Snakes in Chinese mythology

Chinese mythology refers to these and other myths found in the historical geographic area(s) of China.

[2] In ancient China, some of the river gods which were worshiped were depicted in the form of some sort of snake or snake-like being:[3] In the ancient China of the Han dynasty (206 BCE – 220 CE), worship of Four Directional deities developed, the directions were east, south, west, and north.

This set of correlations of five whatevers included many more than mentioned here, in the elaborated philosophical system of Wǔ Xíng (五行), although some of the basics related to directional deities was much older.

[8] In Chinese mythology, Jiuying (九嬰, "the nine-headed baby") is an ancient monster with nine snake-like heads, capable of spouting water and breathing fire.

During the reign of Emperor Yao, when ten suns appeared in the sky and caused widespread suffering, Jiuying was among the creatures that terrorized the people.

To protect them, Emperor Yao sent the divine archer Hou Yi, who shot and killed Jiuying near the fierce waters.

[9] In Chinese culture, mythologized snakes and snake-like beings have various roles, including the calendar system, poetry, and literature.

[citation needed] The same 12 animals are also used to symbolize the cycle of hours in the day, each being associated with a two-hour time period.

[11] Some reports of fantastic snakes may belong more properly to the field of cryptozoology, legend, or folktale, rather than mythology or religion.

An example of this, is the "sudden striker" snake of Sunzi's Art of War that was supposed to be able to fight with both head and tail, and was used as a simile for how a general who is expert at military deployment does so.