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Overview
Griffis calls Orochimaru Dragon-coil and gives him a human father and a serpent mother living at the bottom of Lake Takura. He possesses serpent magic and can attack with venom. In the war between the Tsukikagé and Inukagé families, he serves the latter against Jiraiya, whose frog powers have been joined with Tsunadé’s snail magic.
Learning that his enemies and the fugitive princess Tagoto are sheltering in a monastery, Orochimaru changes into a serpent and crawls across the ceiling above the sleeping couple. He pours venom onto them, and its fumes overcome their followers and the monks. He then resumes human form, seizes Tagoto and escapes. The princess had sought shelter because she did not want to marry him; she is a captive, not a willing consort or a member of his serpent family.
Jiraiya and Tsunadé survive through an elixir brought by Rikimatsu. War resumes, and the account briefly states that Dragon-coil is killed in a great battle and the princess rescued. It does not describe his final bodily form or the exact killing stroke. This historical English character is preserved on the terms of the tale; attributes of later fictional characters bearing the same name are not imported.
Origins & earliest records
Japanese narrative in an English literary collection
Records & interpretation
Full chapter, conclusion and collection preface directly read.
Selected bibliography
Documented works and useful reading. This is not a list of every appearance.
- 01
Japanese Fairy World: Stories from the Wonder-Lore of Japan
XVI, Jiraiya, or the Magic Frog, pp.126–140
Family, evolution & connections
Orochimaru’s human father and serpent mother
Explicit parental statement on p. 135 in the complete English telling.
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- Unnamed human father and unnamed serpent mother of Lake Takura
A joint-parent heading branches to their stated son. Both parents are unnamed. The serpent mother’s lake residence and the son’s transformation are distinct facts; neither establishes a natural species hybrid or a wider pedigree.
His unnamed human father
The narrator identifies Orochimaru’s father as a man. No personal name or larger human pedigree is supplied.
His unnamed serpent mother at Lake Takura
The narrator identifies his mother as a serpent living at the bottom of Lake Takura. Orochimaru’s own serpent transformation is a separate action; it is not his mother’s appearance.
Primary records and illustrations
William Elliot Griffis, Japanese Fairy World (1887 edition)
English literary collection. XVI, Jiraiya, or the Magic Frog, pp.126–140
Complete chapter and preface read. Jiraiya and Tsunadé survive through an elixir brought by Rikimatsu. War resumes, and the account briefly states that Dragon-coil is killed in a great battle and the princess rescued. It does not describe his final bodily form or the exact killing stroke. This historical English character is preserved on the terms of the tale; attributes of later fictional characters bearing the same name are not imported.
References
Sources supporting this profile. Linked pages have their own scope and editorial standards.
- Historical English literary retellingGriffis, Japanese Fairy World (1887), XVI, Jiraiya, or the Magic Frog, pp.126–140Research access: 2026-10-05
Image credits
A sourced illustration has not yet been added. This gap is included in the coverage record.
