One morning long ago, the Jade Emperor — ruler of Heaven — declared a Great Race. The first twelve animals to cross a wide river would each have a year of the calendar named after them, in the order they arrived. The Cat and Rat were best friends and could not swim. They begged the kind Ox to carry them across his back. The Ox, accepting, set out at dawn. Halfway across, the cunning Rat pushed the Cat into the water and rode the rest of the way on the Ox's head — leaping off at the last moment to claim first place. The Cat (so the story goes) has hated the Rat ever since, and that is why there is no Cat in the zodiac. The Ox came in second. The Tiger, a strong swimmer, fought the current and arrived third. The Rabbit hopped from stone to stone, was nearly swept away, but found a drifting log and made it to fourth. The Dragon could have flown over in a moment, but stopped along the way to send rain to a thirsty village — coming in fifth. The Snake had hidden coiled around the Horse's hoof; as they reached the bank the Snake slid off, the Horse leapt back in surprise, and the Snake claimed sixth, the Horse seventh. The Goat, the Monkey, and the Rooster built a raft together and crossed as a team — places eight, nine, and ten. The Dog was a fine swimmer but stopped halfway to play in the water, arriving eleventh. Last came the Pig, who got hungry on the way, ate a meal, took a nap, and ambled in twelfth. The Jade Emperor was so charmed by the Pig's complete lack of ambition that he gave him the last spot anyway. These twelve became the years.