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Ouroboros. An ouroboros in a 1478 drawing in an alchemical tract [1] The ouroboros or uroboros (/ ˌjʊərəˈbɒrəs /; [2] / ˌʊərəˈbɒrəs / [3]) is an ancient symbol depicting a serpent or dragon [4] eating its own tail. The ouroboros entered Western tradition via ancient Egyptian iconography and the Greek magical tradition.
The classical symbol of the Ouroboros depicts a snake in the act of eating its own tail. This symbol has many interpretations, one of which is the snake representing cyclical nature of life and death, life feeding on itself in the act of creation.
The anthropologist Lynne Isbell has argued that, as primates, the serpent as a symbol of death is built into our unconscious minds because of our evolutionary history.. Isbell argues that for millions of years snakes were the only significant predators of primates, and that this explains why fear of snakes is one of the most common phobias worldwide and why the symbol of the serpent is so ...
An example of the imagery is the serpent eating its own tail as a symbol of the eternal return, called the Ouroboros: “a snake curving around with its tail in its mouth (eating itself) is an obvious emblem of unity of the cosmos, of eternity, where the beginning is the end and the end is the beginning". [3]
Jörmungandr in the sea during Ragnarök, drawn by the Norwegian illustrator Louis Moe in 1898.. In Norse mythology, Jörmungandr (Old Norse: Jǫrmungandr, lit. 'the Vast 'gand'', see Etymology), also known as the Midgard Serpent or World Serpent (Old Norse: Miðgarðsormr), is an unfathomably large sea serpent or worm who dwells in the world sea, encircling the Earth and biting his own tail ...
Brief description. In the Buddhist teachings, the three poisons (of ignorance, attachment, and aversion) are the primary causes that keep sentient beings trapped in samsara. These three poisons are said to be the root of all of the other kleshas. [6][7] The three poisons are represented in the hub of the wheel of life as a pig, a bird, and a ...
Quetzalcōātl. God of life, light and wisdom, lord of the day and the winds. Ruler of the West [1] Quetzalcoatl (/ ˌkɛtsəlkoʊˈætəl / [3]) [pron 1] (Nahuatl: "Feathered Serpent") is a deity in Aztec culture and literature. Among the Aztecs, he was related to wind, Venus, Sun, merchants, arts, crafts, knowledge, and learning.
Serpents (Hebrew: נָחָשׁ, romanized: nāḥāš) are referred to in both the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament. The symbol of a serpent or snake played important roles in the religious traditions and cultural life of ancient Greece, Egypt, Mesopotamia, and Canaan. [1] The serpent was a symbol of evil power and chaos from the underworld ...