Gonggong

A demon deity in Chinese mythology (see Chinese Mythology, Chinese Deities, Chinese Emperors), Gonggong lost an epic battle to Zhurong (see Zhurong) and in his despair tried to kill himself by running into Mount Buzhou, one of the supports of the sky. This caused a tear in the sky and a subsequent flood (see Chinese Flood) and storm of flames. By upsetting the balance of the sky, Gonggong caused the rivers of China to run toward the east (see Nügua).