Snakes and Serpents in Mythology: Thesis 3/11/20
Today I wanted to write about something a bit different than I usually do. Rather than talk about my project and its process, I thought it would be pretty interesting to talk about mythology and the symbols and characters we often see throughout different cultures. I figured this would seem fitting as my project is based on mythology and the characters in them. I figured a good way to start would be to tackle the theme of snakes and serpents.
Ophidiophobia(or the fear of snakes) is one of the most common fears in the world. People really just do not like snakes, and honestly for good reason. Since we’re social animals, things that deviate away from traits we familiarize ourselves with tend to be off-putting for a lot of people. Snakes just so happen to encompass a lot of traits that we don’t have; scaly skin, wide-set and slanted eyes, large jaws, a flickering tongue, the eerie way they slither, you name it! Oh, and let’s not forget that many snakes are also venomous. Much like some bugs, these odd animals tend to evoke a natural unease in people today. So it’s only natural that people in ancient times would associate these creatures as evil and the folly of their heroes.
Serpents or snakes appear in many mythologies. They appeared so much I actually had trouble trying to find monsters that were not serpents in the mythologies I studied. A lot of the times, snakes often fulfil a similar role as an antagonistic force that a human will have to carefully tread in order to emerge victorious. A common theme among mythical snakes is that they often have multiple heads, which further deviates them from humans. A hero needs to be cautious as one mistake could lead to a venomous strike which could lead to their death. Snakes are often clever, meaning that the hero needs to find some way to outwit their foe in some way. Snakes are also often depicted as liars, which further alludes to the unease around them. However, as the hero’s journey must go on, the hero always becomes victorious.
In my project, I limited myself to only use two serpent characters. In Japanese myth, Yamata no Orochi is depicted as an 8 headed serpent from the sea who terrorizes local villages and comes to eat the daughters of an elderly couple as a sacrifice. Depictions of Orochi vary, but he is most commonly depicted as either a snake or dragon which are both still serpentine creatures. I opted to go with the dragon design as I found it to be more visually appealing. Orochi gets tricked by the god Susanoo by getting drunk off his alcohol and getting his heads and tail chopped off. For Norse myth, I went with Jormungand, the world serpent. Jormungand is one of the three children of the trickster god Loki along with Fenrir and Hel. He is extremely long and is able to wrap his body around the world. He causes no real harm, but he has an intense rivalry with the god Thor, leading to the two fighting whenever they meet. The prophetic war of Ragnarok predicts that the two will fight each other to the death. Thor will kill Jormungand with his hammer, but will die from the venom inflicted in his wounds from the serpent. Nordic runes often depict Jormungand during the war of Ragnarok.
While I did not choose to design any Greek myth serpents, there are really too many to count. Medusa stands out to many people as she is a monster with snakes for hair, armed with a petrifying gaze. There’s also the hydra, a multi headed serpent that grows more heads as each is chopped off. Norse mythology also has another notable serpent or dragon known as Niddhogg. Niddhogg lives within the underground roots of the world tree and gnaws at them, slowly killing the tree with his venom. Hindu mythology actually has one of the few cases of a mythical snake who isn’t antagonistic. Ananta is an enormous snake with 1000 heads and the ability to spew fire. At the end of each Kalpa(Earth time period) he aids in the destruction of the Earth. He is fiercely loyal to the god Vishnu, who even sleeps on the snake as a bed.
Snakes are truly fascinating animals despite their unpopularity. Their role in nature has deterred humans away from them, which lead to the creation of many monsters that take on the appearance of snakes. Snakes are often meant to act as a foil to the hero, and despite their trickery and deadly poison, they end up defeated. Even though snakes and serpents are usually malevolent forces, there’s no denying that they shaped a large role in the stores of ancient people.
