Snakes have been a part of art, culture, folklore and mythology since prehistoric times and can be seen depicted on cave walls and in Egyptian hieroglyphics. Snake symbolism is widespread and can be found in most cultures, religions and ideologies. Many meanings have been assigned to the snake symbol including immortality, rebirth, fertility or evil, cunning and temptation. Famously, in the christian creation story in the Old Testament Book of Genesis, the snake is what tempts Eve to give into her desires and eat the forbidden fruit. Once she eats the fruit and convinces Adam to do the same, God curses the snake, Eve and then Adam and banishes them from the garden. In this story, the snake is a symbol of temptation, evil and sin. The snake is often interpreted to be a servant of Satan or even Satan himself.
Photo source: https://www.express.co.uk/news/science/815423/Garden-of-Eden-adam-and-eve-noahs-ark-bible
Being that christianity is the largest and most influential religion in the world at this moment in time, stories like these are not favorable for the reputation of snakes. Snakes already have an intimidating presence due to their fangs and peculiar slithering movements. Their flicking, forked tongues and lidless eyes aren’t exactly settling. Humans have a history of fearing the unknown and snakes are just one example of this. By depicting the snake, in the story of Adam and Eve, as sinful, the creators of the story are risking turning the entire christian population against snakes. In cultures where snakes are highly regarded in mythology, it is considered improper and offensive to harm or kill a snake. It is entirely possible for the opposite to be true for religious groups who depict snakes as evil. Irrational fear can lead to impulsive and senseless killing. Putting this negative and unfair stigma on snakes can put them in danger of persecution in the name of religion.
Sources:
https://www.history.com/news/snake-symbol-history-mythology
https://www.biblestudytools.com/bible-stories/adam-and-eve-in-the-garden.html
2 comments:
Why do you think different cultural traditions have such different views of snakes?
Nice post, I do believe the fear of snakes origin could be from Christianity since everyone knows the story about Adam and Eve. There are several movies that follow this story by presenting the snake as dangerous and luring children etc. The only positive depiction of snakes in a film was the jungle book. I wonder since the jungle book's plot is about a orphan living in the jungle and learning the animals and being one with the world, if humans that don't view snakes evil are they more in tune with nature? Me personally, I think some Christians are afraid of the unknown which is logical, but Christians should consider discovering things for themselves and not be brought up by fear.
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