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The Islamic serpent generally follows in the tradition of earlier Abrahamic myths as a symbol for the seductive draw of wisdom. [32] This symbolism is reflected in various stories and parables, such as the tale of the snake-catcher and the serpent from Rumi, which uses the serpent as a symbol for the sensual soul within human beings. [33]
The serpent was a symbol of evil power and chaos from the underworld as well as a symbol of fertility, life, healing, and rebirth. [2] Nāḥāš (נחש ), Hebrew for "snake", is also associated with divination, including the verb form meaning "to practice divination or fortune-telling".
For the Dahomeans, the spirit of the serpent was one to be feared as he was unforgiving. [38] They believed that the serpent spirit could manifest itself in any long, winding objects such as plant roots and animal nerves. They also believed it could manifest itself as the umbilical cord, making it a symbol of fertility and life. [39]
What is the deeper spiritual meaning behind the snake symbol? "The snake's spiritual meaning has long been associated with healing and change," says Wilson. "Snakes represent the cycle of death ...
Ouroboros symbolism has been used to describe the Kundalini. [22] According to the medieval Yoga-kundalini Upanishad: "The divine power, Kundalini, shines like the stem of a young lotus; like a snake, coiled round upon herself she holds her tail in her mouth and lies resting half asleep as the base of the body" (1.82). [23]
Likewise, the Korean snake goddess Eobshin was portrayed as a black snake that had human ears. The Aztec spirit of intelligence and the wind, Quetzalcoatl ("Plumed Serpent"). The Mayan sky-goddess was a common attribute. However, in her case, the snakes leaned into her ears and whispered the secrets of the universe (i.e. the secrets of herself).
[6] As a serpent, and due to his extreme age, he does not speak, but may whistle or make a soft, hissing sound. [3] Like many other loa, Damballa is subdivided into spirits who play different roles. For example, Damballa Tocan is a spirit of the intellect. When he manifests in the Petro rites, he is Damballa La Flambo.
He slew the serpent and declared himself as the owner of the Oracular shrine. The version related by Hyginus [ 6 ] holds that when Zeus lay with the goddess Leto , and she became pregnant with Artemis and Apollo, Hera was jealous and sent Python to pursue Leto throughout the lands, to prevent her from giving birth to the twin gods.