#snakes in mythology

[is-the-snake-video-cute]

which species of snake do you think tempted Adam and Eve

I dunno. I think that story makes more sense when read as a metaphor instead of a literal event but the language used is pretty vague. I took a quick look at the text and the word used for each mention of that snake is נחש, which is just a generic word meaning snake instead of any Biblical variations which usually mean venomous snakes. So your guess is as good as mine, but I lean towards thinking the authors just had generic snakes in mind. I'm sure there's a debate about this somewhere, but that's my two cents.

I'm going to personally assume it's a black desert cobra, both because they're cool and because they're so handsome I'd also consider just about anything they told me to do

[toyastales]

A bracelet clasp with a Medusa on an emerald cameo. Gold is treated with diamond and enamel. 18th century. Made in England.

[bebs-art-gallery]

© Breed My Darkness

[charlesoberonn]

I want to clarify that this blog is not anti-public fruit trees. It is pro-serpent.

[ex0skeletal-undead]

Swallow the Sun by EranFowler

[lturnips]

Someone who doesn't know anything about greek mythology watching Kaos: yh this is probs pretty accurate

Someone who knows a fair bit about greek mythology watching Kaos: this is so inaccurate they have changed everything

Someone who had studied greek mythology watching Kaos: omg omg omg so much of this is so accurate

[namedvesta]

Snake Headpieces, by Harumi Klossowska de Rola, for Valentino Couture Show | Spring 2016.

[iztea]

medusa and the blind woman 👁🐍

[illustratus]

[blessedscavengers]

one day I’ll catch up

terfs fuck off

made in 2023

[gatoburr0]

I could finally figure out a design for her for my AU everybody run

[anim-ttrpgs]

while working on Eureka: Investigative Urban Fantasy, yesterday, we did some math wrong and briefly made it so that one of the playable investigator types (gorgon) can swallow a dining room table without much issue.

(gorgon promotional art by team artist @qsycomplainsalot)

once we fixed the math, now she can swallow a dining room table with much issue

[bebs-art-gallery]

Serpents in paintings

[maggins]

FINALLY I'm posting this omg 😅 So I'd been wanting to do some fanart for @turquoisespace35 's Huntlow mythology AU, which you can check in its entirety here or here! I'm in so much love with these kiddos 🥹🥰🐍🌿 This went through so many changes, I might post a timelapse video later lmao I was very much inspired by a fanart made by storyboard artist @hayleynwong (you can check it out here!), I guess this could be sort of considered a redraw hehe~ And bc I really, REALLY wanted merch of this AU in particular, I actually got some charms made of this design (hence the different flipped versions in the extra slides); I'll make a separate post about those ☺️

[ex0skeletal-undead]

Medusa’s Garden by Iren Horrors

This artist on Instagram

[artifacts-and-arthropods]

500-year-old Snake Figure from Peru (Incan Empire), c. 1450-1532 CE: this fiber craft snake was made from cotton and camelid hair, and it has a total length of 86.4cm (about 34in)

This piece was crafted by shaping a cotton core into the basic form of a snake and then wrapping it in structural cords. Colorful threads were then used to create the surface pattern, producing a zig-zag design that covers most of the snake's body. Some of its facial features were also decorated with embroidery.

A double-braided rope is attached to the distal end of the snake's body, near the tip of its tail, and another rope is attached along the ventral side, where it forms a small loop just behind the snake's lower jaw. Similar features have been found in other serpentine figures from the same region/time period, suggesting that these objects may have been designed for a common purpose.

Very little is known about the original function and significance of these artifacts; they may have been created as decorative elements, costume elements, ceremonial props, toys, gifts, grave goods, or simply as pieces of artwork.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art argues that this figure might have been used as a prop during a particular Andean tradition:

In a ritual combat known as ayllar, snakes made of wool were used as projectiles. This effigy snake may have been worn around the neck—a powerful personal adornment of the paramount Inca and his allies—until it was needed as a weapon. The wearer would then grab the cord, swing the snake, and hurl it in the direction of the opponent. The heavy head would propel the figure forward. The simultaneous release of many would produce a scenario of “flying snakes�� thrown at enemies.

The same custom is described in an account from a Spanish chronicler named Cristóbal de Albornoz, who referred to the tradition as "the game of the ayllus and the Amaru" ("El juego de los ayllus y el Amaru").

The image below depicts a very similar artifact from the same region/time period.

Why Indigenous Artifacts Should be Returned to Indigenous Communities.

Sources & More Info:

Metropolitan Museum of Art: Snake Ornament

Serpent Symbology: Representations of Snakes in Art

Journal de la Société des Américanistes: El Juego de los ayllus y el Amaru

Yale University Art Gallery: Votive Fiber Sculpture of an Anaconda