Herps in Society and Culture: Laocoön and his Sons

Laocoön and his Sons

Snakes are a prominent feature in mythology stories from a wide range of cultures.  A notable example is the story of Laocoön and his sons.  The best version of this myth can be found in the Aeneid II (199-233).  Laocoön was a priest of Neptune in the city of Troy.  After the supposed end of the Trojan War, the Greeks gave the Trojans what is now referred to as the Trojan horse.  This was a ruse on behalf of the Greeks to sneak inside the city attempting to end the war once and for all.  Well Laocoön saw through the sham and tried to warn his fellow Trojans but he was ignored. In frustration, he threw his spear through the air where it stuck in the side of the Trojan horse.  While a tossed spear may not seem like a big deal, this act would lead to his downfall.  The horse had been dedicated by the Greeks to Athena in the hopes to gain her favor.  Athena, having already been on the side of the Greeks for most of the war, accepted the gift.  Once Laocoön returned to the temple, he proceeded to sacrifice a bull when Athena sent great, coiling serpents out of the sea.  The two serpents moved straight towards the temple, first killing the two sons of Laocoön and then Laocoön himself. 

Medusa (snakes for hair)

There is one question that comes to my mind when I hear this myth: Why snakes? The Greeks are well known for their multitude of monsters so why did the author choose to use snakes?  Interestingly, many of the Greek monsters have snakes incorporated into their physical attributes.  Cerberus the three-headed dog had snakes on his tail and Medusa had snakes in her hair. 

I believe that this myth, and Athena’s use of the serpents, represents a long-standing, evolutionary fear of snakes.  Ophidiophobia (fear of snakes) is one of the most prevalent phobias in the human population and is even shared by our closest relatives, the primates.  It is possible that snakes and reptiles in general were significant threats in our evolutionary history.  Due to this, we have a deeply rooted fear of snakes.  The use of the snakes in the myth of Laocoön shows this phobia as well as the general mindset of the Greeks regarding snakes.  Cross-culturally, snakes are held in a state of awe that likely stems from fear.  This can be seen in the myriad of myths involving snakes and even our modern-day media. For some reason the human population cannot get enough of snakes, even if most humans are afraid of them. 

If you are interested in reading more about the evolutionary fear of snakes, click here.

A full translation of Aeneid section can be found here.