According to Chinese lore, in the beginning there was nothing in the universe but a dark, formless chaos. The mythic hero Pangu, who had been sleeping in the chaos for 18,000 years, woke up. Realizing that he was confined to this dark and chaotic environment, he decided to break free from the cosmic egg that held him. He mightily swung his giant axe to smash through the chaos, cleaving the egg into halves, pieces shattering in all directions. This caused the lighter parts of the universe to rise

In one version of the Chinese creation myth, the giant Pangu held the heavens and earth apart for 18,000 years. When he finally died, his body became the features of the world (his breath became wind, his eyes the sun and moon). The "shocking" part? Humans were said to be the fleas or lice living on his body that were transformed by the wind | Maks Myths and Legends