Since Eve’s transgression in the Garden of Eden, serpents in Christian tradition have been associated with lies, evil and temptation. But in other cultures, as far back as ancient Greece, Egypt, and indigenous North America, snakes symbolize fertility, rebirth, renewal, and even immortality. The ouroboros, the ancient symbol of eternity which was represented on The tomb of King Tutankhamun in the 14th century BC, it was a snake that devoured its own tail.
Of Aztec god of wind, rain and creation to the semi-divine human-serpent creatures who guarded the Buddha, here are nine serpents or serpents that have emerged, through history or myth, to play important roles in cultures that they represent.
Serpent in the Garden of Eden
A man. A woman. A snake. And a fateful apple. In the Old Testament book of Genesis, a serpent memorably appears in the Garden of Eden, the earthly paradise that God created for the first man and woman, Adam and Eve. The cunning serpent convinced Eve to eat the forbidden fruit from the “tree of knowledge,” telling her that “when you eat of it, your eyes will be opened and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”
When God learned of Adam and Eve’s transgression, he banished them both from Eden and cursed the serpent for his role, saying, “You shall crawl on your belly and eat dust all the days of your life.” » Debate has long raged over whether the serpent in Genesis was a literal reptile, an allegory of sexual desire or temptation or even Satan himself.
Snakes that Saint Patrick chased out of Ireland
Irish culture is full of myths and legends, perhaps none as widespread as that of St. Patrick, The patron saint of Ireland, banishing every last serpent from the Emerald Isle. The story goes that Saint Patrick, a 5th century Christian missionary, was fasting for 40 days on top of a hill when he was attacked by snakes. He waved his staff, driving all the serpents of Ireland into the sea.
Although Ireland – like New Zealand, Hawaii, Greenland, Iceland and Antarctica – is actually snake-free, this has not been the case. less to do with St. Patrick’s Day that with the fact that since the post-ice age it has been surrounded by water and that before that its climate was too cold for snakes to survive. The story makes more sense as an allegory: snakes were a symbol of paganism, and Patrick was credited with driving out pagans and bringing Christianity to the Emerald Isle.
Jormungand, the Viking sea serpent
In Norse mythology, few stories are as dramatic as that of Jörmungand, the powerful sea serpent. Jormungand, one of the three children of the shapeshifting god Loki and the giantess Angrboda, was thrown into the sea by Odin, father of the powerful thunder god Thor. The serpent grows until its body encircles all of Midgard (or Earth) and it is able to grasp its own tail in its mouth.
At the beginning of Ragnarok, the final battle that would end in the destruction of the land, Jormungand left the sea and crossed the land wreaking havoc. In their climactic confrontation, Thor slew the serpent with his mighty hammer, Mjolnir, but only took nine steps before falling dead himself, poisoned by the serpent’s deadly venom.
Leviathan from the Book of Job
There is some debate over whether Job’s passages about Leviathan and another giant biblical creature, Behemoth, describe mythological beasts – or real animals that existed at the time but may have later become extinct . It has been suggested that Behemoth could have been a hippopotamus, an elephant or even a dinosaurwhile Leviathan may have been an ancient species of crocodile.
Regardless, the Book of Job employed both Leviathan and Behemoth to demonstrate to Job the creative power of God and the futility of questioning it. Later, the word “leviathan” would be applied more generally to designate a giant whale (notably the great white whale of Moby-Dick) or another massive sea creature.
Medusa and the Gorgons
In Greek mythology, the Gorgons were snake women whose gazes turned people to stone; They had snakes for hair, long claws, sharp teeth, and scales covering their bodies. According to some myths, Medusa, the most famous of the Gorgons, was originally a beautiful woman. Her meeting with the god Poseidon in one of Athena’s temples enraged the virgin goddess, who transformed Medusa into a Gorgon as punishment.
Athena then helped the hero Perseus kill Medusa, giving him a shining bronze shield which he used to observe the Gorgon’s reflection rather than looking directly at her. After cutting off Medusa’s fearsome head (from which emerged her two children with Poseidon, Chrysaor and Pegasus), Perseus mounted it on his shield and used it to paralyze his enemies in battle.
Quetzalcoatl
Among the most important deities of Mesoamerican cultures, Quetzalcoatl, or “Feathered Serpent”, was a mixture of bird and rattlesnake (coat is the Nahuatl word for snake). Aztec god of wind and rain, as well as learning, agriculture and science, Quetzalcoatl is said to have played a key role in the creation of the world.
In a version of the creation story, he and another god, Tezcatlipoca, transformed into serpents and tore a giant sea monster named Cipactli in two; one part of her became the earth, the other the sky. Although early depictions of Quetzalcoatl clearly show him as a serpent with a plume of feathers, later cultures depicted him in human form.
Naga
In the eastern religions of Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism, a mythological semi-divine race known as the naga (Sanskrit meaning “serpent”) took a half-human, half-cobra form, although they could change shape to fully assume either form. other. The Hindu god Brahma is said to have banished the Nagas to their underground kingdom when they became too populous on Earth.
In Buddhism, nagas were often represented as protectors of Siddhārtha Gautama, the Buddha, and dharma (Buddhist teachings), but they were also considered powerful and potentially dangerous when angered. Among the many Nagas mentioned in Buddhist scriptures, one particularly famous was Mucalinda, a Naga king who spread his great cobra hood to shelter the Buddha from an arriving storm while the prophet was immersed in his meditation.
Hopi Snake Dance
For thousands of years, members of the Hopi Native American tribe of northern Arizona have performed the ritual known as the Snake Dance. During the multi-day ritual, which aims to encourage rainfall and fertility of the land, male Serpent Clan dancers place live snakes, ranging from small garter snakes to rattlesnakes, into their mouths and around their bodies. neck.
The snakes are carefully collected and washed before the ceremony, in which members of the antelope clan also participate. Although foreigners (notably Theodore Roosevelt) have been able to witness some aspects of the Serpent Dance, much of the lengthy ceremony takes place in underground rooms called kivas, allowing its most sacred aspects to remain mysterious.
The legend of the white snake
This ancient Chinese myth tells the story of a powerful female white snake demon who lives underwater but takes human form under the name Madame White, or Bai Suzhen. After Bai falls in love and marries a mortal man, Xu Xian, a Buddhist monk, Fahai, reveals her true identity to her husband. Fahai later kidnaps Xu and traps Bai under his lakeside pagoda, but not before she gives birth to her son with Xu, who will eventually free his mother.
There is different versions of the Legend of the White Serpentwhich evolved over the centuries from a horror story, in which Fahai heroically fights the evil serpent demon, to a romance, focusing on the thwarted but genuine love between Xu and Bai.