Snakes in Mythology

Snakes are my favorite group of herps that we have learned about this year. I wanted to learn about the mythology surrounding these reptiles, and I expected that throughout history, people would have seen snakes as embodying evil and therefore feared them. However, most cultures seemed to portray snakes as wise creatures to be revered instead of animals to be feared, incorporating them fully into their stories and sometimes their pantheon of gods. Below are a few examples of how several cultures integrate snakes into their own mythology.

The Hopi tribe, a Native American group, celebrates a Snake Dance once every few years in the fall. They do not worship the snakes, but instead are having a rain ceremony. The Hopi believe that snakes have a strong connection to the Underworld, and they will be able to deliver a message asking for rain for the tribe. For the ceremony, wild snakes are caught by people in the tribes who believe that they have a special power to handle snakes without worrying about being bitten. The gatherers stroke the snakes with feathers until they seem to have relaxed and then grab them behind the head. They are cleansed for the ceremony and placed in jars filled with water and special herbs before being placed in a circle and handled during the dance, where they can be held by the hands or even in the mouth. After the dance, they are placed at various shrines in the area and released to take the message of asking for rain to the underworld. The Hopi tribe has been known to use bull snakes and even rattlesnakes in their ceremonies!

The Australian Aborigines have their own myth concerning a Rainbow Serpent. They believed it was this creature that grew before the Earth existed, and then moulded the features of the Australian landscape. The Rainbow Serpent shaped the mountains as it rose out of the ground, and afterwards formed the winding rivers as it made its way to the sea. According to present day Aborigines, it inhabits deep pools of water and is of an incredible size.

Quetzalcoatl is a well known deity worshipped by many people who lived in Central America within the first 1500 years CE. The name “Quetzalcoatl” means “feathered serpent,” and the significance and stories concerning this deity can only be interpreted from stone carvings within temples left behind by the civilizations which worshipped this god. It is thought that this god was to come to Earth and be a great leader for the people. Unfortunately, the Aztecs believed that Hernan Cortes was the appearance of this god, which led to the fall of the Aztec civilization.

In Southern Asia, snakes are believed to be aphrodisiacs if consumed. The ancient Greeks believed that if they were licked by a snake in the eyes or ears, they would gain wisdom and psychic abilities. Finally, many African tribes revere snakes as wise and beneficial beings, and associated them with fertility and harvests.