Note 13 — Chapter XIV · Creation Myths and the God and Goddess Cults

The egg from which Pʼan Ku emerged appears to have been a symbol of the Mother Goddess of the sacred West, remembered in Chinese legends as Si Wang Mu, “the mother of the Western King”, and in Japanese as Seiobo, who was guardian of the World Tree, the giant peach, or the lunar, cassia tree (Chapter X). Other references to her, under various names, are scattered through ancient Chinese writings. In the “Annals of the Bamboo Books” mention is made of “the Heavenly lady Pa”. She favoured the Chinese monarch, Hwang Ti, who is supposed to have reigned during 2688 B.C. by stopping “the extraordinary rains caused by the enemy”.13