Fei Yi Snake

Origin and Mythology

Shan Hai Jing · Xishan Jing

Fei Yi is placed on Mount Taihua, a steep, square-sided mountain where birds and beasts do not dwell. The text says that when this six-legged, four-winged snake appears, the realm will suffer a great drought. This is ancient mythic omen lore, not a scientific prediction or a description of a real animal.

Appearance

The Shan Hai Jing gives Fei Yi three defining traits: it is a snake, it has six legs, and it has four wings. This coloring design interprets those traits as a pale, scaled serpent with clawed limbs, broad feathered wings, and stylized flames among tree branches. The cream, tan, gold, and vermilion palette is a modern artistic interpretation rather than a fixed ancient image.

Symbolism

Fei Yi combines a serpent's winding movement with wings and many limbs, creating an image of an unsettling creature that crosses sky and earth. The illustration's flame forms emphasize its drought omen without presenting fire as a detail from the ancient text. As a coloring page, the scales, feathers, claws, flames, clouds, and twisted branch invite cream, gold, tan, vermilion, or an entirely personal palette.