Nuwa

According to ancient Chinese mythology, Nuwa fashioned the earliest humans individually from yellow clay before using a cord to splash mud to create the rest of the population. This myth explains the ancient Chinese belief in the social hierarchy between nobility and commoners.

Nuwa is credited with repairing the sky after the pillar of heaven was damaged in a cosmic battle between the water god Gonggong and the fire god Zhurong. She melted down five colored stones to patch the heavens and used the legs of a giant turtle to prop up the sky.

Nuwa is often paired with her brother, Fuxi, who is credited with establishing the institutions of marriage and teaching humanity essential survival skills. Together, they are frequently depicted in ancient art with human upper bodies and intertwined serpent or dragon tails.

Nuwa is primarily revered as a primordial mother goddess who not only birthed humanity but also established the rules of marriage. She represents the creative and nurturing forces of nature that brought human civilization into existence.