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 … See more

Chthonic serpents and sacred trees
In many myths, the chthonic serpent (sometimes a pair) lives in or is coiled around a See more

African mythology
In Africa the chief centre of serpent worship was Dahomey, but the cult of the python seems to have been of exotic origin, dating back to … See more

In folk and fairy tale traditions all over the world, the serpent and the snake appear as characters in several fairy tales, either a main character in animal fables and magic tales (Märchen), or as the donor who grants the protagonist a special ability or impart him with … See more

Fertility and rebirth
Historically, serpents and snakes represent fertility or a creative life force. As snakes shed their … See more

Serpents or snakes appear on the flags or coats of arms of several entities.
• The Flag of Mexico, based on the Aztec symbol for … See more

Modern medicine
Snakes entwined the staffs both of Hermes (the caduceus) and of Asclepius, where a single snake entwined the rough staff. On Hermes' … See more