NU KUA

Pinyin N Gua, in Chinese mythology, the patroness of matchmakers; as wife or sister of the legendary emperor Fu Hsi, she helped establish norms for marriage (that included go-betweens) and regulated conduct between the sexes. She is described as having a human head but the body of a snake (or fish). Legend credits N Kua with having repaired the pillars of heaven and the broken corners of earth, which the rebel Kung Kung had destroyed in a fit of anger. To accomplish her task, N Kua used the feet of a tortoise and melted-down stones that turned into a five-coloured mixture. N Kua is also said to have built a lovely palace that became a prototype for the later walled cities of China. The material of which it was made was prepared overnight by mountain spirits. By slipping a miraculous rope through the nose of the King of Oxen, she put a stop to the terror this monster visited on his enemies by means of his enormous horns and ears. One story names N and Kua as the first human beings, who found themselves at the moment of creation among the Kunlun Mountains. While offering sacrifice, they prayed to know if they, as brother and sister, were meant to be man and wife. The union was sanctioned when the smoke of the sacrifice remained stationary.