Snakes in Chinese mythology
Snakes are a key motif in Chinese mythology and zodiac.
Snakes (also known as serpents) are an important motif in Chinese mythology, appearing in various myths, legends, and folk tales. These stories are found in the historical geographic area of China and are transmitted by Han Chinese as well as other ethnic groups, of which fifty-six are officially recognized by the current administration of China. Snakes often appear as fantastic beings unlike any possible real snake, sometimes having a mix of snake with other body parts, such as a human head, or magical abilities like shape-shifting.
- Field
- Chinese mythology
- Nationality
- China
- Known for
- Motif in myths, legends, and folk tales; zodiacal sign; deity forms
- Associated deities
- Fuxi, Nüwa, Gong Gong, Yanwei, Bai Suzhen, Xiaoqing
- Zodiac position
- Sixth in the 12-year cycle
- Zodiac hour
- 9:00 to 11:00 a.m.
Lore & Background
In Chinese mythology, snakes appear as deities, monsters, and shape-shifting beings. Notable snake-like deities include Fuxi and Nüwa, sometimes described as snakes with human heads or humans with dragon or serpent tails. Yanwei is a snake deity with a human head, a snake’s body, two heads, a purple body, red heads, and a length roughly that of a cart's yoke; it abhors thunder and worshiping it is believed to grant power to dominate the world. The Dark Warrior (Xuán Wǔ) is a tortoise-and-snake creature associated with the north, winter, the color black, and the element water; it was worshiped by Han dynasty rulers.
Reader's Guide
Snakes in Chinese mythology hold significance across multiple domains: as deities, zodiacal symbols, and cultural motifs. The snake is the sixth animal in the 12-year zodiac cycle, with years such as 1905, 1917, 1929, 1941, 1953, 1965, 1977, 1989, 2001, 2013, and 2025. A mythical legend explains the order of the zodiac animals through a race across a great river, where the Snake hitched a ride on the Horse's hoof and jumped out to scare the Horse, taking sixth place. The snake also represents the double-hour from 9:00 to 11:00 a.m. In the festival of the Double Fifth (Duanwu), the Snake is one of the Five Noxious Creatures driven away. Mythologized snakes appear in poetry, literature, and the calendar system, and some reports of fantastic snakes belong to cryptozoology or folktale rather than mythology.
Did You Know?
- The snake is the sixth animal in the 12-year Chinese zodiac cycle, following the Dragon.
- Yanwei is a snake deity with two heads, a purple body, and red heads, and it abhors thunder.
- In the zodiac race legend, the Snake hitched a ride on the Horse's hoof to finish sixth.
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