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Nag is one of the bloodthirsty snakes that Rikki-tikki encounters in the bungalow garden. Readers learn that Nag is evil before we ever meet Nag or learn what type of animal he is. When Rikki-tikki first ventures into the garden, he meets a pair of tailorbirds who are mourning the loss of one of their children because they were eaten by Nag. Rikki-tikki soon meets Nag himself and is almost killed by Nag and his wife Nagaina, both of whom are enraged that a mongoose (a creature known for killing snakes) has dared to enter the garden. Nag does not hate only Rikki-tikki, however—he also despises the British family that recently moved into the bungalow. He plots with his wife to kill the British military man and his family so that the snakes can seize control of the estate. Nag’s contempt for the British family can be juxtaposed with Rikki-tikki’s loyalty. Rikki-tikki evidently does not resent the Teddy’s family residence in India. Instead, he celebrates their presence, grateful as he is to have been rescued by them, and is eager to live in their home like a “well-brought-up” mongoose should. With his sinister personality, his hatred of Teddy and his family, and his fearsome appearance (which Nag attributes to the Hindu god, Brahm), Nag is portrayed by Kipling as an unflattering representation of the people of India who he and other proponents of British imperialism believed needed to be conquered and “civilized.”
