Study On The Image Of Chu Snake Discovered Archaeologically In Lianghu Area

As one of the common animals in daily life,snakes often appear in many subjects of ancient Chinese mythology.There is a wide base of worship for snakes in many parts of China.With the increasing abundance of archaeological data,many related snake images have been found throughout the country,which provides a basis for the study of snake image types and snake worship.As an important area for the origin and development of Chu culture,Lianghu area is deeply influenced by Chu culture and has been affected for a long time.According to statistics,94 snake images of the State of Chu were found in the two lakes,including 41 on bronze ware,28 on pottery,22 on lacquerwood,2 on textiles and 1 on glazed ware.They are distributed in Jingzhou,Jingmen,Yichang,Xiangyang,Shiyan,Ezhou,Huanggang,Changde,Zhangjiajie and Changsha.According to the characteristics of snake image,it can be divided into single snake image,Pan snake image and composite snake image.Compound snake image can also be divided into Cao snake image,Er snake image,Jian snake image and Dan snake image.It is noteworthy that the composite snake images in the snake images of the two lakes are composed of snakes and dragons,phoenixes,birds,deer,tigers,frogs and monkeys,and no subject matter of the image is found.However,such subjects were found on the artifacts of Zeng Ren,Ba Ren and Yue Ren unearthed in the two lakes area at the same time.In addition,artifacts unearthed from Chu tombs in Henan,Anhui and Jiangsu also show images of the composition of man and snake.The snake images found in Lianghu area can be traced back to the Yin and Shang dynasties.Zhurong,the ancestor of Chu people,is closely related to snakes.The inheritance of indigenous culture and the worship of ancestors are important sources of snake images of Chu.In addition,there are also factors influencing the culture of Wu and Yue and the Central Plains,especially the influence of Wu and Yue culture.According to the connotation reflected by the snake image,it can be divided into positive snake god and negative snake god.The snake worship of the Chu people is also contradictory.On the one hand,the Chu people have respect for snakes,but on the other hand,they have greater fear.There are abundant snake images of Chu State found in the two lakes.Comparedwith other cultures or other areas of Chu State in the same period in the same area,the snake images of Chu State have distinct types and characteristics.This provides a proof of the true situation of snake worship in Chu culture,and it is also an important witness and symbol of the origin and prosperity of Chu culture.