Friday, October 1, 2010

Slither

I never saw any snakes in Turkey, but that doesn't mean they're not there. Serpents, like the Eastern Sand Viper in the pic, love the hot, dry climate.  I'm sure they're hiding between all those lovely limestone rocks littered everywhere.  Poor things just want to be left alone and I'm happy to oblige. If you're really interested, there's a whole list of the ones found in Turkey on this link.

Snakes are usually a sign of bad things in literature. Just like in the local tragic fairy tale of The Seed, the bad guy is usually a snake, slithery and poisonous. In religion and spirituality though, the snake can have much nicer connotations...

...like the Ouroboros, a snake or dragon, with it's tail in its mouth.  It represents the cycle of life and death.  Snakes are symbolic of renewal because they shed their skin every year. They're even worshipped as gods by many cultures. Egyptians revered the snake and made it part of the Pharaoh's crown.  Shiva and Vishu are depicted with one around the necks. Revered Hindu Ichchhadhari snakes can take the shape of any creature (Great book idea for somebody here!). Greeks believed that creatures and even gods (like Medusa) with snake characteristics were simply bound to the earth, not nececcarily evil. And of course, you still remember my post about Kundalini.


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2 comments:

Jules said...

I agree they just want to be left alone and I do not mind snakes.

I guess it just depends on your personal perception :)
Jules @ Trying To Get Over The Rainbow

Carolyn V. said...

So true. They usually do mean bad things are coming. We have snakes here, but not a ton. (I am so glad!)

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