Snake sticks its fangs into myth and culture
Reptile with important symbolism sees reputation grow, Wang Ru reports.
As a matter of fact, the ancient Chinese had detailed observations of snakes, gaining profound insights into their biological characteristics. This led to the gradual development of diverse and complicated sentiments toward these creatures, as evidenced by the numerous cultural artifacts and myths they left behind.
The earliest known cultural relics related to snakes can be traced back to nearly 8,000 years ago in northeastern China, where Chahai Site in Fuxin, Liaoning province, has unveiled a cylindrical pottery jar embossed with the pattern of a snake biting a frog.
"The pattern probably came from people's observation of the biological features of the animal, without a religious symbolism," says Han Ding, an associate professor of archaeology at Henan University. He adds that snake patterns continued to exist during the Neolithic period, from this vessel to the Yangshao Culture in the middle reaches of the Yellow River dating back 5,000 to 7,000 years and then to Liangzhu Culture in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River from 5,300 to 4,000 years ago. These snake images occasionally adorned ritual vessels, possibly reflecting concepts related to beliefs, but their sacredness fell far short of the later motifs.
