Li Chi Slays The Serpent

LI CHI SLAYS THE SERPENT
The legend i have chosen is a Chinese legend Li Chi slays the Serpent, a
supernatural tale. This legend is set in an area of China where teenage girls were
yearly sacrificed to the snake god. One year Li Chi volunteered to be the sacrifice.
She went to the lair of the snake, taking some fragrant rice and a hunting dog with
her, placed the rice outside the lair, then hid herself. The snake came out, the smell
of the rice attracting him, so Li Chi set the dog on him. While the snake was busy
defending himself, she attacked the god until it died. The snake had been no god at
all, but a mere snake that devoured humans. The king of the land heard of Li Chi's
courage and invited her to be his queen. There is a similar legend

from the Soninke
of West Africa which also tells about a individual who defies tradition and stands up
to a snake god.
I think this legend may be allegorical and have a certain meaning and depth
to it. Li Chi is the hero of this story, and the serpent, the villain. This could
represent the good and evil people that make up the world, and how some
people will do anything for power and strength over others. The hunting dog
Li Chi takes with her did not get given enough credit after the event of killing
the snake, as without the dog, Li Chi would not have been able to achieve
what she did. Although it does not mention what happened to the dog during
or after the battle, I can assume that Li Chi was the centre of heroism and the
dog forgotten about, as that usually happens in most typical, traditional myths
and legends.
I believe Li Chi slays the serpent is a legend that has a slight moral along with
the story. Like I mentioned above, it has many allegorical aspects, that
provide you, the reader, with a moral also. Although I did not mention this in
the summary, Li Chi volunteered to be the sacrifice but her parents would not
allow her to be, so she secretly went to the serpent's lair during the middle of
the night. I think this deed she performed, was a brave and heroic act, and
that most people would not have the guts to do what she did. She knew the
chances she was taking, that she could get killed during the process, but she
believed in herself, and her courage got her through the battle. Another major
thing that could influence people is that she was only 12 or 13 when she
achieved this great fame, an ordinary girl living there lives like anyone else,
meaning no matter how old, you can achieve anything if you set your mind to
it.

In the story Li Chi slays the serpent, Li Chi is the hero, possessing all the
main qualities of a brave hero, and in the legend from the Soninke of West
Africa, Mamadou is the hero, also possessing all aspects. They are both
similar, in the fact that they both slayed the serpent, and saved the land, but
they are both completely different at the same time. One difference is that Li
Chi was applauded and rewarded for her heroic deeds, where as Mamadou
got the opposite treatment, and was seen as an anti-hero from the
community, a misfortune to their worshipped lives, as they saw Bida (their
serpent god) as their deity. Another aspect you can take into account, is that a
different force drove them to defeat the serpent. Mamadou was driven by the
fact Sia (the sacrifice for the serpent, and the wife of Mamadou) was going to
be devoured like the other sacrifices before her, whereas Li Chi was doing it
to save her country, so no other humans lives would have to be thrown away.
The themes and where these legends were set are both unique from

one
another. The legend from the Soninke of West Africa was set at the time of
decline from the Ghana empire, around the 11th century.
{click here for more information http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/africa/
features/storyofafrica/4chapter1.shtml }
The Chinese legend though, doesn't mention where the actual legend was
set, although it does say Li Chi was said to have lived in the Warrington
States era (475-221 BCE). So the Chinese legend is a far older legend that
has been passed on for many more generations then the West African
legend, which would be considered "modern" compared to Li Chi slays the
serpent.