The cultural symbol of the snake

　　Walk on the belly and eat the soil for life-the myths and legends of snakes

　　A long time ago, snakes and frogs were friends, but snakes had four legs at that time, but frogs had no legs and crawled on their stomachs. But snakes are delicious and lazy. Frogs are very diligent. They not only catch insects for snakes, but also help people catch insects. So of course humans hate snakes and like frogs.

　　The snake found that people hated him and began to hate people. It bites when it sees people and eats when it sees animals, making the world very uneasy. Seeing the lawsuit, the God of the Land reported to the Tiangong. The Jade Emperor passed the snake to the palace to persuade him to correct evil and do good, but the snake uttered wild words and had no intention of repentance. The Jade Emperor was furious and ordered the god soldiers to chop off the snake's four legs to avoid harm. Since then, the snake has lost four legs. The Jade Emperor also saw that the frog was worthy of others, and gave the snake's four legs to the frog. After the frog had legs, he became more diligent.

　　Knowing that he had made a mistake, the snake was determined to reform himself, and also began to eat pests, dragging a long body, silently doing good deeds for mankind. The snake also followed the dragon to control water. After the snake died, it also dedicated its body to humans, as a medicine to treat many patients. The Jade Emperor saw that the snake knew that it could change and worked hard, so when he canonized the twelve zodiac signs, he placed it behind the dragon and became the zodiac of mankind.

　　After the snake becomes a zodiac sign, of course, it does not take the initiative to hurt people. Once the evil thoughts have sprouted, they will turn into a layer of skin and take them off to show that they will re-behave. Nevertheless, it still has a grudge against the frog for having its four legs, so to this day, snakes still bite when they see a frog. The frog knew it was taking advantage of the snake, so when it saw the snake, it would tremble with fear and hurriedly avoid it.

　　Obviously, the snake became a sign of the zodiac by its own efforts.

　　Coincidentally, in the world's several ancient civilizations, Babylon, Greece, Egypt, India and other countries, except China, also have the folklore of the twelve zodiac signs, and there are snakes without exception. The snake in the Garden of Eden recorded in the "Bible" dared to risk God's forbidden law and inspired the ancestors of mankind, Adam and Eve, to steal the forbidden fruit, so that mankind knew good and evil and had seven emotions and six desires. The snake was punished by "walking on its belly and eating dirt for life". This feat of the snake is as great as Prometheus who stole the sky and fire to the world. The famous Mayan Kukulkan Temple, which means the Feathered Serpent Temple. The favored object of the Greek goddess of wisdom, Athena, is a snake that symbolizes wisdom and longevity. Hermes, the envoy of Zeus, always held a double snake stick symbolizing privilege. As for India, it is a country full of snake worship. In fact, the legendary ancestors of Yan and Huang, Fuxi and Nuwa clans, worshiped snakes as totems. This series of phenomena shows that snakes have an extremely long indissoluble bond with humans, and it is not surprising that China regards snakes as its own zodiac sign.

　　People often refer to Snake Ya as "Little Dragon" to show respect. The skin that the snake takes off is called the snake slough, also known as "dragon clothing"; the third month of the folk custom lunar calendar is the day when the snake ends hibernation and goes out of the cave. It is also called "the dragon raises its head." These are all comparing snakes to dragons. In fact, the dragon is also created by the imagination of people adding branches and leaves to the foundation of the snake. Nevertheless, the status and symbolic significance of the snake and the dragon are worlds apart.

　　The symbolic meaning of the snake, people first think of its viciousness. Many people have an inexplicable sense of fear when they think of snakes.

　　The second symbolic meaning of the snake is insidious and indifferent. This is probably related to the fact that snakes are so-called "cold-blooded animals", so coldness is also considered a characteristic of snakes.

　　The third symbolic meaning of the snake is unpredictable. Snakes can crawl without feet, and often come and go without a trace, which is very mysterious. Mystery leads people to worship the snake.

　　The fourth symbolic meaning of the snake is cunning. This symbolic meaning is derived from the "Bible". The "Bible" says that the snake is the most cunning of all things created by God Jehovah. Because of its lure, Eve and Adam in the Garden of Eden ate the fruit of wisdom. , Adam and Eve were driven out of the Garden of Eden, and mankind has "original sin" ever since.

　　Whether it is Chinese culture or Western culture, the main symbolic meaning of snakes is derogatory. But this is not entirely true. The symbolic meaning of the snake also has a positive side. The first symbolic meaning of the front of the snake is luck, auspiciousness and sacredness. The second positive symbolic meaning is the pursuit of love and happiness. This significance is mainly reflected in the traditional folk story "The Legend of the White Snake". The third positive symbolic meaning is longevity, reproduction and wealth. In Chinese culture, snakes and turtles are symbols of longevity. The fourth positive symbolism is medicine and medical industry. There is a saying among Chinese folks that snakes can recognize herbs.

Snake