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Snakes in Chinese mythology

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An ancient painting ofNuwaand Fuxi unearthed inXinjiang.

Snakes(also known asserpents) are an important motif inChinese mythology.There are various myths, legends, and folk tales about snakes.Chinese mythologyrefers to these and other myths found in the historical geographic area(s) ofChina.These myths includeChineseand other languages, as transmitted byHan Chineseas well as other ethnic groups (of which fifty-six are officially recognized by the current administration of China).[1]

Snakes often appear in myth, religion, legend, or tales as fantastic beings unlike any possible real snake, often having a mix of snake with other body parts, such as having a human head, or magical abilities, such asshape-shifting.One famous snake that was able to transform back and forth between a snake and a human being wasMadam White Snakein theLegend of the White Snake.

Other snakes or snake-like beings sometimes include deities, such asFuxiandNüwaandGong Gong.Sometimes, Fuxi and Nuwa are described as snakes with human heads and sometimes as humans with dragon or serpent tails.

Myth versus history

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In the study of historical Chinese culture, many of the stories that have been told regarding characters and events which have been written or told of the distant past have a double tradition: one tradition which presents a more historicized and one which presents a more mythological version.[2]

Snake-like deities

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River deities

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In ancient China, some of the river gods which were worshiped were depicted in the form of some sort of snake or snake-like being:[3]

Directional deities of the north

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Depiction on the grounds of the Beijing Ancient Observatory of Xuanwu – the sign for the northern quarter of the sky.

In the ancient China of theHan dynasty(206 BCE – 220 CE), worship of Four Directional deities developed, the directions were east, south, west, and north. With the direction of the middle, there were five major directions, each associated with a divine being or beings, a season, and a color (with the "middle direction" being associated with the emperor and the color yellow). This set of correlations of fivewhateversincluded many more than mentioned here, in the elaborated philosophical system ofWǔ Xíng(Ngũ hành), although some of the basics related to directional deities was much older.

The north was associated with a pair of divine beings, the Dark Warrior (Xuán Wǔ,Huyền võ), a tortoise-and-snake creature, with the season of winter, and with the color black[4](also often considered to be a deepish shade of blue). Each of the directions was also associated with one of thewǔ xíng,or five "elements" (sometimes also translated as "phases" or "materials" ): that of the north waswater.

According to Anthony Christie, the tortoise-and-snake combination was known as the Black Warrior. And, that although the worship of the other directions was an ancient practice, the worship of the north was usually avoided because the north was considered the dwelling place of a destructive deity of the ocean wind. However, the worship of the north was practiced, with sacrificial ceremonies to the Black Warrior, by the rulers of the Han dynasty, which claimed to rule with the protection of water and the north.[5]Although the Black Warrior is generally depicted as a snake entwining around a turtle, sometimes, they are viewed as two separable generals.[6]

Deities from snake

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Bai SuzhenandXiaoqingbecame deities from snakes.[7]

The nine-headed baby

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In Chinese mythology,Jiuying( cửu anh, "the nine-headed baby" ) is an ancient monster with nine snake-like heads, capable of spouting water and breathing fire. Its name comes from its cry, which resembles a baby’s wail. During the reign ofEmperor Yao,when ten suns appeared in the sky and caused widespread suffering, Jiuying was among the creatures that terrorized the people. To protect them, Emperor Yao sent the divine archerHou Yi,who shot and killed Jiuying near the fierce waters. The creature is mentioned in ancient texts such as theHuainanzi.[8]

Culture

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In Chinese culture, mythologized snakes and snake-like beings have various roles, including the calendar system, poetry, and literature.

Zodiacal snake

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In Chinese culture, years of theSnakeare sixth in the cycle, following theDragonYears, and recur every twelfth year. The Chinese New Year does not fall on a specific date, so it is essential tocheck the calendarto find the exact date on which eachSnakeYear actually begins.Snakeyears include: 1905, 1917, 1929, 1941, 1953, 1965, 1977, 1989, 2001, 2013, and 2025. The 12 "zodiacal" (that is, yearly) animals recur in a cycle of sixty years, with each animal occurring five times within the 60-year cycle, but with different aspects each of those 5 times. Thus, 2013 is a year of theyinwaterSnake,and actually starts on February 10, 2013 and lasts through January 30, 2014. The previous year of the yin waterSnakewas 1953.[9]

In Thai culture, the year of theSnakeis instead the year of the littleSnake,and the year of theDragonis the year of the bigSnake.

According to one mythical legend, there is a reason for the order of the 12 animals in the 12-year cycle. The story goes that a race was held to cross a great river, and the order of the animals in the cycle was based upon their order in finishing the race. In this story, theSnakecompensated for not being the best swimmer by hitching a hidden ride on theHorse'shoof, and when theHorsewas just about to cross the finish line, jumping out, scaring theHorse,and thus edging it out for sixth place.[citation needed]

The same 12 animals are also used to symbolize the cycle of hours in the day, each being associated with a two-hour time period. The "hour" of theSnakeis 9:00 to 11:00 a.m., the time when the sun warms up the earth, andSnakesslither out of their holes.

The reason the animal signs are referred to as "zodiacal" is because a person's personality is said to be influenced by the animal sign(s) ruling the time of birth, together with elemental aspect of that animal sign within the sexegenary (60 year) cycle. Similarly, the year governed by a particular animal sign is supposed to be characterized by it, with the effects particularly strong for people who were born in a year governed by the same animal sign.[9]

Characters

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The usual and general Chinese word and character forSnakeisshé(Chinese:;pinyin:shé;lit.'SnakeorSnakes'). As a zodiacal sign, theSnakeis associated withChinese:Tị;pinyin:,a proper noun referring to the 6th of the 12Earthly Branches,or to the double-hour of 9-00-11:00 a.m.

The Five Noxious Creatures

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On the fifth day of the fifth month of theChinese calendaris the festival of theDouble Fifth(Duanwu). Many of the activities traditional on this holiday involve expelling various sources of potential evil influences. One of these involves driving away theFive Noxious Creatures(wu du), of which theSnakeis one.[10]

Real and legendary

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Some reports of fantastic snakes may belong more properly to the field ofcryptozoology,legend, or folktale, rather than mythology or religion.

An example of this, is the "sudden striker" snake ofSunzi'sArt of Warthat was supposed to be able to fight with both head and tail, and was used as a simile for how a general who is expert at military deployment does so. The Sudden Striker snake supposedly lived on "Mount Ch'ang": (Roger T. Amesbelieves this to have beenMount Heng,but written with a different character to avoid a naming taboo on the given name ofHan Wendi).[11]

Other snake-like or reptilian creatures

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Zhulongor Zhuyin,Shan Hai Jing.

Other members of certain types ofChinese dragonare considered especially snake-like, such as theTeng,which is sometimes known as the "flying snake-dragon". Some reptilians are not at all snake-like, such as theAo.[12]

See also

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General

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Specific

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  • Bāshé(Ba xà), giant, elephant-eating snake.
  • Chī(Li) orchīlóng(Li long), a "hornless dragon".
  • Chinese dragon,Chinese dragons tend toward snake taxonomy.
  • Chì-sōng-zǐ(Xích tùng tử), sometimes said to have a serpent-endowed concubine.
  • (Cổ), including use ofsnake-venom.
  • Marquis of Sui's pearl,also known asSuí-Hóu-Zhū(Tùy hầu châu), an amazingluminous pearlgiven to a ruler ofSuistate by a grateful snake whose life he had saved.
  • Nāga(Na già), in China, generally more considered to be a dragon.
  • Snake-wine(shé-jiǔ,Xà tửu), a type of wine with alleged medicinal or tonic qualities.
  • Xiāngliǔ(Xiāng-Liǔ,Tương liễu), also known asXiāngyáo(Xiāng-Yáo,Tương diêu), a nine-headed snake or dragon.
  • Zhúlóng(Chúc long), also known asZhúyīn(Chúc âm), adivine torch-dragon.

Notes

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  1. ^Yang, 2005: page 4
  2. ^Yang, 2005: pages 12–13
  3. ^Eberhard: 2003[1986], page 268
  4. ^Christie, 1968: page 46
  5. ^Christie, 1968: pages 82–83
  6. ^Uschan, Michael V. (9 May 2014).Chinese Mythology.Greenhaven Publishing LLC.ISBN978-1-4205-1146-8.
  7. ^"Toàn đài duy nhất bạch xà miếu tiểu long niên đáo hương hỏa thịnh │TVBS tân văn võng".TVBS(in Chinese). 26 January 2013.
  8. ^Hoài nam tử(in Chinese). Nhất cá nhân. 28 July 2015. p. 43.
  9. ^ab2016 Snake Feng Shui Guide & Chinese Zodiac Forecast.Book Book.
  10. ^Eberhard: 2003[1986], "Noxious Creatures, The Five", pages 208–209
  11. ^Ames, 1993: page 158 and note 200 on page 294
  12. ^"Guiguzi," China's First Treatise on Rhetoric: A Critical Translation and Commentary.SIU Press. 19 August 2016.ISBN978-0-8093-3526-8.

References

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