The Legend Of The White Snake
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Legend & Mythology
Legend & Mythology
Based upon the Chinese legend, a snake demon and a human fall in love. But their love slowly endanger the human realm, and a Buddhist monk must intervene to restore order.
Written by Mélodie Rivers; first draft published October 17 2014
Written by Mélodie Rivers; first draft published October 17 2014
The Chinese once believed that two realms existed and interacted: the humans’ and the demons’. But the demons unwillingly drained the humans’ vital energy, due to the demons’s magical powers; so a Divine Law was created to protect the humans, forbidden interaction between them and demons. Our legend is about such an interaction; more precisely, it is about true love, for which a demon challenged the Law.
Beside the West Lake, beneath the mountains of Hangzhou, two sister Snake-demons roamed the hills; one with a white body called Susu, and one with an emerald body called Qingqing. But unlike all other demons, the sisters wished only for joy, happiness, and love.
One day, a kind human herbalist named Xu Xian came to the mountains to harvest precious medicinal flowers. As the sisters secretly watched him, Susu became fascinated; for he picked seemingly insignificant flowers, not the beautiful roses, like many do.
But Qingqing worried that he would strip the mountain bare; so she played a prank. As the herbalist was climbing the mountain, Qingqing appeared before him under her snake form; terrified, he lost his grip and fell into the lake. Seeing that he was drowning, Susu transformed into a full human form, dived in the lake, and kissed him deeply, giving him oxygen.
Xu Xian opened his eyes, and looked upon the fairest women he ever laid eyes upon; and on that instant, he fell deeply in love. And when Susu opened her eyes, and gazed into his, she too fell deeply in love. The lack of oxygen put him back to sleep, and Susu broke the kiss, pushed him to the surface before swimming away.
Annoyed, Qingqing asked her sister why she saved his life. But Susu didn't answered, too smitten by the herbalist.
Xu Xian's friends found him on the shore; when he opened his eyes, he asked desperately where Susu was. No one understood, and they attributed it to an hallucination. But the herbalist could not forget the fair lady in the water.
During this accident, another event was forming in the village of Hangzhou: bat-demons were feeding on humans; in order to save the villagers, the Buddhist sorcerer monk Fahai, Abbot of the Jinshan Temple, and his disciple Neng Ren, travelled to Hangzhou. But as Fahai and Neng Ren arrived, Susu decided to find Xu Xian in that same village, to see him, and took Qingqing. After many tricks, Susu found herself alone with Xu Xian; Xu Xian, not recognizing her, refused her affections, for he only wanted Susu. Susu pushed Xu Xian in the water, dived, and kissed him, rekindling his memory of their kiss.
On her side, Qingqing decided to make human friends, and she stumbled upon Neng Ren, who was tracking the bat-demons. While chatting, Qingqing discovered about the Divine Law, and how all encountered demons had hurt people, resulting in Fahai and Neng Ren believing that there was no good demons.
But then, Neng Ren attacked by himself the bat-demons, got bit, and slowly transformed into a demon; discovering that he became what he hunted, he fled. Attached to her new friend, Qingqing took care of him while he was transforming.
When searching for his missing disciple, Fahai stumbled upon a demon lair, and Qingqing distracted him while the demons fled. As Fahai was about to exorcise her, a now fully transformed Neng Ren protected her. Neng Ren explained how Qingqing saved his life, and how he couldn’t return to the Temple, as he was now a demon. Neng Ren bid his farewell to his old master, and flied away carrying an unconscious Qingqing; Fahai led them go, shaken in his resolve that all demons were evil.
During this time, Susu and Xu Xian decided to marry. But when the Hangzhou villagers became poisoned by fox-demons, Susu infused Xu Xian’s medicine with her vital energy, though she lost centuries of her lifespan, and gave this medicine to the villagers.
Fahai noticed how all the villagers were cured, and became suspicious, for only a demon's power could cure another demon's poison. After finding that Xu Xian’s wife helped with the medicine, Fahai gave Xu Xian a spirit-dagger, as a gift. Fahai found Susu and confronted her alone. He admired that she gave selflessly centuries of her life to save the villagers, but she snorted, saying that he thought all demons hurt people; he answered that indeed, she would end up hurting Xu Xian. As she was shocked, he explained how by remaining with Xu Xian, she drained his vital energy; she had to leave him. As Susu pleaded that she loved him, Fahai reminded her that she put a spell on Xu Xian, and wrongfully made him love her; he then warned her that he would let her go, as she was kind, but if she didn’t left the human realm, he would stop her.
Susu, torn by his words, for all of them were indeed true, wondered what to do.
As she decided to remain with Xu Xian, the herbalist came home and showed how the villagers thanked them with food. While they ate, Susu drank a medicinal wine against snake bites. As she started to change back to a snake, she fled and locked herself into a room, so that Xu Xian didn’t see her transform. The roof of the room collapsed, and Fahai entered, finding that she didn't left the human realm. In anger, she attacked him in her snake form, and when he pushed her back, she tripped over Xu Xian. Terrified, the herbalist stabbed her with the spirit-dagger. As she fled through the floor, Xu Xian asked where was his wife, and was devastated when Fahai answered that she was the snake.
Torn by guilt, Xu Xian learned from Susu's friend, a mouse-demon, that the only way to save her was with the spirit-herb, which was kept in the Leifeng Pagoda. Xu Xian set out to take it, but what he didn't know was that the spirit-herb also kept all the evil demons imprisoned. Once he took it, the spell broke, the demons got freed and possessed his body; Xu Xian gave the herb to the mouse-demon so she could save Susu.
Fahai hurried to the Pagoda, and he called all the monks to perform an exorcism upon Xu Xian.
The mouse-demon gave the spirit-herb to Susu, and the latter healed; but upon hearing that Xu Xian was in the Jinshan Temple, Susu suspected a foul play, and she hurried to save him. Fahai was expecting her, waiting outside of the magically sealed Temple. She pleaded to leave with Xu Xian, but the monk explained how the herbalist got possessed and an exorcism was under way, one which couldn’t be interrupted, lest Xu Xian be killed by the interruption. Angered, Susu threatened to flood the Temple if Fahai didn’t gave her Xu Xian; the monk reminded her that she said she would never hurt humans. But Susu would hear none of it, so she flooded the temple. Fahai protected Jinshan for some time, but after being attacked by surprise, the powerful wave broke apart the Temple. Doing so, Susu unwillingly broke the exorcism ritual upon Xu Xian, and the latter collapsed, unconscious.
While Fahai got distracted, Susu broke the remaining doors open, entered, and found Xu Xian drowning, unconscious; she brought him unto a nearby shore. When he revived, Susu joyfully hugged him tightly. But Xu Xian, confused, declared that he didn’t knew her. When she told him they were married, he asked in shock when it happened.
Susu gasped, and when Fahai joined them on the shore, she demanded to know what he did. Fahai replied that he didn’t do anything: when she flood the Temple, it interrupted the exorcism, making Xu Xian lose his memory; and that despite intentions, she indeed ended up hurting him, as he predicted.
But Susu didn’t believed him, and believed he lied to make her leave Xu Xian; furious, she called upon sea serpents to poison Fahai. During this time, the temple fell completely, and all the monks drowned.
Weakened and gravely wounded, Fahai collapsed on a rock, and looked with guilt at the damage around him. To his consternation, he saw the bat-demon Neng Ren lifting the drowning monks and carrying them to safety. Upon seeing this, Fahai started to be filled with doubt, and he looked up to the heavens, wondering if he was wrong to uphold the Law, as his stubbornness created destruction instead of protection.
Intent on stopping completely Fahai, Susu destroyed the Leifeng Pagoda, and used the bricks as a weapons, throwing them to the monk. But a light came from the clouds, countered her attack, and magically rebuild the Pagoda around her, trapping her.
Susu, threw herself at the door, pleaded and cried to see Xu Xian once more, as Fahai and Xu Xian stood outside the Pagoda, the monk silently hurt to hear her crying; but he could do nothing, as the Pagoda was sealed with a magic beyond his. Susu looked to the heavens, crying, and asked how could one judge if their love was real or not, and how one could pretend to be benevolent, yet forbid her love. Exhausted and hopeless, she finally started realizing what she had done; she knelt in the middle of the Pagoda, and willingly accepted the punishment for breaking the Divine Law; she only asked for one moment with Xu Xian. A golden light filled the Pagoda, and Fahai smiled, thanked Buddha for his mercy, and declared he finally understood too.
Given, as a reward, a momentary boost in magic, Fahai lifted the Pagoda, leaving a gap for Susu to pass. Happy at that small favour, Susu ran to Xu Xian, and told him how one moment with him made her happier than thousands of years of meditation, and how she finally didn’t minded him not remembering her, as her own memories would be enough. Upon that, she kissed Xu Xian one last time, without placing any spell on him. Xu Xian suddenly remembered her, and he loved her, this time for real. The golden light in the Pagoda faded, and Susu was magically dragged back, Xu Xian desperately trying to hold her back.
The Pagoda sealed shut and Xu Xian stood by the door, calling her name; but she didn't answered, and turned into her snake form, accepting her punishment, as promised.
As for Qingqing and Neng Ren, when Susu attacked the Jinshan Temple, Qingqing joined her, and distracted Fahai while Susu rescued Xu Xian. Fahai wounded her, and she fell in the water; after saving the drowning monks, Neng Ren took her to safety, and both watched Susu’s imprisonment. When the Pagoda sealed shut for the last time, Qingqing declared she didn’t wanted to love anyone, and abandoned Neng Ren.
Xu Xian became caretaker of the Pagoda, so he could be beside Susu during her sentence. As for Fahai, he grew more compassionate about demons. His once disciple Neng Ren would often fly over him, requesting an apple, something which Fahai always granted.
"Neng Ren," Fahai one day told the bat-demon, "that new form you have, it suits you."
And to that, both smiled, as each went their own way.
Luckily, the legend ends happily. During their marriage, Susu and Xu Xian had a son. Fahai allowed Xu Xian to raise the child, as both were innocent from Susu’s actions. Many years later, when the child was now a distinguished scholar, he wished to free his mother, so that she and his father could be together once more. He walked to the Pagoda, and asked for Susu’s freedom, declaring that he would take her place. Moved by the boy's sacrifice, and judging that Susu took responsibility for her actions without complaining, Buddha freed Susu without any compensation.
And so, Susu, Xu Xian and their son lived together happily, making it the first and only allowed interaction between a demon and an human.
Beside the West Lake, beneath the mountains of Hangzhou, two sister Snake-demons roamed the hills; one with a white body called Susu, and one with an emerald body called Qingqing. But unlike all other demons, the sisters wished only for joy, happiness, and love.
One day, a kind human herbalist named Xu Xian came to the mountains to harvest precious medicinal flowers. As the sisters secretly watched him, Susu became fascinated; for he picked seemingly insignificant flowers, not the beautiful roses, like many do.
But Qingqing worried that he would strip the mountain bare; so she played a prank. As the herbalist was climbing the mountain, Qingqing appeared before him under her snake form; terrified, he lost his grip and fell into the lake. Seeing that he was drowning, Susu transformed into a full human form, dived in the lake, and kissed him deeply, giving him oxygen.
Xu Xian opened his eyes, and looked upon the fairest women he ever laid eyes upon; and on that instant, he fell deeply in love. And when Susu opened her eyes, and gazed into his, she too fell deeply in love. The lack of oxygen put him back to sleep, and Susu broke the kiss, pushed him to the surface before swimming away.
Annoyed, Qingqing asked her sister why she saved his life. But Susu didn't answered, too smitten by the herbalist.
Xu Xian's friends found him on the shore; when he opened his eyes, he asked desperately where Susu was. No one understood, and they attributed it to an hallucination. But the herbalist could not forget the fair lady in the water.
During this accident, another event was forming in the village of Hangzhou: bat-demons were feeding on humans; in order to save the villagers, the Buddhist sorcerer monk Fahai, Abbot of the Jinshan Temple, and his disciple Neng Ren, travelled to Hangzhou. But as Fahai and Neng Ren arrived, Susu decided to find Xu Xian in that same village, to see him, and took Qingqing. After many tricks, Susu found herself alone with Xu Xian; Xu Xian, not recognizing her, refused her affections, for he only wanted Susu. Susu pushed Xu Xian in the water, dived, and kissed him, rekindling his memory of their kiss.
On her side, Qingqing decided to make human friends, and she stumbled upon Neng Ren, who was tracking the bat-demons. While chatting, Qingqing discovered about the Divine Law, and how all encountered demons had hurt people, resulting in Fahai and Neng Ren believing that there was no good demons.
But then, Neng Ren attacked by himself the bat-demons, got bit, and slowly transformed into a demon; discovering that he became what he hunted, he fled. Attached to her new friend, Qingqing took care of him while he was transforming.
When searching for his missing disciple, Fahai stumbled upon a demon lair, and Qingqing distracted him while the demons fled. As Fahai was about to exorcise her, a now fully transformed Neng Ren protected her. Neng Ren explained how Qingqing saved his life, and how he couldn’t return to the Temple, as he was now a demon. Neng Ren bid his farewell to his old master, and flied away carrying an unconscious Qingqing; Fahai led them go, shaken in his resolve that all demons were evil.
During this time, Susu and Xu Xian decided to marry. But when the Hangzhou villagers became poisoned by fox-demons, Susu infused Xu Xian’s medicine with her vital energy, though she lost centuries of her lifespan, and gave this medicine to the villagers.
Fahai noticed how all the villagers were cured, and became suspicious, for only a demon's power could cure another demon's poison. After finding that Xu Xian’s wife helped with the medicine, Fahai gave Xu Xian a spirit-dagger, as a gift. Fahai found Susu and confronted her alone. He admired that she gave selflessly centuries of her life to save the villagers, but she snorted, saying that he thought all demons hurt people; he answered that indeed, she would end up hurting Xu Xian. As she was shocked, he explained how by remaining with Xu Xian, she drained his vital energy; she had to leave him. As Susu pleaded that she loved him, Fahai reminded her that she put a spell on Xu Xian, and wrongfully made him love her; he then warned her that he would let her go, as she was kind, but if she didn’t left the human realm, he would stop her.
Susu, torn by his words, for all of them were indeed true, wondered what to do.
As she decided to remain with Xu Xian, the herbalist came home and showed how the villagers thanked them with food. While they ate, Susu drank a medicinal wine against snake bites. As she started to change back to a snake, she fled and locked herself into a room, so that Xu Xian didn’t see her transform. The roof of the room collapsed, and Fahai entered, finding that she didn't left the human realm. In anger, she attacked him in her snake form, and when he pushed her back, she tripped over Xu Xian. Terrified, the herbalist stabbed her with the spirit-dagger. As she fled through the floor, Xu Xian asked where was his wife, and was devastated when Fahai answered that she was the snake.
Torn by guilt, Xu Xian learned from Susu's friend, a mouse-demon, that the only way to save her was with the spirit-herb, which was kept in the Leifeng Pagoda. Xu Xian set out to take it, but what he didn't know was that the spirit-herb also kept all the evil demons imprisoned. Once he took it, the spell broke, the demons got freed and possessed his body; Xu Xian gave the herb to the mouse-demon so she could save Susu.
Fahai hurried to the Pagoda, and he called all the monks to perform an exorcism upon Xu Xian.
The mouse-demon gave the spirit-herb to Susu, and the latter healed; but upon hearing that Xu Xian was in the Jinshan Temple, Susu suspected a foul play, and she hurried to save him. Fahai was expecting her, waiting outside of the magically sealed Temple. She pleaded to leave with Xu Xian, but the monk explained how the herbalist got possessed and an exorcism was under way, one which couldn’t be interrupted, lest Xu Xian be killed by the interruption. Angered, Susu threatened to flood the Temple if Fahai didn’t gave her Xu Xian; the monk reminded her that she said she would never hurt humans. But Susu would hear none of it, so she flooded the temple. Fahai protected Jinshan for some time, but after being attacked by surprise, the powerful wave broke apart the Temple. Doing so, Susu unwillingly broke the exorcism ritual upon Xu Xian, and the latter collapsed, unconscious.
While Fahai got distracted, Susu broke the remaining doors open, entered, and found Xu Xian drowning, unconscious; she brought him unto a nearby shore. When he revived, Susu joyfully hugged him tightly. But Xu Xian, confused, declared that he didn’t knew her. When she told him they were married, he asked in shock when it happened.
Susu gasped, and when Fahai joined them on the shore, she demanded to know what he did. Fahai replied that he didn’t do anything: when she flood the Temple, it interrupted the exorcism, making Xu Xian lose his memory; and that despite intentions, she indeed ended up hurting him, as he predicted.
But Susu didn’t believed him, and believed he lied to make her leave Xu Xian; furious, she called upon sea serpents to poison Fahai. During this time, the temple fell completely, and all the monks drowned.
Weakened and gravely wounded, Fahai collapsed on a rock, and looked with guilt at the damage around him. To his consternation, he saw the bat-demon Neng Ren lifting the drowning monks and carrying them to safety. Upon seeing this, Fahai started to be filled with doubt, and he looked up to the heavens, wondering if he was wrong to uphold the Law, as his stubbornness created destruction instead of protection.
Intent on stopping completely Fahai, Susu destroyed the Leifeng Pagoda, and used the bricks as a weapons, throwing them to the monk. But a light came from the clouds, countered her attack, and magically rebuild the Pagoda around her, trapping her.
Susu, threw herself at the door, pleaded and cried to see Xu Xian once more, as Fahai and Xu Xian stood outside the Pagoda, the monk silently hurt to hear her crying; but he could do nothing, as the Pagoda was sealed with a magic beyond his. Susu looked to the heavens, crying, and asked how could one judge if their love was real or not, and how one could pretend to be benevolent, yet forbid her love. Exhausted and hopeless, she finally started realizing what she had done; she knelt in the middle of the Pagoda, and willingly accepted the punishment for breaking the Divine Law; she only asked for one moment with Xu Xian. A golden light filled the Pagoda, and Fahai smiled, thanked Buddha for his mercy, and declared he finally understood too.
Given, as a reward, a momentary boost in magic, Fahai lifted the Pagoda, leaving a gap for Susu to pass. Happy at that small favour, Susu ran to Xu Xian, and told him how one moment with him made her happier than thousands of years of meditation, and how she finally didn’t minded him not remembering her, as her own memories would be enough. Upon that, she kissed Xu Xian one last time, without placing any spell on him. Xu Xian suddenly remembered her, and he loved her, this time for real. The golden light in the Pagoda faded, and Susu was magically dragged back, Xu Xian desperately trying to hold her back.
The Pagoda sealed shut and Xu Xian stood by the door, calling her name; but she didn't answered, and turned into her snake form, accepting her punishment, as promised.
As for Qingqing and Neng Ren, when Susu attacked the Jinshan Temple, Qingqing joined her, and distracted Fahai while Susu rescued Xu Xian. Fahai wounded her, and she fell in the water; after saving the drowning monks, Neng Ren took her to safety, and both watched Susu’s imprisonment. When the Pagoda sealed shut for the last time, Qingqing declared she didn’t wanted to love anyone, and abandoned Neng Ren.
Xu Xian became caretaker of the Pagoda, so he could be beside Susu during her sentence. As for Fahai, he grew more compassionate about demons. His once disciple Neng Ren would often fly over him, requesting an apple, something which Fahai always granted.
"Neng Ren," Fahai one day told the bat-demon, "that new form you have, it suits you."
And to that, both smiled, as each went their own way.
Luckily, the legend ends happily. During their marriage, Susu and Xu Xian had a son. Fahai allowed Xu Xian to raise the child, as both were innocent from Susu’s actions. Many years later, when the child was now a distinguished scholar, he wished to free his mother, so that she and his father could be together once more. He walked to the Pagoda, and asked for Susu’s freedom, declaring that he would take her place. Moved by the boy's sacrifice, and judging that Susu took responsibility for her actions without complaining, Buddha freed Susu without any compensation.
And so, Susu, Xu Xian and their son lived together happily, making it the first and only allowed interaction between a demon and an human.