Zodiac Stories in Traditional Chinese Culture

Lots of folk stories about zodiac animals have been passed down orally through generations. Rat: The Rat's Wedding — on the Rat-Wedding day, people keep quiet to not disturb the rat-bride's ceremony. Ox: Cowherd and Weaver Girl — the old ox helped the cowherd meet his lover, the weaver girl. Tiger: Wu Song Fights the Tiger — Wu Song killed a fierce tiger on Jingyang Hill, showing the tiger's ferocity. Rabbit: Jade Rabbit Pounding Medicine — The Jade Rabbit on the moon pounds immortality medicine with a pestle. Dragon: Drawing Dragon and Dotting Eyes — a painter drew dragons, and when he added eyes, the dragons flew out of the wall. Snake: Legend of the White Snake — the white snake Bai Suzhen turns human and falls in love with mortal Xu Xian. Horse: Bole Recognizes Fine Horses — Bole can tell great horses from ordinary ones, meaning recognizing talent. Goat: Su Wu Herding Sheep — Su Wu was exiled to herd sheep, holding fast to his loyalty. Monkey: Sun Wukong's Heavenly Rebellion — the stone monkey Sun Wukong is a powerful mythological monkey figure. Rooster: Rise at Rooster Crow — Zu Ti got up to practice sword-fighting upon hearing rooster crow, an inspirational story. Dog: Heavenly Hound — the loyal divine dog belonging to God Erlang. Pig: Zhu Bajie — Marshal Tian-Peng turned into the gluttonous, honest-hearted Pig-Monster. These stories give human personalities to animals and enrich zodiac culture.