In Egyptian history,
the snake occupies a primary role with the Nile cobra adorning
the crown of the pharaoh in ancient times. It was worshipped
as one of the gods and was also used for sinister purposes:
murder of an adversary and ritual suicide
(Cleopatra).
In Greek mythology
snakes are often associated with deadly and dangerous
antagonists, but this is not to say that snakes are symbolic
of evil; in fact, snakes are a cthonic symbol, roughly
translated as 'earthbound'. The nine-headed Lernaean Hydra
that Hercules defeated and the three Gorgon sisters are
children of Gaia, the earth. Medusa was one of the three
Gorgon sisters who Perseus defeated. Medusa is described as a
hideous mortal, with snakes instead of hair and the power to
turn men to stone with her gaze. After killing her, Perseus
gave her head to Athena who fixed it to her shield called the
Aegis. The Titans are also depicted in art with snakes instead
of legs and feet for the same reason.they are children of Gaia
and Ouranos (Uranus), so they are bound to the
earth.
Three medical symbols
involving snakes that are still used today are Bowl of
Hygieia, symbolizing pharmacy, and the Caduceus and Rod of
Asclepius, which are symbols denoting medicine in general.
India is often called
the land of snakes and is steeped in tradition regarding
snakes. Snakes are worshipped as gods even today with many
women pouring milk on snake pits (despite snakes' aversion for
milk). The cobra is seen on the neck of Shiva and Vishnu is
depicted often as sleeping on a 7-headed snake or within the
coils of a serpent. There are also several temples in India
solely for cobras sometimes called Nagraj (King of
Snakes) and it is believed that snakes are symbols of
fertility. There is a Hindu festival called Nag Panchami each
year on which day snakes are venerated and prayed
to.
In Islam, Christianity
and Judaism the snake makes its infamous appearance in the
first book (Genesis 3:1) of the Bible when a serpent appears
before the first couple Adam and Eve as an agent of the devil
and tempts them with the forbidden fruit from the Tree of
Life. The snake returns in Exodus when Moses, as a sign of
God's power, turns his staff into a snake and when Moses made
the Nehushtan, a bronze snake on a pole that when looked at
cured the people of bites from the snakes that plagued them in
the desert. The serpent makes its final appearance symbolizing
Satan in the Book of Revelation:"And he laid hold on the
dragon the old serpent, which is the devil and Satan, and
bound him for a thousand years." (Revelation 20:2)
The Ouroboros is a
symbol that is associated with many different religions and
customs, and is also claimed to be related to Alchemy. The
Ouroboros or Oroboros is a snake eating its own tail in a
clock-wise direction (from the head to the tail) in the shape
of a circle, representing manifestation of one's own life and
rebirth, leading to immortality.
The snake is one of the
12 celestial animals of Chinese Zodiac, in the Chinese
calendar.
Many ancient Peruvian
cultures worshipped nature. They placed emphasis on animals
and often depicted snakes in their art.
In religion
Muhammad, the prophet
of Islam was reported to have said to "Kill the snake with two
white lines on its back, for it blinds the on-looker and
causes abortion."
The serpent, as
mentioned earlier, represented the devil in the book of
Genesis. Since that time snakes have been thought of as evil
vile creatures. Even today the snake is associated with bad
and evil. The popular children's books Harry Potter has
the evil lord and his cohorts involved, in one way or
another with serpents. I guess with such a history it's not
surprising that snakes are hated by so many
people.
email: mike at m-n-m-snakes.com (substituting the standard symbol for at)