The origin of the Asian animal zodiac is lost somewhere in the mists of antiquity. It must have begun, certainly, in some remote past when the relationship of men to animal was close, warm, and sympathetic.
The I Ching (Book of Changes), the most ancient of all Chinese records, shows a map of the heavens called Ssu Fang, with mythical animals having dominion not only over the Four Directions of the Universe, but also over the four seasons of the year. Winter and North were represented by the Black Tortoise (Kuei She), spring and the East by the Blue Dragon (Ch’ing Lung), summer and South by the Phoenix (Chu Ch’ieh), and autumn and West by the White Tiger (Pai Hu).
So, inevitably the animal zodiac was caught up in legend. The tale that recounts the selection of the twelve special animals that make up the cycle related that when lord Buddha lay dying, he summoned all the animals of the forest to bid them farewell. These twelve – the rat, the ox (cow), the tiger, the rabbit, the dragon, the snake, the horse, the ram, the monkey, the rooster, the dog, and the pig – were the first to reach his bedside and so were honored by selection for this immortality in the order of their arrival.
The I Ching (Book of Changes), the most ancient of all Chinese records, shows a map of the heavens called Ssu Fang, with mythical animals having dominion not only over the Four Directions of the Universe, but also over the four seasons of the year. Winter and North were represented by the Black Tortoise (Kuei She), spring and the East by the Blue Dragon (Ch’ing Lung), summer and South by the Phoenix (Chu Ch’ieh), and autumn and West by the White Tiger (Pai Hu).
So, inevitably the animal zodiac was caught up in legend. The tale that recounts the selection of the twelve special animals that make up the cycle related that when lord Buddha lay dying, he summoned all the animals of the forest to bid them farewell. These twelve – the rat, the ox (cow), the tiger, the rabbit, the dragon, the snake, the horse, the ram, the monkey, the rooster, the dog, and the pig – were the first to reach his bedside and so were honored by selection for this immortality in the order of their arrival.
