Chapter 46: Gonggong — 共工 — The Water God Who Broke the Sky (Second Telling)
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A RECORD OF ALL THINGS UNDER HEAVEN
As gathered from the oldest accounts that remain
PROLOGUE — CHAPTER FORTY-SIX
On the Matter of Gonggong — 共工 — The Water God Who Broke the Sky
His name is Gonggong — 共工.
Gong — 共 — means together. Shared. Common. The character shows two hands holding something together.
Gong — 工 — means work. Labor. Craft. The character shows a carpenter's square. The tool for measuring. The tool for building.
Together — 共工 — the Shared Worker. The One Who Works with Others. The One Who Labors for the Common Good.
But his name became something else. He became the god who broke the sky. He became the god who caused the great flood. He became the god of destruction. The name that meant shared work became the name of the one who destroyed what others built.
He is also called the Water God — 水神 — Shui Shen. He governed water. He ruled the rivers. He commanded the floods. He was the master of all that flows.
He is also called the God of Destruction — 毀滅之神 — Huimie zhi Shen. He was angry. He was violent. He broke the pillar that held up the sky. He caused the world to tilt. He caused the rivers to flow southeast. He changed the world forever.
He is the son of the ancient god Zhuanxu — 顓頊 — the grandson of the Yellow Emperor — 黃帝 — Huang Di — in some accounts. In other accounts he is the son of Yan Di — 炎帝 — the Fiery Emperor. The accounts of his parentage differ. The accounts of his nature differ. All accounts agree that he was powerful. All accounts agree that he was angry. All accounts agree that he broke the sky.
This chapter is the second telling of Gonggong. The first telling appears in the chapter on Nuwa — 女媧 — where his breaking of the sky required her to repair it. This chapter records his story in full. His origin. His war. His rage. His destruction. His aftermath.
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On the oldest records of Gonggong.
The name Gonggong appears in the earliest Chinese texts.
The Shanhaijing — 山海經 — the Classic of Mountains and Seas — compiled during the Warring States period — 戰國時代 — Zhanguo Shidai — contains the oldest account of Gonggong.
It states: Gonggong was a god. He had the body of a human. He had the face of a serpent. He had red hair. He was the god of water. He governed the rivers. He commanded the floods. He was fierce. He was violent. He was feared.
The Shanhaijing also records: Gonggong fought with Zhuanxu — 顓頊 — the grandson of the Yellow Emperor. They fought for supremacy. Gonggong lost. He was angry. He struck his head against Mount Buzhou — 不周山 — Buzhou Shan — the pillar that held up the sky. The pillar broke. The sky tilted. The earth cracked. The flood came.
The Huainanzi — 淮南子 — compiled under Liu An — 劉安 — around 139 before the common era — contains the most complete account of Gonggong's rage and its consequences.
It states: In remote antiquity, Gonggong fought with Zhuanxu for the throne. They fought a great battle. Gonggong was defeated. In his rage, he struck his head against Mount Buzhou. The mountain was the pillar that supported the sky. It broke. The sky tilted to the northwest. The earth tilted to the southeast. The rivers of China began to flow southeast. They have flowed southeast ever since.
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On his appearance.
The accounts describe Gonggong's appearance in detail.
He had the body of a human — 人身 — ren shen.
He had the face of a serpent — 蛇面 — she mian. His face was long. His eyes were slitted. His tongue was forked. He looked like a snake. He moved like a snake.
He had red hair — 赤髮 — chi fa. His hair was the color of fire. It stood on end. It moved like flames. It was the color of his rage.
He had a horn — 角 — jiao — in some accounts. It grew from his forehead. It was the horn of a bull. It was the horn of a fighter. He used it to strike. He used it to break.
He had the body of a serpent in some accounts. He had the tail of a serpent. He had the scales of a serpent. He moved through water like a snake. He moved through land like a snake. He was the serpent of the flood.
He was the god of water. He ruled the rivers. He commanded the floods. He was the master of all that flows. His appearance reflected his nature. He was serpentine. He was fierce. He was dangerous. He was water.
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On his parentage.
The accounts do not agree on Gonggong's parentage.
The first account. He is the son of Zhuanxu — 顓頊.
The Shanhaijing records this. Zhuanxu was the grandson of the Yellow Emperor. He was one of the Five Emperors — 五帝 — Wu Di. He was a god of order. He was a god of civilization. He was the ruler of the world. Gonggong was his son. Gonggong rebelled against his father. He fought for the throne. He lost. He broke the sky.
The second account. He is the son of Yan Di — 炎帝 — the Fiery Emperor.
The Huainanzi records this. Yan Di was the god of fire. He was the rival of the Yellow Emperor. He was defeated by the Yellow Emperor. His descendants continued the fight. Gonggong was one of his descendants. He fought for the line of fire against the line of earth. He lost. He broke the sky.
The third account. He is a separate god, not descended from either.
Some texts record Gonggong as a primordial god. He existed before the Yellow Emperor. He existed before the Five Emperors. He was one of the original forces of the universe. He was water. He was chaos. He was destruction. He did not descend from anyone. He was always there.
All three accounts are recorded here. None is declared correct. The texts do not agree. The record preserves the disagreement.
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On the war with Zhuanxu — 顓頊.
The war between Gonggong and Zhuanxu is recorded in multiple texts.
Zhuanxu was the ruler of the world. He was the grandson of the Yellow Emperor. He was the god of order. He established the calendar. He established the laws. He established the rituals. He governed the people. He governed the gods. He was the ruler of all.
Gonggong was the god of water. He was the god of the flood. He was the god of chaos. He did not accept Zhuanxu's rule. He claimed that he should rule. He claimed that water should rule over earth. He claimed that chaos should rule over order.
He gathered his army. He gathered the water gods. He gathered the flood spirits. He gathered the serpent people. He marched on Zhuanxu's capital.
The battle was great. It was fought in the sky. It was fought on the earth. It was fought in the waters. It lasted for many days. It lasted for many months. It lasted for many years.
Zhuanxu was victorious. He defeated Gonggong. He drove him from the land. He drove him to the edge of the world. He drove him to the pillar that held up the sky.
Gonggong was defeated. He was humiliated. He was angry. He was enraged.
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On the rage — the breaking of Mount Buzhou — 不周山 — Buzhou Shan.
After his defeat, Gonggong stood at the edge of the world.
Before him was Mount Buzhou — 不周山 — the mountain that held up the sky. It was one of the four pillars. It was the northwestern pillar. It supported the heavens. It held the sky in place.
Gonggong was angry. He was defeated. He was humiliated. He could not defeat Zhuanxu. He could not rule the world. He could not be the supreme god. But he could destroy. He could break what others had built. He could ruin what others had made.
He lowered his head. He charged. He struck the mountain with his horn. He struck it with his head. He struck it with all his strength. He struck it with all his rage.
The mountain broke. The pillar shattered. The sky tilted.
The northwestern corner of the sky fell. It fell toward the earth. The sky no longer covered the world completely. There was a gap. There was a tear. There was a wound in heaven.
The southeastern corner of the earth sank. The earth tilted. The land shifted. The rivers began to flow in new directions.
The flood came. Water poured from the broken sky. Water poured from the cracked earth. Water covered the land. Water destroyed the world.
Gonggong was destroyed in his own destruction. He died in the flood he caused. His body was broken. His rage was ended. The world was broken. The world was flooded.
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On the repair — Nuwa — 女媧 — patching the sky.
After Gonggong broke the sky, the world was in chaos.
The sky was torn. The earth was cracked. The waters flooded. The fires burned. The beasts attacked. The people died.
Nuwa — 女媧 — the Mother of Humanity — saw the suffering. She acted.
She gathered five-colored stones — 五色石 — wu se shi. She smelted them. She used them to patch the sky. She repaired the tear. She closed the wound. The sky was whole again.
She cut the legs of the great turtle — 大龜 — da gui — and set them up as new pillars. The four pillars were restored. The sky was supported again.
She killed the black dragon — 黑龍 — hei long — who was causing the flood. She stopped the waters. She calmed the flood.
She piled up the ashes of reeds — 蘆葦 — lu wei — to stop the surging waters. The waters receded. The land was revealed.
The sky was patched. The pillars were set. The waters were drained. The world was saved.
But the repair was not perfect. The legs of the turtle were not the same length. The sky remained tilted. It tilted toward the northwest. The earth remained tilted. It tilted toward the southeast.
This is why the sun, moon, and stars move toward the northwest. This is why the rivers of China flow toward the southeast. The tilt is the legacy of Gonggong's rage. The tilt is the scar of his destruction.
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On the other account — the war with Zhurong — 祝融.
Some texts record a different war. In these texts, Gonggong did not fight Zhuanxu. He fought Zhurong — 祝融 — the god of fire.
Zhurong was the god of the south. He was the god of summer. He was the god of flame. He was the one who taught humanity to use fire. He was the rival of Gonggong. Fire and water are enemies. They cannot coexist. They fight.
Gonggong fought Zhurong. He lost. He struck his head against Mount Buzhou. He broke the sky. He caused the flood.
The accounts of the war with Zhurong are recorded in the Shanhaijing and other texts. They are as old as the accounts of the war with Zhuanxu. The texts do not agree. Both wars are recorded here.
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On the aftermath — Gonggong's descendants.
After his death, Gonggong's descendants continued. They were water gods. They were flood spirits. They were serpent people.
The Shanhaijing records: Gonggong had a son named Shu — 脩. Shu had a son named Hou Tu — 后土 — the Lord of the Earth. Hou Tu governed the earth. He was the ancestor of the Earth Gods — 土地神 — Tudi Shen.
Gonggong also had a son named Gou Long — 句龍 — in some accounts. Gou Long became the first Sheshen — 社神 — the God of the Soil. He was honored by the people. He received offerings. He protected the fields.
Gonggong's line did not end. His descendants became the gods of the earth. The god who broke the sky became the ancestor of the gods who hold the earth. His destruction gave birth to stability. His rage gave birth to order.
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On the meaning of his name — shared work.
His name is Gonggong — 共工 — the Shared Worker. The One Who Works with Others. The One Who Labors for the Common Good.
He did not live up to his name. He did not work with others. He fought. He destroyed. He broke. He did not build.
But his name is not ironic. It is a reminder. He was supposed to be the god of shared work. He was supposed to be the god of cooperation. He became the god of rage. He became the god of destruction. He became the god of what happens when shared work fails.
He is a warning. When cooperation breaks, destruction follows. When shared work ends, rage follows. When the common good is forgotten, the world breaks.
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On what he represents.
He represents the rage of the defeated. He represents the destruction that comes when cooperation fails. He represents the chaos that follows when order is broken.
He is not evil. He is not a demon. He is a god who lost. He is a god who could not accept defeat. He is a god who destroyed what he could not rule.
He broke the sky. He caused the flood. He changed the world. His rage is the reason the rivers flow southeast. His destruction is the reason the sky tilts. His legacy is written in the land. It is written in the waters. It is written in the tilt of the world.
He is Gonggong. He is the Water God. He is the God of Destruction. He is the One Who Broke the Sky. He is the reason the world is tilted. He is the reason the rivers flow toward the sea.
His rage ended. His destruction remained. The world is still tilted. The rivers still flow southeast. His legacy is permanent. His scar is still visible. Every river that flows to the sea is a reminder of what he did. Every sunset in the northwest is a reminder of his rage.
He is Gonggong. He is remembered. He is feared. He is the one who broke the sky.
END OF CHAPTER FORTY-SIX