SNAKES
Snakes carry opposed meanings of creation and chaos, poison and protection, while skin-shedding signifies renewal; some ancient images may have no religious meaning.
Our paraphrase of what the sources say it carries.
At a glance
- Type
- Concept
- Borne by
- 7 figures (5 are this, 2 carry it)
- Traditions
- Greek mythology (2)American folklore (1)Buddhist mythology (1)Japanese folklore (1) and 1 more
Figures that bear it
A model judged each figure against its own description, one term at a time. Is: the figure is, or is partly, this thing. Bears: it carries the thing or is marked by it. What a figure does is filed under motifs and powers. Open "why" for the sentence the judgement rests on.
- Amaru is Quechua mythology
why
The name derives from Quechua and Aymara and denotes a mythic serpent distinct from ordinary snakes, one of the oldest and most persistent figures in Andean cosmology, predating the Inca state and absorbed into its imperial religious order.
- Hoop snake is American folklore
why
Unlike typical snakes that slither along the ground, the Hoop snake has developed a unique method of locomotion.
- Mucalinda is Buddhist mythology
why
Mucalinda is described across Buddhist sources as a naga raja, the ruler of a serpent kingdom said to lie beneath a lake or in a subterranean realm, distinct from the ordinary snakes of the visible world.
- Seps is
why
Its immense size dwarfs even the largest known snakes, with legends describing it as capable of encircling entire mountains or valleys within its massive coils.
- Tsuchinoko is Japanese folklore
why
Unlike typical snakes, the Tsuchinoko has a thick, almost bulbous middle section, tapering towards both ends.
- Gorgon bears Greek mythology
why
In Greek mythology, Gorgons are women with snakes for hair.
- Medusa bears Greek mythology
why
Medusa is depicted with living, venomous snakes in place of hair, and her face is so monstrous that any mortal who looks directly upon it turns to stone.