Like fire that later came to be associated with serpent people's spin off dragons, depending on the people group the myths
came from, serpent people could be good and helpful or cunning and
evil. In some cultures they were both. For example, in ancient Egypt, Apepi, a giant serpent demon
attacked Ra, the sun, while Mehen, another giant serpent coiled around the sun at night to protect him. Regardless of whether they are good or evil, both
serpents and dragons are usually associated with underwater or
underground worlds, often with the roots of cosmic trees. (Niddhogg -
Norse, Mictlan - Aztec, Veles – Slavic)
Serpents are often seen as messengers
from the earth, symbolic of human's umbilical cord to the earth. By
whispering secrets, they could bring wisdom and prophecy (Oracle of
Delphi - Greek, Umai-hulhlya-wit – Diegueno Indians of California,
Aesculapius's snakes with their dreams of healing- Greek, Shesha churning
the ocean to bring amita - India) or even as some Greeks believed,
confer second sight or second hearing by licking your eyes or ears.
Serpents can symbolize many things.
Storms (rain and the resultant floods) have already been mentioned,
but they are also associated with the resulting good harvests and the
wealth it brings. Perhaps the wealth maybe be associated with the presence of serpents
eating pests that eat the crops. Serpents being so helpful, is it any
wonder serpents are also frequently thought of as lucky?
Another common interpretation of serpent's the
long thin bodies, with the ability to wrap around
themselves, is to compare them to the abstract shapes of circles and
spirals. Whether the connection to this shape or serpents being associated
with infinity and eternity came first is hard to know, but the connection is
clear. Snakes' skin
shedding abilities that replenish their scales to near newness is often associated
with immortality.
Between serpent's connection with rain,
floods and good harvest and their connection with immortality and
infinity serpents are strongly associated with the cycle of life in
mythology, capable of creating and destroying, of bring life and
death. (Julunggul, the Great Rainbow Serpent – Australian
Aborignee; Ophion incubating the primordial egg – Greek; Da, the
World Serpent creating the sea of space and sky – the Fon people of
Africa.) This life giving and death bringing attribution in mythology is reinforced, perhaps even caused by, the large number of snakes that are poisonous and how quick the hidden snake's poisonous bite can lead to death.
Surprisingly, snakes are also
associated with healing. Aesculapius's symbol of healing, is a staff with a serpent on it, the Rod of Aesculapius. The caduceus, Hermes's staff, a symbol of a
messenger, has two wings snakes. Hermes is loosely, perhaps erroneously, associated with healers.
caduceus, U.S. Army Medical corps For Hermes the caduceus was a symbol of trade, eloquence, trickery and negotiation.
Along with healing, serpents are seen
as protectors of cosmic trees (Mictlan – Aztec; Veles – Slavic;
the dragon guarding the Apples of the Hesperides - Greek) and treasures
(Ra, the Sun god, protected by Mehen – Eygyptian; cultural
treasures, Umai-hulhlya-wit – Diegueno Indians of California; the
Primordial egg, Ophion – Greek; the dragon guarding the Golden Fleece –
Greek; Beowulf's dragon – Scandinavian; Sigurd's dragon, Fafnir -
Scandinavian.) Using poisonous snakes to guard treasures was common
enough (Rudyard Kipling's Jungle Book, Indiana Jones and the Temple
of Doom.) This connection is easy to accept.With all these, often conflicting, associations for snakes, serpents, serpent people and dragons, which is the most convincing to you?
Assuming opinions about snakes and dragons has changed over time, what do you think has caused the shifts?
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