Concept
The snake, as one of the ancient totems of Chinese civilization, embodies fertility and the power of reproduction.
In Chinese mythology, the human ancestors Fuxi and Nuwa are depicted with human heads and snake bodies.
The snake may also serve as the primary model for the dragon totem.
Chinese people often affectionately refer to snakes as“ little dragons”.
Placing the dragon and snake in the twelve zodiac signs further underscores this connection.
During Ming and Qing dynasties, dragons and snakes frequently adorned the ceremonial attire of rulers and officials.
The dragon’s image was a privilege of the imperial family, while the python, as one of the snake species, was crafted into ceremonial robes.
The combination of the snake and turtle became one of the traditional four directional Chinese deities, representing the northern Xuanwu, which is believed to ward off evil and bring blessings.
In ancient Egypt, the snake was the pharaoh’s guardian god.
The ancient Greeks believed the snake was the symbol of immortality.
The ancient Romans showed it in many statues.
In pre-Christian Europe, the image of two snakes was carved on envoys’ crutch to manifest their power, as the snake was also a symbol of authority.
Its scales glisten brightly, and as it glides lively, the snake carries with it a mysterious beauty.
2025 is the yisi Year of the Snake, so this Museum has selected a series of snake-related objects and placed them on display. As well as introducing the long history of Chinese and Western culture related to snakes, we also wish our visitors a Happy New Year in which all their aspirations are met and their plans are realized.
Snakes of ancient Chinese civilization
In the chapter “The Hereditary Houses of the Families Related to the Emperors by Marriage” of Records of the Grand Historian, Sima Qian (145 BCE–?) writes: “When the snake metamorphosized into the dragon, the characters used to indicate them were not changed”. This proves that the theory that the snake evolved gradually to become the dragon in the Han dynasty was current. In the Southern dynasties, Liang Renfang (460–508), in his Shuyi ji (Records relating the extraordinary), says: “After five hundred years, the hui venomous snake evolved into the jiao water serpent, which itself, after a thousand years, evolved into the dragon.” The theory of the snake metamorphosizing into the dragon was perhaps recorded in its earliest complete form here.
On the west wall of the Han dynasty Wuliang Shrine, the second level, images of eleven ancient emperors are incised. Legend has it that the ancestors of mankind, Fuxi and Nüwa, are found at the head of the sequence. Nüwa is grasping a gui compass for drawing circles, while Fuxi is holding a ju set-square, and they have human heads, snake bodies, and intertwined tails.
The Qin and Han dynasties were an important epoch for the depiction of Fuxi and Nüwa. Human heads, snake bodies, and intertwined tails, which nourishes and nurtures the myriad objects, a self-replicating life unceasing, expressing importance ascribed to the reproductivity of life. Regarding images incised at the Wuliang Shrine, Nüwa grasps a gui compass in her right hand, while Fuxi holds a ju set-square in his left. An adage indicates ‘‘without compass or setsquare (rules of propriety), neither square nor circle can be drawn.’’ The ‘‘compass’’ represents the circle and the Way of Heaven, while also embodying the principle of the perfectly fused roundness of femininity. The ‘‘set-square’’ represents the square and the wider earth, while also embodying the principle of the square-like rectitude of masculinity. Only when yin and yang are in harmony can the earth rotate smoothly on its axis.
Snakes in the civilization of ancient India
In ancient Indian civilization, Naga and Nagini are spirits with human heads and snake bodies. Their origin stems from the celebrated ancient Sanskrit epic The Mahabharat. In the Indian culture of South Asia, they occupy a venerated and holy status and carry a multiplicity of cultural significance with them.
As has been transmitted to the present day, Naga often appears in the guise of a one- or seven-headed cobra in Brahman, Hindu, and Buddhist scriptures. Indian legend considers that Naga is a descendant of the grandson Kashyapa of the Creator God Brahma and Surasa (the daughter of Daksa), which led to the formation of the Naga tribe, that is, the “snake tribe”.
Amongst the iconography of Indian deities, Shiva (one of the three principal Hindu gods) has a snake wound around his neck, which symbolizes a balance between desire and vitality, whilst Vishnu (another of the three principal Hindu gods) has snakes in his bed, which represents the revolution of time. In the mythological tale “Adi Parva” (Churning of the ocean) of The Mahabharat, Naga, with his human head and snake body, has unlimited strength, and he assists Mahabharat to split open the Heavens and open out the earth.
In folk culture, the snake slithers along the ground, and is thus regarded as the most cognizant of the rhythms of the wider earth of all sentient beings. It is the guardian protector of the natural world.
In Indian mythology, the deities are also subject to the travails of birth, old age, illness, and death. To obtain the nectar of immortality, the benevolent spirit Deva and the malevolent spirit Asura, although originally engaged in mutual conflict, decided to unite to churn the milky ocean at the centre of the universe. They each brought their clan and used Mandara Mountain as the churning rod, while the body of Vasouki, the King of the Naga, was to be the rope. They combined their utmost strength to churn the ocean. Finally, they were successful in obtaining the nectar of immortality. This ‘‘Picture of Adi Parva” depicts this myth.
Snakes in ancient Greek and Roman civilization
Ancient Greece and Rome are two important wellsprings of Western civilization. Greek civilization originated in the Greek peninsula, while Roman civilization flourished in Italy. As an inheritor of ancient Greek civilization, Roman civilization is a subsequent summit, and with both at the core of Western civilization, their influence has been immense.
In Greek mythology, the snake is a symbol of curing illness and well-being. The emblem of the World Health Organization consists of a snake wound around a sceptre and has its origin in the ancient Greek myth of Asclepius, known as Aesculapius in Roman mythology. He was a son of Apollo, the god of the sun, and every time he treated a patient, he would take with him the ‘‘snake-rod’’ or ‘‘caduceus’’ that his father had given to him. Statuary of the god of medicine typically has the deity holding a substantial caduceus in his hand. According to legend, after the god of medicine died, he ascended to the sky, where he metamorphosized into the constellation Ophiuchus.
In 1748, in the Archaeological Park of Pompeii, a Roman temple mural was excavated in which is depicted the sceptre and snake of the god of medicine, Aesculapius.
In China, a legend tells that at the time of the Tang dynasty, Sun Enmiao (?–682), a celebrated doctor and expert in medicinal preparations, renowned as the ‘‘King of Medicines’’ had once saved the life of the Dragon King’s son, Little Green Snake. As a reward, he was bestowed an array of extraordinary medical prescriptions, and he wrote the text Qian Jin Fang (A Thousand Golden Prescriptions), which cured many people.