Legend of the Zodiac Banquet
Many thousands of years ago, long before the Demon Sorcerers and the Eight Immortals fought, the Jade Emperor, Lord of the Heavens, had finished establishing his domain. However, there was still turmoil as the divine magic of the heavens were unorganized. To fix this, the Jade Emperor decided to place some of the magic down on Earth in the form of the twelve animals that formed the Chinese Zodiac.
The Jade Emperor summoned the animals to his palace to hold an important meeting. The Rat was first to arrive, followed by the Ox, Tiger, and Rabbit. The Dragon flew down, carrying the Snake, Horse, and Sheep upon its great back. And finally, the Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and Pig brought up the rear. They had appeared in the order that they had finished in the great race to claim their celestial positions, but that is another story.
Once all the Zodiac Animals were at the meeting chamber, the Jade Emperor said that in order to bring balance and peace to the heavens, they must take on some of its divine magic. The power they will receive will be bound to their zodiac sign so it will continue to exist long after they are gone. Each will be given a special power, but they must decide what power they wanted.
The Rat was a paranoid animal. It feared for its safety when so many things wanted to kill it. But he was also very imaginative and didn't want a simple power. It requested that it would be able to create guardians for itself from its surroundings so that it could defend itself if cornered. And so the Jade Emperor bestowed upon the Rat the power to bring inanimate objects like statues to life, to give motion to the motionless. Furthermore, these living statues would be fully armed with the powers and memories of the being they represented.
The Ox was the burliest of the animals, but not very imaginative. It requested for the strength to accomplish any task given to him. And so the Jade Emperor bestowed the Ox with tremendous physical strength, strength to rival even the most formidable of demons.
The Tiger was a wise and prudent beast. It could clearly see that with all the different powers that were sure to come, there would need to be some way to balance it all. So it requested that it would have the ability to balance out the powers of other, to be able to create an even divide between light and dark. And so the Jade Emperor granted the Tiger a very special power, the power of Yin and Yang.
The Rabbit was even more skittish than the Rat. It was always looking over its shoulder for a predator. It could never feel safe in one spot for very long. And so it asked for the ability to keep away from enemies. And so the Jade Emperor bestowed the Rabbit with the power to move at incredible speeds.
The Dragon was a combative and fiery-tempered creature. It was a warrior who waged battled against evil demons and their ilk. So it asked for the power to subdue even the mightiest monster. And the Jade Emperor granted the Dragon the power to create powerful blasts of combustive energy.
The Snake was the sneakiest of the animals. It crept in the shadows could elude the eyes of many beings. But that wasn't enough. It asked for the ability to be able to elude the eyes of all beings and to go where it pleased. And so the Jade Emperor bestowed upon the Snake the power of invisibility.
The Horse was the most athletic of the animals. It prided itself in be able to cross great distances on his own power. However, he was still prone to tiredness as any other creature. It also felt softhearted to those whose bodies prevented them from achieving their full potential through sickness and delicate limbs. So it wished for the ability to relieve any pain, injury, or alien substance. And so the Horse was given great healing powers by the Jade Emperor.
The Sheep was a lazy creature but one of many dreams. It wished to be able to see distant places but didn't want to have to go through the bother of going there. So it asked if it could be able to go where it pleased in its sleep. And the Jade Emperor granted the Sheep the ability to project its astral form to wander while its body remained dormant.
The Monkey was full of mischief and delighted in playing jokes. However, it wanted it to be easier to deceive others so he could trick them as often as it wanted. So it asked for the ability to be able to take on the form of any animal it wanted. And the Jade Emperor agreed to this.
The Rooster was a proud bird, but it envied how the wild birds could fly while it was confined to the ground. So it asked that it would be able to fly and be able to achieve feats in the air that no other bird could. And so the Jade Emperor bestowed the Rooster the ability to levitate itself and other objects.
The Dog was loyal to mankind. However, its comparatively short lifespan prevented it from always being by its master's side. And it wanted to protect his master from deadly threats. So it asked that it would always be able to stay by its master's side and guard him forever. The Jade Emperor, touched by the Dog's unwavering loyalty, granted it a great power, the power of immortality.
The Pig was last, but it was an impatient and gluttonous beast. And it said it would decide upon its power after they had eaten. The other animals were starting to get hungry too, so the matter of the Pig power was set aside.
It was a bountiful feast, with many different kinds of food to eat. And there was also plenty of wine. The Jade Emperor and the Zodiac Animals ate and talked about old times, current times, family, friends, wars, and virtually every other topic.
The wine flowed freely and the diners eventually became very tipsy and incoherent. It was never known exactly how it came about, but the Jade Emperor, in a blissfully drunken state, granted the Pig the ability to shoot beams of intense heat from its eyes. By the time anyone was sober enough to realize the mistake, it was too late and the power of heat beam eyes was permanently attached to the sign of the Pig.
From that day, the twelve animals had access to great powers, powers which few others can equal. And when they eventually had to move on from the mortal plane, the power they've been bestowed was passed on to the most noble specimen of their species. The powers were noticed to be closer associated with some traits than others. For example, the Noble Snakes were often allied with spies or thieves while the Noble Monkeys were known to be tricksters by nature. However, the Noble Pigs were the most likely to abuse their power, which has led to the derogatory association of pigs in general.
However, the Noble Dog, being gifted with immortality, did not pass on his gift as simply as the others. Only after serving masters faithfully for many, many years or after being dealt a wound too great or painful, the Noble Dog would pass on his power to its most noble offspring. A great line of dogs was produced from the noble bloodline this way.
The powers of the Chinese Zodiac passed on from animal to animal for many generations. It would have continued this way if it weren't for the machinations of the Fire Demon, Shendu. But that is a tale for another time.
Just a little short story to explain why each Talisman had its particular power. I'm not sure how many would agree, but I question what the writers were thinking when they had the Pig Talisman be heat beam eyes. It doesn't make too much sense in context. Anyways, the Jade Emperor and the race to claim the positions in the Zodiac are from classic mythology, look it up. As for how Shendu actually came to claim all the Talismans, I plan on working that into my other Jacke Chan Adventures story at some point. Read it and wait for it to come up.