Evil & Serpents: Exploring Connections Across Societies

[einsteinian77]

Why is there such a huge connection between evil and serpent-like creatures among a large number of different societies? Is it simply because they associate the instinctual fear of snakes with evil?

 

[NateTG]

There are also many associations with serpents and good.

Serpents are seen as symbols of power, knowledge and magic much more than they are seen as agents of evil.

I think most of that has to do with the venom.

 

[Jonathan]

Yes, in my book venom=death=bad.

 

[NateTG]

Originally posted by Jonathan
Yes, in my book venom=death=bad.

Or is it venom=medicine=good?

 

[ThOrNe]

well it depends on who dies from the venom or who gets saved by the medicine if it's good or bad, but yeah...snake=danger=excitement=stress=bad

 

[Jikx]

or if your chinese, snakes = tasty in soup.

Serpents are small (relatively), but pack a punch via their venom. Seems like they represent something that easily hides, and strikes without warning. i.e like evil deeds, which of course have to happen like that, because if people saw it coming miles away, they would act to stop it occurring.

 

[psychosporin]

I am not saying that this actually happened, but according to the bible, which i am loosing faith in, the devil deceived eve in the form of a snake. And he is reffered to, i believe as that old serpent/dragon multiple times, but it has been a while since i read the bible.

 

[Jonathan]

Don't loose faith!

 

[FZ+]

Then again, that could be just a backlash against the Egyptians, who regarded snakes as sacred.

There is a theory that the original bible-writers where exiled priests from when the rule of Pharaoh Akhenaten, the "heretic" who introduced monotheism, ended and the old gods were restored.

 

[Phobos]

I suspect the fact that snakes are one of the top animal killers of humans has something to do with it too.

 

[FZ+]

Why don't we have the great mosquito-demon, then?

 

[Jonathan]

Because it was forever before anyone realized that they were the causes of many different diseases.

 

[Phobos]

Originally posted by FZ+
Why don't we have the great mosquito-demon, then?

*L* Well, you can safely swat a mosquito, but a snake fights back.

Well, at least there were the demons that cause the diseases like Malaria. Also, mosquitos are associated with swamps and swamps were sometimes thought to harbor evil things.

Also, snakes are often hidden and strike suddenly...seemingly out of nowhere. Death by venom is slow and painful.

Snakes are also widespread...accessible to many cultures' myths. The stories traveled well as people migrated.