the longevity mushroom lingzhi.
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The myth of the Three Sovereigns depicts them as demigods and underlines the importance of imperial reign. Variation of sources comes from the division of China before the Qin and Han dynasties. Lore of Fuxi, Shennong, and Nüwa emphasize rule and structure.
Nüwa's reign is matriarchal. She fights a tribal chief, defeats him and takes him to the top of a mountain. The chief is ashamed to be beaten by a woman. He bangs his head on the heavenly bamboo to kill himself, and for revenge.
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His actions rip a hole in the sky and a flood pours forth to devastate the world. The flood kills all people except Nüwa and her army, protected by her divinity. Then Nüwa patches the sky with five colored stones and the flood recedes.
Nüwa appears in the well-known novel of the Ming dynasty, Fengshen Bang. Since the time of the Xia Dynasty Nüwa is held in esteem as the daughter of the Jade Emperor. Nüwa is also referred to as the "Snake Goddess".
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When the Shang Dynasty is created, Nüwa makes the five colored stones to protect the dynasty, with occasional seasonal rains and other fertility qualities. After a while, the prime minister Shang Rong asks King Zhou of Shang to visit her as a sign of deep respect.
Zhou is overcome with lust at the very sight of the beautiful ancient goddess Nüwa, who sits behind a veil. He writes an erotic poem on the wall and leaves. When Nüwa sees the foulness of Zhou's words, she swears the Shang Dynasty will end for this offense.
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In her rage, Nüwa personally ascends to the palace in an attempt to kill the king, but is suddenly struck back by two large beams of red light. Nüwa realizes King Zhou is destined to rule another 26 years.
Nüwa summons her three helpers - the Thousand-Year Vixen (later becoming Daji); the Jade Pipa, a seductive female spirit in the form of a musical instrument; and the Nine-Headed Pheasant. Nüwa brings chaos to the Shang Dynasty by saying,
"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."
With these words, Nüwa is never heard from again. She's considered a major indirect factor in the fall of the Shang Dynasty (1600 - 1046 BCE).