Serpent symbolism

The serpent, or snake, is one of the oldest and most widespread mythological symbols. The word is derived from Latin serpens, a crawling animal or snake. Snakes have been associated with some of the oldest rituals known to humankind.[1][2]

They represent dual expression of good and evil.[3][4]

The historian of religions Mircea Eliade observed in The Myth of the Eternal Return that "the serpent symbolizes chaos, the formless and nonmanifested".[5]

In The Symbolism of the Cross, Traditionalist René Guénon contended that "the serpent will depict the series of the cycles of universal manifestation", "the indefinitude of universal Existence," and "the being's attachment to the indefinite series of cycles of manifestation."[6]

Recent academic book-length treatments of serpent symbolism include James H. Charlesworth's The Good and Evil Serpent (2010)[7] and Charles William Dailey's The Serpent Symbol in Tradition (2022).[8]

Across cultures, the serpent has been revered and feared as a symbol of duality, transformation, and the eternal cycle. In Hindu and Buddhist traditions, serpents appear as nāgas—guardians of treasures and waters—and are linked to kundalini energy, the spiritual force coiled at the base of the spine. In Mesoamerican mythology, the feathered serpent Quetzalcoatl symbolizes renewal, wisdom, and the union of earth and sky. The African Vodun tradition reveres the rainbow serpent Dan as a cosmic balancer, while Aboriginal Australian mythology sees the Rainbow Serpent as a creator being central to Dreamtime stories.

In psychology, Carl Jung interpreted the serpent as an archetype of the unconscious and personal transformation.[9]

The alchemical symbol of the ouroboros—a serpent eating its own tail—represents eternal return, unity of opposites, and the cyclic nature of the cosmos.[10][11]

These representations reflect the serpent's enduring presence in religious, mystical, and philosophical thought as a symbol of power, rebirth, and the unknown.

  1. ^ "Apollon, Python". Apollon.uio.no. Archived from the original on January 19, 2012. Retrieved December 7, 2012.
  2. ^ Robbins, Lawrence H.; Campbell, Alec C.; Brook, George A.; Murphy, Michael L. (June 2007). "World's Oldest Ritual Site? The 'Python Cave' at Tsodilo Hills World Heritage Site, Botswana". Nyame Akuma. 67. Bulletin of the Society of Africanist Archaeologists.
  3. ^ Malkowski, Edward F. (October 3, 2007). The Spiritual Technology of Ancient Egypt. Inner Traditions/Bear. p. 223. ISBN 978-1-59477-776-9.
  4. ^ "Savior, Satan, and Serpent: The Duality of a Symbol in the Scriptures". Mimobile.byu.edu. Archived from the original on January 29, 2013. Retrieved December 7, 2012.
  5. ^ Eliade, Mircea (1954). The Myth of the Eternal Return. New York: Princeton University Press. p. 19. ISBN 978-0-691-23832-6. {{cite book}}: ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)
  6. ^ Guénon, René (1931). The Symbolism of the Cross. Hillsdale, New York: Sophia Perennis (published 2001). pp. 122–124. ISBN 0-900588-65-9. {{cite book}}: ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)
  7. ^ Charlesworth, James H. (2010). The Good and Evil Serpent: How a Universal Symbol Became Christianized. New Haven and London: Yale University Press. ISBN 978-0-300-14082-8.
  8. ^ Dailey, Charles William (2022). The Serpent Symbol in Tradition: A Study of Traditional Serpent and Dragon Symbolism, Based in Part Upon the Concepts and Observations of René Guénon, Mircea Eliade, and Various Other Relevant Researchers. London: Arktos Media Ltd. ISBN 9781914208683.
  9. ^ Jung, Carl G. (1968). Man and His Symbols. Dell Publishing. ISBN 9780440351832.
  10. ^ Eliade, Mircea (1958). Patterns in Comparative Religion. London: Sheed & Ward.
  11. ^ Guénon, René (2004). The Reign of Quantity and the Signs of the Times. Sophia Perennis. ISBN 978-0900588673. {{cite book}}: Check |isbn= value: checksum (help)
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