The snake has fascinating
connotations in religious and spiritual mythology of many traditions. While in
the Bible the snake is associated with evil, this is not the case in all
mythology. There is a trend of dragonish or serpentine figures being slain in
acts of heroism in some folklore. I find the similarity between the serpentine
symbolism in the Biblical Garden of Eden and the Garden of Hesperides in Greek
mythology particularly remarkable, although in the latter the dragon is not
associated with evil. In both cases there are fruits that need to be guarded, a
tree and a serpentine creature associated with the fruits, although the story
is different in each case. These are just two of the many myths. I will look at
a few other mythical examples before offering my own reflections on the
symbolism of the snake.
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| Image By Geoff Gallice (from Wikimedia Commons) |
The Greek poet Nicander of
Colophon told a story concerning a snake in his work Theriaca (On Harmful
Animals). The venom of the snake under discussion would cause an inordinate
amount of thirst in a victim that has been bitten, to such an extent that they
would drink water until their belly bursts without finding relief. The
description of the harmful animal is then followed with a myth concerning the
snake. The god Cronos gave humans immortality, but they became weary because of
its weight and gave it to a donkey to carry. The donkey ran off because it was
thirsty and encountered the snake, which it asked to help it. The snake took
the donkey’s burden but also acquired its thirst, which explains why its venom
causes so much thirst and also how humans lost their immortality. Since the
reign of the god Cronos is associated with the Golden Age, this myth can be
considered a variant on the fall from grace. It also suggests a link with the
snake’s association with alchemy.
The myth of the Twelve Labours of
Hercules is an example of the theme of serpents being slain. One of Hercules’
tasks was to slay the Lernaean Hydra, a monster with several serpentine heads
of which one was immortal. During the battle each head, after being severed,
would be replaced by two more. Hercules eventually succeeded by scorching the
stump of each severed head using fire. He severed the immortal head using a
golden sword and buried it under a rock. Interestingly, Lerna is also the site
of the Danaids in Greek mythology. These women were condemned to spend eternity
in the underworld carrying water in sieves. The association of leaking water
brings to mind Nicander’s notion of excessive thirst, although the connection
is not direct. The theme of gold also shows up in this myth through the sword.
The story of Medusa is one of a
woman with serpentine hair whose stare would turn people to stone. She was
beheaded by the hero Perseus, after which the severed head was used as a
weapon. Symbolically I think there is a deeper meaning to Medusa’s death stare
since the eyes are the windows of the soul. To me Medusa (meaning guardian or
protectress) had the power to disarm people because she could see through them,
peering into their souls, which made them powerless against her. Looking at it
that way, the serpentine connection with the garden and the tree with fruits
either of knowledge or of immortality becomes clearer. Medusa’s disarming death
stare implies knowledge of an order beyond what the normal eye can see.
In the more recent literature of
JK Rowling’s Harry Potter series, the serpent is associated with great evil.
One of the central themes of the work, however, is the choice between good and
evil which boils down to the power of love or the love of power. Lord Voldemort
is the evil wizard who strove for immortality and corrupted his own soul in his
quest for power. Harry is his counterpart who also has the rare gift of being
able to talk to snakes. Unlike Lord Voldemort, Harry is a fairly ordinary
wizard who has love and courage on his side, which enables him to achieve
victory against evil together with his loved ones. In this case also, some form
of extra-ordinary knowledge is implied in the gift of being able to communicate
with snakes. The duality of choice is emphasised, which reminds of the fall
from grace in the Garden of Eden. Adam and Eve’s awareness of self is
symbolised by the realisation that they were naked. Ego consciousness implies
limitation, which is also necessary to define oneself through one’s actions. The
different possibilities that this presents gave rise to evil being released in
the world.
In my personal meditations, the
snake communicated to me the origins of our existence as souls taking material
form. In many cultures, the snake is associated with healing and wisdom. When
asking why this theme showed up and what its use was to me at this point, I
received the message that the snake teaches about essence. The choice is not
necessarily between good and evil or even fear and love, but about being true
to the deeper levels of one’s being or not. When rooted in one’s spiritual
essence, balance is easier to achieve in the physical world. The choice then is
not about manoeuvring between what makes more or less sense in the practical
world or choosing right over wrong; rather it’s a matter of interacting with
one’s surroundings in a way that reflects one’s personal truth.
This brings me to the next point:
the snake’s habit of shedding its skin. We often think of growing in terms of
painful learning processes or moving away from things that no longer work. The
snake however teaches that although it sheds its skin when it is time for it to
do so, this happens when there is more of the snake. The snake literally
becomes too large for its old coating, after which it forms a new one to
accommodate its larger size. This is a never-ending process happening in
regular intervals throughout the snake’s lifetime. I like to think of it as
assimilating experiences into the self, consequently having more at one’s
disposal to use and apply on one’s path while also becoming stronger in the
process. For a week or two before each shed the snake enters a period of
inactivity, associated with impaired eyesight and general dullness, sometimes
aggression. After shedding its skin, the new skin is somewhat vulnerable until
it is adapted. Symbolically this sounds a lot like the human personal growth
process to me. After shedding its skin, some snakes defecate or drink water, which
brings to mind purification and also connects with Nicander’s story of the
snake’s thirst.
To me the message was useful
because of the personal conflicts I have with career, work and personal
convictions. I am at a point where I feel I have to find a way of aligning work
with purpose. It is no use waiting for someone to encourage me, give me
opportunities or tell me that it’s right. I have conflict with the idea of
selling myself, not only because it is easier to respond to an advertisement
knowing that a service is needed, but possibly also because I have grown up
with the idea of a standard being set by someone and everyone can compete. According
to this notion, an independent judge or objective measurement will be the
arbiter of who has done best, which makes obtaining something fair regardless
of the players’ (possibly questionable) tactics. I now realise that my choice
comes down to living and acting my beliefs on one hand or hiding them where
they cannot be criticised on the other. If I don’t want to sell myself because
of my negative associations with the concept, I will promote someone else’s
beliefs without giving thought to whether it is beneficial for me or anyone
else. My challenge is therefore to be as authentic as possible in everything I do,
not only the areas where I consider it safe or where I feel the rules allow it.
Spirituality is only useful if it
can be applied in a practical sense. In the end everything we give energy to is
spiritual because we build the world based on our beliefs and actions. The
serpentine wisdom could be the knowledge that if we live our true essence, the
immortality of the soul is our natural state of being. On earth we need to
harmonise it with our material existence, but it does not need to be enforced.
From my perspective, that is also the difference between the true kind of power
and the one based on illusion.
Source for biological information on snakes: http://www.animalhospitals-usa.com/reptiles/snakes/snake-shedding.html
Source for literary and mythological information: Wikipedia and some ancient texts.
