The Asian Animal Zodiac

by Ruth Q. Sun

In much the same way that Westerners analyze their personalities and predict their futures by studying the positions of the stars under which they were born, Asians use the ancient animal zodiac to explain individual personalities and predict their futures. According to legend, the twelve years in the Asian animal cycles were named for the twelve animals who visited Buddha on his deathbed: the rat, ox, tiger, hare, dragon, snake, horse, ram, monkey, cock, dog, and boar. This informative and delightful book examines each animal of the zodiacal cycle and describes its history, its virtues and flaws, its "all-too-human characteristics." Traditional tales from China, Japan, Korea, Tibet, and Vietnam illustrate each animal's personality as the people of those nations see it.