S10E2 - Tao-ing Our Best: The Legend of the White Snake Pt 1

stories featured in Greaking Out are usually original adaptations of classic Greek myths.

This week's story features snakes pretending to be people, potion drinking, a violent crane, and mountains where mortals can't go.

Greaking out the greatest stories in history were told in Greek mythology.

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Greaking

out.

Welcome back to Greaking Out.

Today, we're taking a field trip back to China to learn more about Tao legends.

Now, longtime listeners may remember that we discussed another Tao legend back in season eight, the legend of the Jade Emperor, and that was our first dip into the Taoism waters.

Now, we're back for another episode from Chinese mythology.

What we are calling Chinese mythology here is a collection of history, religion, and folk tales that all come from the large area of land we now call the People's Republic of China.

It features elements from three major belief systems.

Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism.

Yeah, that's right.

And over time, the stories kind of blended together and got all mixed up when they were passed down from generation to generation.

Kind of like the thousand-year-long game of telephone that we refer to from time to time.

And today, we're talking about a very famous tale from Taoism.

It's so beloved that it's been featured in books, movies, and in TV series for years.

And if you're a fan of snakes, like the Oracle is, you're really going to love this one because today, it's all about the legend of the white snake.

White Snake.

is an English rock band from the 1980s whose most famous song is entitled, Here I Go Again.

Right, but that is not at all the white snake I was talking about.

Well, I know, but it happens to be my favorite band.

Wait, really?

A band called White Snake?

Obviously.

You know, I wouldn't have pegged you for an 80s hair band fan, but okay.

I like the hair.

Ah, you like the rock band hair of the 80s, huh?

You know, I was kind of partial to the punk things like that guy from Flock of Seagulls that had the hair that went in.

Actually, you know what?

We are getting way off track here.

Sorry.

Today's myth has nothing to do with 80s bands or hair, but everything to do with snakes.

Now, this myth is a long one, and there's a very elaborate setup, kind of like a prequel.

So, for the sake of time, we're just going to skip to the main part of the story.

And we start with two snakes: a white snake and a blue-green snake.

They lived on a mountain called Mount Eme.

Mount Ermei is the highest of what is now known as the four sacred Buddhist mountains in China.

Now as I mentioned there's a whole other story here but you just sort of need to accept the fact that these two particular snakes discovered a way to transform into two beautiful human women named Bai Su Zhen and Shaoqing.

I love this story because usually humans transform into snakes, but this involves snakes masquerading as humans.

It's an effective plot twist.

Exactly.

I knew you were going to dig this one.

Now, these two snake women, snake, these two snake women, yeah, let's call them snake women.

They were best friends.

And one day, they decided to travel to Hangzhou, a famous city in China.

This was a long journey, and it required them to take a ferry boat to cross a big lake.

It wasn't very long into their ride on the ferry boat before it started to rain.

Luckily, a kind man named Xu Xian offered his umbrella to the ladies.

Xu Xian and Baisu Zhen got to talking and they found out, as it turns out, they had a lot in common.

And before the ferry ride was over, these two had made plans to meet up again.

He was rather handsome, wasn't he?

Bai Su Zhen asked her friend Xiaoxing.

He was okay for a human.

Personally, I prefer snakes, Shaoqing replied.

But did you see how thoughtful he was?

Bai Su Zhen asked.

He even offered us an umbrella.

Not many men or snakes would think to do that.

Well, probably because snakes do not have umbrellas nor the arms to carry them, Shaoqing replied.

A fair counterpoint.

But regardless, Xu Xian and Bai Su Zhen began to spend time together on a weekly basis.

It wasn't long before the two declared that they were in love.

Have you told him you're actually a snake?

Shaoqing asked.

I do not plan to become a snake again, Bai Su Zhen replied.

So the information is irrelevant.

Well, not completely irrelevant.

Again, fair counterpoint.

While I am devoted to snakes of all kinds, it is important to expose information regarding your species to your future life partner.

Yeah, I think I have to agree with you on on that one, Oracle.

But Bai Su Zhen did not tell Shu Xian about her snakey secret, and the two were married.

The couple were incredibly happy.

They lived together in a beautiful home and even opened a medicine shop where they worked together to provide the town with herbs and other healing items.

Traditional Chinese medicine, now commonly referred to as T C M,

began in ancient China and continues to be used today.

Now, it includes things such as acupuncture and Tai Chi, as well as traditional herbal remedies.

Bai Su Zhen had never been happier.

Even though she was keeping a big secret from her husband, she didn't really feel guilty about it.

She had no plans to turn back into a snake, and she was in love with Xu Xian and would be his wife, his human wife, for the rest of her days.

What could go wrong?

Well, unfortunately, lots.

Because unbeknownst to Bai Sujen, there was another person in town who happened to know her secret.

His name was Fahai, and he was the abbot of a Buddhist temple.

An abbot is a monk or holy man who holds an administrative position within the temple.

Now, typically, monks are known for their kind acts and good vibes, but Fahai

was not.

And when Fahai came into the shop, he was able to tell straight away that Bai Su Zhen was really a snake.

Don't ask me how, you can call it intuition or guidance from the divine or whatever, but Fahai was immediately convinced that Bai Su Zhen wasn't the human woman she was appearing to be.

In fact, Fahai took it upon himself to let Shu Xian know about his wife.

There is something wrong with that creature, Fahai said to Shu Xian when his wife went home to start dinner.

You mean my wife?

Shu Xian said, confused.

Yes, she is not what she seems.

She is a snake.

Now, Shuxian was concerned.

Was there something wrong with this guy?

Was he experiencing hallucinations?

Was he sick?

Please, take a seat, sir, Shuxian said.

Trust me when I say this.

Your wife is a powerful snake.

A white snake, if I'm not mistaken, and she is currently masquerading as a woman.

She is not human.

This is all a game to her.

Shu Xian just stared at the man.

You don't believe me?

I can't say that I do, Shu Xian replied.

Fine.

Have her drink wine during the Dragon Boat Festival, and she will reveal her true self.

The Dragon Boat Festival is a holiday that occurs every year in late May or early June.

It is to commemorate the poet Chu Yen.

It is said to be a magical day that includes lots of celebrating, praying for good luck, and warding off evil spirits.

And also apparently turning your wife back into a snake.

Seems like a good thing to me.

Now, Shu Xian eventually got rid of Fahai, but he couldn't seem to completely get rid of the conversation in his mind.

He just couldn't forget about it.

What if his wife really was a large white snake in disguise?

Then it would be a happy day, indeed.

I'm not sure Shu Xian would agree.

He couldn't let this go.

Was he being deceived?

Was Bai Su Zhen going to secretly slither towards him in the middle of the night and squeeze him to death?

False.

I will not participate in this anti-snake propaganda.

Snakes that squeeze their prey only account for 11% of all snake species.

So it is statistically unlikely that Bai Shu Zhen would squeeze him to death.

Okay, okay, simmer down, Oracle.

Look, Shu Xian just wanted to know the truth.

Was Bai Su Zhen really a snake in disguise?

It seemed ridiculous, but why was this monk so convinced?

So Shu Xian decided to go ahead and make the special wine for Bai Su Zhen to drink.

He figured, hey, he has nothing to lose.

If she drinks the wine and nothing happens, well, no harm, no foul, right?

He'd forget about the whole thing and finally get some peace.

But if she turned into a snake,

no, no, no, no.

Shu Xian was not going to let himself think about what would happen next.

So on the day of the festival, Shu Xian made the special wine and poured a glass for his wife.

He looked into her eyes and smiled as they clinked their glasses and began to drink.

And nothing happened.

Shuxian felt a huge sigh of relief.

The couple spent a few more hours together enjoying the festival and then they went off to bed.

In the morning, Shuxian rolled over and reached for his wife.

Only her skin felt a little weird,

kind of cold and slimy.

Shuxian threw back the covers and instead of his beautiful wife, he saw a large white snake in the bed.

White is not a common color for snakes.

We don't know what exact species that Bai turned into.

A recent venomous snake was found in Asia and scientists have called it Su Chen's Great or Bungaroos Su Chene

after this Chinese myth.

Shu Xian screamed, waking the snake from her peaceful slumber.

When Bai Su Zhen realized what had happened, she hissed at her husband.

I can explain.

But Shu Xian didn't want to hear it.

He couldn't hear it.

In fact, he couldn't hear anything.

He could hardly bear the heartbreak and betrayal that he felt finding out his wife was not human.

Shu Xian fell to his knees, clutched his heart, and died.

Well,

that's rather dramatic.

Kinda.

And then suddenly, the audio changed.

The announcer took a sip of water as the listeners began to hear a commercial.

Yeah, we're going to take a little commercial break and then we'll be right back with more greaking out.

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And that takes care of that.

We are back to greaking out.

Bai Su Zhen transformed back into her human form.

It's still me, Shu Xian, Shu Xian, she said, but it was no use.

Her husband was dead.

Her act of betrayal, her inner snake, had killed him.

This is all my fault, Bai Sujen cried.

My secret killed him.

I should have told him the truth, but I will not let him die for my mistake.

Or you could say that feeding his wife a magical potion without her knowledge or permission led directly to his death.

Two ways of looking at it.

Okay, but either way, Bai Su Jian was convinced that this was her fault and she refused to let her husband pass away.

Now, she didn't have the power she needed to revive the dead, but she had heard of a magical herb that could restore humans back to life.

The herb was currently located in the mountains and was under the magical protection of the old man of the south pole.

The old man of the south pole is a Taoist deity that commonly symbolizes happiness and longevity.

Gotcha.

He is not to be confused with the old man of the North Pole, commonly referred to as Santa Claus in American culture.

I wasn't really thinking that, but thank you for clearing it up anyway.

Although, both men did have white beards and were associated with magical deer.

Huh.

That is a little odd.

But anyway, the herb was guarded heavily by magical spirits, but Bai Su Zhen decided she was gonna go anyway.

She told her friend Shaoqing what she was planning to do.

You can't go, they'll torture you, Shaoqing said.

It doesn't matter.

I have to try.

And with that, Bai Su Zhen traveled to the Kunlun Mountains to look for the magic herb.

The Kunlun Mountains are one of the longest mountain chains in Asia, extending for almost 2,000 miles.

It was a long journey, but Bai Zu Zhen finally made it to the part of the mountains that was quote beyond mortals, meaning only for gods.

There, she encountered a long silver bridge.

Bai Shu Zhen knew that she needed to cross this bridge to find the herb, but she also knew that the herb itself would be heavily guarded by spirits capable of great magic.

And while she was immortal and technically couldn't be killed, there were still plenty of ways that these spirits could cause her great pain, both physically and emotionally.

But Bai Su Zhen also knew it was worth the risk.

It was her actions and lack of disclosure that caused Shu Xian's death.

She couldn't live with herself if she didn't find a way to make it right.

This herb was the one thing that would save Shu Xian, and Bai Su Zhen was determined to do everything she could to get it.

I'm sorry, Shuxian.

I will find a way to make this up to you, she whispered to herself as she began to cross the bridge.

When she reached the other side, she saw the magic herb sitting on a gold platter.

Well,

that was easy, she thought to herself.

Suddenly, the wind began to blow and the earth began to shake.

Bai Sujen gasped as two magical spirits appeared before her, both armed and looking quite angry.

Well, maybe not that easy, she thought.

You have entered the sacred land of the old man of the South Pole, the guard explained.

Why have you come here?

I...

I was

in.

For all her planning, Bai hadn't actually thought of a reason why she would be in the sacred land.

She knew she couldn't explain her intentions, but she had to have a good excuse to be left alone with the herb.

I'm here to invite the old man of the South Pole to a gathering, she explained.

I work with a local temple, and they asked me to come up here and see if he would make an appearance.

The spirits looked at each other.

We won't say.

Stay here.

Then the spirits disappeared.

Immediately, Bai Su Zhen ran right over to the magic herb and began plucking off a few leaves, just enough to save Shu Xian.

She raced for the bridge, barely able to contain her excitement that her plan had worked.

Not so fast, a voice said.

Bai Su Zhen turned around.

The spirits had returned.

Did you really think we would leave you alone with the magic herb?

This was your first test, and you failed.

quite miserably.

I'm sorry, Bai Su Zhen said.

I just really need this herb to save my husband.

That is a shame, the spirit said as they drew their swords.

You came all this way for nothing.

The guards approached her with their weapons raised.

Bai Sujen turned and sprinted across the bridge towards safety, but the men were gaining on her, running fast.

As soon as her foot touched the other side, she whispered a magic enchantment and produced a glowing sphere of magic.

She turned and threw it across the bridge, hitting one of the guards and knocking him unconscious.

What are you?

shouted the remaining guard.

Bai Sujen continued to fight back with her magic.

I am magic.

I am a healer.

I am a snake.

I am human.

I am undefinable, she said.

Well, unfortunately for you, I have magic too.

And the guard transformed into a magnificent crane, shooting magic out of his long beak.

Bai Sujen dodged and ducked the crane's spells, all the while casting enchantments of her own.

Stop!

A voice finally called from the mountains.

Bai Sujen froze.

It was the old man of the South Pole.

She had admired him for years.

Everyone with magic did.

She hated that she was stealing from the old man of the South Pole, but Bai Sujen felt like she had no choice.

She had to find a way to save her love.

If you have magic, which indeed you do, and you are immortal, which indeed you are, then why do you need this magic herb?

You should be able to heal yourself, the old man asked.

It's not for me.

It's my husband.

He is dead because of me, and even my powers cannot bring him back.

Baisu Zhen told the old man the whole tale.

She told him about turning into a human, about falling in love with Shuxian, about the medicine shop and how she was happier than she thought she had any right to be.

And then she told him about the drink and how Shu Xian had caught her in her snake form and died from shock.

By the end of the tale, the old man of the South Pole was deeply moved.

You may take the herb, he said.

Everyone deserves their shot at true love.

Bai Su Zhen smiled and thanked the old man profusely.

She nodded to the magic spirits on her way out and began the long journey home.

Almost every mythology and culture had an interest in immortality.

It was one of the questions that troubled humanity, obviously.

And most mythologies have a tale of someone trying to find it.

Yeah, and all across the world, they seemed to believe that plants had the power to make people nearly immortal.

I I mean, that's what happened with our buddy Gilgamesh, remember, when he went searching for immortality?

And in our story of Asclepius, the healer in Greek mythology.

Ethnobotany is the study of how humans have used and continue to use plants in medical, religious, or other contexts.

Oh, cool.

I didn't know that was a thing.

But, okay, anyway, back to the story.

When Bai Su Zhen returned home with the herbs, she found her husband Xu Xian protected by her friend Shaoqing.

You were successful, her friend said.

Not yet.

Let's see if he winks.

Bai Su Zhen crushed up the herb and then poured it down her husband's throat.

Immediately the man coughed as his body began to fill with light.

Slowly he opened his eyes.

Bai Su Jian's plan had worked.

Her husband was alive.

And that brings us to the end of our episode today, folks.

You can't end it like that.

There's so much left in the story.

Yeah, I know.

I'm sorry.

I know.

I know.

But we're actually out of time.

We're going to tell the rest of the story in next week's episode.

This couple has unresolved issues to work through.

Lack of trust.

can seriously impact a relationship.

Yes, I know, Oracle.

I promise.

We're going to talk more about it in the next episode.

We're just out of time today.

I do not approve of these shenanigans.

You know what?

Yeah, I'm sorry.

I'm sorry.

Next time, I will definitely make sure to give you a heads up if we're going to do like a cliffhanger thing.

That is all I ask.

Okay, thank you.

Breaking out.

That's it for this week.

We have the rest of The Legend of the White Snake coming next episode.

So watch this space.

Breaking out for gods and heroes, amazing feats.

Listen,

National Geographic Kids Greaking Out is written by Jillian Hughes and Kenny Curtis and hosted by Kenny Curtis, with Tori Kerr as the oracle of Wi-Fi, audio production and sound design by Scotty Beam, and our theme song was composed by Perry Gripp.

Dr.

Meredith Safron is our subject matter expert.

Emily Burkett and Laurie Broda are our producers, and Emily Everhart is our senior producer.