In human perception, the snake is filled with an aura of mystery and eeriness, yet at the same time, it is a tangible creature that is both dazzling and beautiful, calm and composed, while also exuding danger and malevolence. The ambiguous distance between snakes and humans, along with the snake's unique attributes, has inspired profound reverence and curiosity in people, leading to the emergence of various supernatural snake legends that arose in response to the times.
Snakes have no feet yet can move as swiftly as lightning; though their bodies are slender, they can instantly bring down a massive creature; every two to three months, snakes shed their skin and emerge as if reborn; in winter, they retreat into hiding and enter a deep, prolonged slumber; they can even dance gracefully to music—all these traits of snakes were seen by ancient people as embodying profound wisdom and inscrutable mysteries.
In the view of ancient people, the snake’s abilities closely resembled mysterious sorcery: since it could move as swiftly as lightning, it could serve as a medium between humans and the divine; since it could shed its skin and be reborn, this implied immortality; and with its potent venom capable of killing even massive creatures, it was deeply connected to ghosts, spirits, and all things supernatural. As a result, the snake naturally became an important figure in sorcery, giving rise to all kinds of extraordinary snakes, divine snakes, and anomalous snakes.
The Ba Snake, also known as the Xiu Snake, is described in the Shan Hai Jing (Classic of Mountains and Seas), specifically in the "Classic of Regions Within the Seas: The South" section, which states: "The Ba Snake devours elephants, and after three years, it expels their bones." During the Warring States period (475–221 BCE), Qu Yuan wrote in his poem "Tian Wen" (Questions to Heaven): "A snake that swallows an elephant — how great must it be?" This snake is the Ba Snake, and its ability to swallow an elephant reveals its immense and unparalleled size.
The Ming Snake: According to the "Classic of Mountains and Seas, Second Classic of the Central Mountains" (Shanhaijing, Zhongci Er Jing), "Mount Xian contains much gold and jade but has no vegetation. The Xian River originates there and flows northward into the Yi River. In this river dwell many Ming Snakes, which resemble snakes but have four wings. Their sound is like that of a chime-stone (or yam, depending on interpretation). When they appear, the region will suffer a great drought."
According to the "Classic of Mountains and Seas: The Twelfth Sequence of the Central Mountains" (Shanhaijing: Zhongci Shier Jing), it is recorded: "On Chaisang Mountain, there is much silver above and much jasper below... among its beasts are many elk and deer, as well as many white snakes and flying snakes." Guo Pu's commentary notes: "This refers to the soaring snake, one that rides the mists and flies."
According to Xu Bowu Zhi (Continued Records of Extensive Knowledge), it is first mentioned that there is a Hook Snake in the mountains, measuring seven or eight zhang (approximately 23 to 26 meters) in length, with a forked tip at the end of its tail. It dwells in mountain streams and uses its tail to hook people and cattle on the shore, devouring them. The miasma near the water is particularly noxious, and within this miasma, there exists a creature whose form remains invisible. It makes a sound, and when it strikes a tree, the tree breaks; when it strikes a person, it causes harm. This is called a "Ghost Bullet."
According to Volume 9 of Gezhi Jingyuan (Mirror of Origins of Natural History) quoting Chen Ding's Shepu (Treatise on Snakes), the "Human Snake" is described as follows: It is seven feet long with a color like ink. It has a snake head, snake tail, and snake body, with a tail about one foot long, yet it possesses human feet and hands, each three feet in length.
When it walks upright, it gathers in groups, and upon encountering people, it giggles; after laughing, it immediately turns to bite, yet it moves very slowly. Hearing its laughter, one can escape by running quickly. Two-headed snake: According to "Youyang Zazu" (Miscellaneous Morsels from Youyang), it is said that seeing a two-headed snake is an omen of misfortune. When Sunshu Ao of the Chu State saw one, he knew he was destined to die, but to save future generations, he killed the snake and buried it, and in the end, he did not die.
The "Human-Calling Snake" is described by Chen Ding of the Qing Dynasty in his work "Snake Records" (She Pu): "The human-calling snake is over ten feet long, reaching several zhang (a zhang is about 3.33 meters). It is found in the mountains near Jiaozhi (ancient name for northern Vietnam) in Guangxi. Hiding in the grass and thickets, when it encounters travelers passing by, it loudly calls out: 'Where from? Where to?' These six words are very clear, with a pronunciation similar to that of the Central Plains (referring to standard Chinese dialect). If someone unknowingly responds, even if they are dozens of li (a li is about 500 meters) away, the snake will surely come. Upon arrival, a foul wind stirs the trees, pushing through vegetation, and it devours the responder before leaving. No one can stop it."
According to volume four of Qing Dynasty scholar Liang Shaoren's "Two Kinds of Autumn Rain Studio Jottings" (Liangban Qiuyu'an Suibi), there is a snake called the "Human-Measuring Snake" in Qiongzhou, Guangdong. It is six to seven chi (approximately 2 to 2.3 meters) long. When it encounters a person, it stands upright to measure their height before biting them. The locals say that when this snake measures someone, it makes a sound like "I am tall." If the person also responds by saying "I am tall," the snake will immediately fall down and die.
Shuairan (the Quick-Responding Snake): According to the "Classic of Divine Marvels: Western Wilderness Classic" (Shenyi Jing: Xihuang Jing), it is recorded: "In the mountains of the western wilderness, there is a snake with a head and tail that are slightly larger than its body, and it has a five-colored pattern. When a person or creature touches it, if the head is struck, the tail will immediately attack; if the waist is struck, both the head and tail will attack simultaneously. It is called Shuairan (the Quick-Responding Snake)."
Giant Snake: Lu Xun's "Gleanings from Ancient Novels" (Gu Xiaoshuo Gouceng) quotes "Records of the Mysterious Middle" (Xuanzhong Ji), saying: "To the northwest of Kunlun Mountain, there is a mountain with a circumference of thirty thousand li. A giant snake coils around it, completing three full circuits. The snake is ninety thousand li long. The snake dwells on this mountain and drinks from the vast ocean."
These various legends of supernatural spirits and strange creatures fully reflect the deep-seated fear and terror that Chinese people hold toward snakes in their innermost hearts. Yet this fear and terror of snakes gradually transformed into worship among the ancient ancestors, so it is not surprising that the snake was thus selected as one of the twelve zodiac animals.
Further Reading
According to folklore, the Snake originally had four legs.
In recent years, incidents of snakes with legs have been frequently reported in Shandong, Zhejiang, and Sichuan provinces. In Linyi City, Shandong Province, a citizen discovered a snake approximately one meter long, as thick as an adult's thumb, with a triangular head resembling the legendary dragon. About 30 centimeters from its head, two legs about one centimeter long grew symmetrically on both sides of the snake's body, with five clearly visible toes spreading outward. Experts consulted explained that snakes originally belong to the reptilian class of tetrapods, meaning they originally had four legs. However, as snakes evolved, their legs gradually degenerated, resulting in the current "legless" form. This particular snake, however, is quite "unconventional" — not only does it have legs, but it has two legs. Based on the shape of its "toes," experts concluded that this phenomenon is a rare case of atavism, occurring with extremely low probability.