Nuba
Overview
The goddess of the drought in Chinese mythology, Nüba’s (女魃) name is comprised of the word for “woman,” nǚ (女), and a character unique to her name, bá (魃). In ancient times, she was simply referred to as ba (魃), but the nǚ (女) was later added on to indicate her feminine nature.
Attributes
Nüba is described as having the appearance of a normal human being, but with the ability to move and travel at superhuman speeds. In artwork, Nüba is usually shown dressed in green robes or wearing nothing at all. She’s one of the first goddesses to be mentioned in Chinese mythology works like the Classic of Mountains and Seas, or Shanhaijing, and the Classic of Poetry, or Shijing.
Mythology
Nüba is a daughter of Huangdi (黄帝), the Yellow Emperor. She defended him against the rain deity, Yu Shi (雨師), and the wind deity, Feng Popo (風婆婆), during their rebellion against the emperor. Her relationship to earthly beings is less benevolent, however. During ancient times, people would hold ceremonies to drive her out of their towns to end droughts.