Mi Heng was an official of the later (Eastern) Han dynasty who ran afoul of the notorious Prime Minister Cao Cao. The story in the poem is historical, at least to the point of his death (implicated by others.)

The Thunder God and Lightening Mother: Very common legendary figures, see ZSCC for illustrations, Chinese traditional sources.

The Lord of the Polestar, or Beidoujun, resides in the Palace of the Polestar, the northern constellation of the Zhou sky. He is a figure of mysterious and dark religious signicance and the great judge, also guard of the entrance to the Palace of Heaven from his star home in the Ciwei. A central figure in Chinese astrology/mythology, well worshipped in Japan (patron of Japanese lorry drivers at present,) associated always with masculinity, hardness, violent justice. The "Sheriff" of the heavens. See "Pacing the Void, Tang Approaches to the Stars" by Edward Schafer for a delightful treatment of Chinese astronomy/cosmology in Tang times, with much attention to the "Restored Zhou Dynasty" of the Empress Wu Zetian.

Accounts of Chi You and the Yellow Emperor are plentiful and varied, with some crediting the Yellow Emperor's wife instead of Chu Nyu. The Four Mothers and Fei Lian are also common legend. See ZSCC for details.

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