The Bang Goo, an Alliance flagship, derives its name from Chinese mythology. Pan Ku was a dog-like mythical creature who in Chinese legend created the world and was the ancestor of the human race. "Bang Goo" is the Japanese spelling of the name.
A website dedicated to creation myths of different cultures gives the following different accounts on Pan Ku:
In the beginning was a huge egg containing chaos and a mixture of yin-yang (female-male, cold-heat, dark-light, wet-dry, etc). Also within this yin-yang was Phan Ku who broke forth from the egg as a giant who separated the yin-yang into many opposites, including earth and sky. With a great chisel and a huge hammer, Phan Ku carved out the mountains, rivers, valleys, and oceans. He also made the sun, moon, and stars. When he died, after 18,000 years, it is said that the fleas in his hair became human beings. In summation, the Chinese say that everything that is - is Phan Ku and everything that Phan Ku is yin-yang.
In the beginning , the heavens and earth were still one and all was chaos. The universe was like a big black egg,
carrying Pan Gu inside itself. After 18 thousand years Pan Gu woke from a long sleep. He felt suffocated, so he
took up a broadax and wielded it with all his might to crack open the egg. The light, clear part of it floated up and
formed the heavens, the cold, turbid matter stayed below to form earth. Pan Gu stood in the middle, his head
touching the sky, his feet planted on the earth. The heavens and the earth began to grow at a rate of ten feet per
day, and Pan Gu grew along with them. After another 18 thousand years, the sky was higher, the earth thicker, and
Pan Gu stood between them like a pillar 9 million li in height so that they would never join again.
When Pan Gu died, his breath became the wind and clouds, his voice the rolling thunder. One eye became the sun
and on the moon. His body and limbs turned to five big mountains and his blood formed the roaring water. His veins
became far-stretching roads and his muscles fertile land. The innumerable stars in the sky came from his hair and
beard, and flowers and trees from his skin and the fine hairs on his body. His marrow turned to jade and pearls. His
sweat flowed like the good rain and sweet dew that nurtured all things on earth. According to some versions of the
Pan Gu legend, his tears flowed to make rivers and radiance of his eyes turned into thunder and lighting. When he
was happy the sun shone, but when he was angry black clouds gathered in the sky. One version of the legend has it
that the fleas and lice on his body became the ancestors of mankind.
The Pan Gu story has become firmly fixed in Chinese tradition. There is even an idiom relating to it: "Since Pan Gu
created earth and the heavens," meaning "for a very long time." Nevertheless, it is rather a latecomer to the
catalog of Chinese legends. First mention of it is in a book on Chinese myths written by Xu Zheng in the Three
Kingdoms period (CE 220-265). Some opinions hold that it originated in south China or southeast Asia.
There are several versions of the Pan Gu story.
Among the Miao, Yao, Li and other nationalities of south China, a legend concerns Pan Gu the ancestor of all
mankind, with a man's body and a dog's head. It runs like this: Up in Heaven the God in charge of the earth, King
Gao Xin, owned a beautiful spotted dog. He reared him on a plate (pan in Chinese ) inside a gourd (hu, which is
close to the sound gu ), so the dog was known as Pan Gu . Among the Gods there was great enmity between King
Gao Xin and his rival King Fang. "Whoever can bring me the head of King Fang may marry my daughter, " he
proclaimed, but nobody was willing to try because they were afraid of King Fang's strong soldiers and sturdy
horses.
The dog Pan Gu overheard what was said, and when Gao Xin was sleeping, slipped out of the palace and ran to King
Fang. The latter was glad to see him standing there wagging his tail. "You see, King Gao Xin is near his end. Even
his dog has left him," Fang said, and held a banquet for the occasion with the dog at his side.
At midnight when all was quiet and Fang was overcome with drink, Pan Gu jumped onto the king's bed, bit off his
head and ran back to his master with it . King Gao Xin was overjoyed to see the head of his rival, and gave orders
to bring Pan Gu some fresh meat. But Pan Gu left the meat untouched and curled himself up in a corner to sleep.
For three days he ate nothing and did not stir.
The king was puzzled and asked, "Why don't you eat? Is it because I failed to keep my promise of marrying a
dog?" To his surprise Pan Gu began to speak. "Don't worry, my King. Just cover me with your golden bell and in
seven days and seven nights I'll become a man." The King did as he said, but on the sixth day, fearing he would
starve to death, out of solicitude the princess peeped under the bell. Pan Gu's body had already changed into that of
a man, but his head was still that of a dog. However, once the bell was raised, the magic change stopped, and he had
to remain a man with a dog's head.
He married the princess, but she didn't want to be seen with such a man so they moved to the earth and settled in
the remote mountains of south China. There they lived happily and had four children, three boys and a girl, who
became the ancestors of mankind.
In LoGH, the Bang-Goo was the name of the flagship of the Alliance 10th Fleet.
China- Creational Myths
http://www.crystalinks.com/chinacreation.html
Researchers: Richard Higgins, Rob Ketcherside, Hank Wong, Lee Thompson
bang-goo.htm / December 19, 2000