There is not a place, a religion, a culture that did or does not have some Snake Symbolism. It is blamed for Adam and Eve's banishment from Eden; is is the Symbol of Western Doctors; in Egypt they were gods and in Greek Mythology often associated with evil.

Snakes have figured prominently in the religions, customs and folklore of people throughout the world. To early humans, snakes must have possessed seemingly magical, almost supernatural attributes. They have the ability to move without legs over and through all types of terrain, vegetation and water. They have the ability to find, capture and eat prey without the aid of appendages, as well as to periodically shed an old skin and the ravages of time to reveal a new, brightly hued mantle. They could arise in the spring, resurrected from the ice of winter, and, in a few cases, could cause sickness or death with a single bite. A science fiction writer could scarcely ask for a better model, so it is not surprising that snakes gave rise to all manner of tall tales and myths. It is also not surprising that a Snake is one of the Shaolin Animals.

The approximately 2,700 snake species, of which about four fifths are non venomous. About two thirds of all snake species belong to the family Colubridae; most of these are non venomous. Among the harmless colubrid snakes of North America are the garter snakes (including the ribbon snake), the water snakes, the green, or grass, snakes, the black snakes , the racers , the king snakes (including the milk snake), and the bull, hognose, and rat snakes. The family Boidae ( boas and pythons ) includes the world's largest snakes, the South American anaconda and the Asian reticulated python, as well as the smaller boa constrictor and the tree and sand boas.

Most poisonous New World snakes belong to the pit viper family; these include the copperhead , water moccasin , rattlesnake , fer-de-lance, and bushmaster . Venomous Old World snakes are the true vipers , including the adder and the asp , and members of the cobra family, including the mamba of Africa and the krait of Asia. The poisonous coral snakes of the New World also belong to this family. The venomous sea snakes inhabit tropical oceans. (above two paragraphs sourced @ http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-animal-animal-snake.html)

The Snake Stylist

You need to be patient without being patient; be knowledgeable without really knowing anything; be wise without experiencing. You need to love detail and precision, be a person who just loves hearing tales of clever events, ancient and modern wisdoms and hero's. You need to like to do it by the book, each time and never get tired of it.

The Snakes Head Hand

The Snake only has it's head as a weapon. it is a very vulnerable and vital area. It needs to be very accurate. quick, precise and safe when extending it's head for attack. The Snake stylists also only uses one limb, only once (generally) very simple emulating the attack of the Snake. When using the foot, it is not a power technique but one that focuses to get the big toe to a specific vulnerable target; once. Hands are in the Shape of a Snakes head but again, only the biggest, center finger is used for targeting, precise, quick and once. This will then be executed with minimum energy usage. The strike will only be then executed when you feel that it will have 99.999% success and if no further effort is required. For the Snake Style is that of a single, accurate, very high efficiency strike or kick. The Shaolin Snake style practitioner is never the attacker (much like the Shaolin Crane). It waits patiently for the right moment, the right spot, the right 'opportunity' for it's single, precise attack. It does not use any style of blocking but relies on it's agile body and quick reflexes being enough to avoid any contact what so ever. The Snake allows only one contact and that is it's attack.

The Snakes Black Touch

The 10,000 Bees style was the forerunner for Death Touch and Poison Hand; Poison Hand is in the domain of the Panther but the Snake retained the Death Touch. Yet, there is enough death in the world as it is without a Shaolin adding to it. Anyone who teaches Death Touch is either a fraud because they have never killed anyone or a Murderer because they have killed someone. As a Shaolin Snake you must know the points but only to protect yourself never to use.

As a replacement a Shaolin Snake practitioner needs to learn the Snake Points, the points, when hit at the right time, in the right way will cause a person to either become dizzy or to drop because their strength is gone. This is not Poison Hand but something between Dim Mak and Poison Hand called the Black Touch (because it can cause unconsciousness).

To practice Snake Style the practitioner must spend a lot of time working on accuracy and precision. He/she must be 100% in timing, distancing, effort, target and opportunity. They may use some distracting, swaying motions, occasional feints (each executed as if it were a real attack, which it could be) but that is as complex as it gets.

The Ideal Snake Style Practitioner

Slim, wiry, an eye for distance, a feel for timing, and eye for accuracy & a knack for targeting. Must love detail and knowledge, be very focused, and responsible. Might be a bit of a loner and sometimes very quiet.

Understanding a Shaolin Snake

Snakes like bureaucracy, to say order, predictability and tradition. For Snakes there is only one right way, the tried and true way. Old wisdoms, Mastership, lore and the 'way it is written' are the Snakes preference.

Shaolin Snake Forms

There are only a few Snake forms in Shaolin Academy;

1. White Snake form (19 years in the development)
2. The Coiling Snake (34 points, walking the circle)
3. White Ghost Spear

There are though 15 exercises that need to be passed for the completion of the Snake graduation. Five each, Speed, Accuracy and grappling exercises! These need to be performed almost perfectly for that is Snake Style Kung Fu

RU a Snake?

Snake can be incessant to the point of obstinacy. If, once you have made up your mind Heaven & Earth can't change it; if you only like talking about what you really know; if you seem to work better on your own; if you like books. Make sure you incorporate all of the information on this page and the 5 Animal Page when decide you Shaolin Animal Tendencies.

Shadows of the Snake

As with all the other Shadows, the dominant Animal is around 75% and the additive is around 25%. As with the others, you may be a almost perfect Snake Stylist except for one or two items. Following are some common Snake Variants;

• Mantis; Where Snakes only react when they are agitated, the Mantis practitioner is a bit more active and would lay traps for their opponent to step in. They would seek a conflict but from within a trap set by them (Snake/Tiger) and where they are in total control.
• Bee; 10,000 Bees was a stile of rapid, multiple attack. It requires small, quick and agile people. The Snake/Crane Stylist would be a hit and run, multiple hits/kicks and be off. The Bee Stylist would, like the Crane, seek to wear their opponent down, death of a 1000 cuts sort of thing. But unlike a Snake it would avoided and dance around the attacker.
• Butterfly; This is actually a teasing style that would try and misdirect the opponent into hurting themselves. Often the Snake/Panther practitioner has fans to aid in their 'Magic'. Weaving, dogging, feigning and luring the attacker to the edge of a cliff, top of the stairs, by an open window, onto the busy street. No technique, no attacks, no defence but a lot of ducking, weaving, dancing, jumping, gliding and misdirecting. It is possible that this style derives from the vagabond Style but this is only a speculation.