Snakes Wield Power in Mythology

The first living hing in his universe according to Plato and as described by him was a self eating circular being, an immortal perfectly constructed animal. He could have meant a snake. A philosopher of Plato’s standing has had such attraction for the snake. No wonder common people got attracted to the snake’s form and ferocity – feared it and revered it.

Snakes are found everywhere except Antartica. Not all snakes are venomous. The  boa or the python and anaconda are not venomous. But when one comes across a snake one has no time to ascertain whether it is venomous or not. So all snakes are feared alike. Vipers are deadly. The cobras beautiful and majestic and so are deified more. 

Snakes were referred to only as ’serpents’  (word of Latin origin) when they were connected to mythology or religion. ’Snake’ referred by zoology is mundane creature. Yet,  the fascination for the creature was so intense there is not a single mythology which has at least one figure of a serpent. Why is a snake given its place in religion and mythology? The form of the snake is beautiful and mysterious. It is silent, sinuous and sinister. The unique fangs inject poison and killed almost immediately. Though there are more poisonous creatures on this earth, this species is more in number. The ancients had practically no cure for snakebites. Even now antivenom serums have to be injected immediately to save the snake-bitten person. So quite naturally snake proves to be superior in power. The one who is superior in power is naturally divine. Some religions symbolised the snake as the power of the evil.

It is interesting to see the different forms of snakes in different mythologies. In the Hindu mythology, snakes abound, both in divine and evil forms. It may be because India is land of snakes. The Shesh Nag is the biggest snake mentioned in any mythology with as many as a thousand heads. It serves as the bed for the God Vishnu floating in the ocean of universe.

Vasuki is another great cobra which was used by the divine Devas and the Demons as the churning rope to churn the ocean of milk with Mount Mandara in order to obtain the ambrosia for immortality. Hindus worship snake as the incarnation of God. some Deities are part snake and part human forms

The Greek mythology speaks of the Gorgons and Medusa, whose head is covered by snakes. Lernaean Hydra, the monstrous water serpent was killed by Heracles. the serpent had several heads and when Heracles or Hercules cut  with a harvesting sickle, one of its heads, two grew in its place. Its weakness was only one head was mortal. Hercules kills it by cutting the mortal head and cutting the other heads with the sickle dipped in its own deadly venom. AlsoOphion, the serpent ruled the world with goddess Eurynome dancing on the waves.

In Christianity, Book of Revelations shows  satan as the glib tongued serpent who brings about the fall of Eve.

The Chinese mythology has ‘the legend of the white snake’ in which a white snake takes the form of a beautiful woman and entices a scholar. But a monk intervenes and saves him 

 Cirein Croin, in Scottish mythology, is a sea serpent which takes the form of a silver fish to lure fishermen and then eat them.

Kakuru in Australian aboriginal mythology is a rainbow serpent which is comparable to Hong, the Chinese rainbow dragon.

The Maya mythology depicts in sculptures two heads of a serpent with the spirit of God emerging from it. Sea serpents, sea monsters are ideas associated with lake monsters and Lochness Monster. 

 Mesapotamians and Seonites believed in the  immortality of the snakes because they shed their skins and remain youthful.

Till now snake rules the fantasy of biologists  and conservationists also the lay people.  Snakes are charmed by men as much as men by snakes