Five-Colored Stones

The Mending Stones

The five-colored stones Nüwa smelted to repair the shattered sky, their hues answering the five directions.

Huainanzi tells that when the four poles collapsed and the nine provinces split, "Nüwa smelted five-colored stones to mend the azure sky, cut off the giant turtle's legs to re-erect the four poles..." The five colors answered the five directions — east azure, south red, west white, north black, center yellow — a cosmic repair that sealed her role as creator.