Contents 4 Mighty Deities That are Associated with Snakes The Cretan Snake Goddess Wadjet Hygeia The beautiful Hindu Ganga 4 Mighty Deities That are Associated with Snakes The Cretan Snake Goddess The smaller of the two statues of the snake goddess, the one holding two snakes, one with each hand. Her associations are depicted in various images of Manasa, which show her seated upon a lotus with a child in her lap. [11][12][13], In the Sumerian culture snakes were also very important as a healing symbol. Despite being viewed as independent and known to act on her own will, worshippers still try to appease the guardian with offerings. This other Naga king is best known as a companion of Lord Shiva. Since the snake is also symbol of the underworld deity, the Snake Goddess has some chthonic aspects as well. When the giant snake traveled, the earths terrain began to form. Healing and snakes were associated in ancient Greek myth with Asclepius, whose snake-familiars would crawl across the bodies of sick people asleep at night in his shrines and lick them back to health. This page was last edited on 17 April 2023, at 16:22. Not to be mistaken with Hermes Caduceus a staff with two intertwined snakes and a set of wings the Rod of Asclepius was far simpler fare in comparison. Article created on Saturday, February 19, 2000. Day in and day out Nw amused herself making mud figures and watching them come to life.[15]. The joining method, style, and material make the . This cult flourished mainly in Knossos during the New-palace period and in the Post-Palace public sanctuaries. Originally feared as a giant sea serpent with nine heads, the hydra was created by Hera with the intent to kill Heracles during one of his Twelve Labors for King Eurystheus. "Medusa has since haunted Western imagination, materializing whenever male authority feels threatened by female agency," writes Johnston. In Egyptian mythology, the snake goddess is Wadjet. The terror of Medusa is thus a terror of castration that is linked to the sight of something. Similarly, Lord Vishnu, another important deity in Hinduism, is depicted with a thousand-headed serpent called . The Snake Goddess is a provocative image, but its restoration and interpretation are problematic. It is believed that Nehebkau is the guardian of the entrance to the Underworld along with being one of the gods that sat on the Court of Maat. Her hands are pierced to hold snakes. The Snake Goddess is a provocative image, but its restoration and interpretation are problematic. So, why is it significant that he is looking outward? "[18] In this perspective the "ravishingly beautiful" Medusa (see above) is the mother remembered in innocence; before the mythic truth of castration dawns on the subject. Snakes have been associated with Hecate, the Greek goddess of magic and the lower world.[20]. For this reason, it is taboo in Serer culture to kill snakes. Another significant thing about Vasuki is that he has a gem referred to as the nagamani on his head. In an ode written in 490 BC, Pindar already speaks of "fair-cheeked Medusa". [32] "You only have to look at the Medusa straight on to see her," writes Cixous. The crown and cat have no parallel in any image of a Bronze Age woman, so these should be discounted. He named the pits the Temple Repositories and immediately set upon the reconstruction of as much as he could, with special interest in the figurines, which he assumed were of goddesses. Harrison's translation states that "the Gorgon was made out of the terror, not the terror out of the Gorgon."[12]. She argues that men's retelling of the narrative turned Medusa into a monster because they feared female desire. 2. A Graceful Goddess This interpretation of Wadjet can likely be tied in with her relation to Egypts pharaohs, and relate either to her unwavering ward, or the pharaohs role to protect and lead the realm. Usually the wisdom of snakes was regarded as ancient and beneficial towards humans but sometimes it could be directed against humans. Its purpose was to act as a guardian for female power, keeping the book solely in the hands of women. [37][incomplete short citation]. Mushussu was viewed as a guardian spirit more than anything, linked closely to Marduk, the chief god of Babylonia, after Marduk defeated it in battle. Eopsin is the goddess of wealth and storage in Korean folk mythology. Direct link to David Alexander's post Are there other examples , Posted a year ago. Coatlicue was a goddess that played a number of roles in the Aztec pantheon. [27] Thousands of people gather around snake pools called Naga kuan that are said to lead to Nagaloka, the lavish underwater world of these snake deities or Nagas. Imagery of two intertwined serpents is associated with this snake goddess, while her major themes include rebirth and the transformation of the spirit throughout lifes journey. "[12] In the Odyssey xi, Homer does not specifically mention the Gorgon Medusa: Lest for my daring Persephone the dread, Pre-Christian Ireland, Scotland and England also worshipped the serpent. She is a deity in the form of a giant cobra. Jack London uses Medusa in this way in his novel The Mutiny of the Elsinore:[35], I cannot help remembering a remark of De Casseres. The sun god Ra would fight Apep nightly to ensure that cosmic balance would remain, to which the Lord of Chaos would fall only to rise again. [22] The horned viper (Cerastes cerastes) appears in Kassite and Neo-Assyrian kudurrus[22] and is invoked in Assyrian texts as a magical protective entity. World Register of Marine Species. Accessed April 18, 2023. The snakes crawl around the body of one the goddesses and appear in each hand of the other. [29] Beyond that, Medusa's story is, Johnston argues, a rape narrative. Afraid that he would grant man immortality, Zeus killed Asclepius. M.P. Examples include they decided to migrate to flee Islamization and persecution, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Snakes_in_mythology&oldid=1144534248, This page was last edited on 14 March 2023, at 07:17. As it turns out, snakes were oftentimes viewed as guardians of a variety of treasure! Later depictions associate Wadjet with the protection of the pharaohs. The lower part has been restored with plaster. (Pythian Ode 12). He is often seen as the son of the snake goddess Renenutet. In classical Greek art, the depiction of Medusa shifted from hideous beast to an attractive young woman, both aggressor and victim, a tragic figure in her death. Since the snake is also symbol of the underworld deity, the Snake Goddess has some chthonic aspects as well. [22] A dragon-like creature with horns, the body and neck of a snake, the forelegs of a lion, and the hind-legs of a bird appears in Mesopotamian art from the Akkadian Period until the Hellenistic Period (323 BC31 BC). The three Gorgon sistersMedusa, Stheno, and Euryalewere all children of the ancient marine deities Phorcys (or "Phorkys") and his sister Ceto (or "Keto"), chthonic monsters from an archaic world. It seems that this cult came into existence from a very early Minoan age, derived from the Egyptian belief system, but with a strong Near-Eastern influence too. Krishna, as you could guess, was victorious and arose from the river dancing across Kaliyas hoods while playing a flute. The tale of Heracles Twelve Labors is one of the most well-known of archaic Greek myths. Excavation of the temple repositories, from Sir Arthur Evans. The faience figurines identified as the "snake goddess" were discovered in 1903 by the British archaeologist Sir Arthur Evans in the so-called Temple Repositories at the palace of Knossos on the island of Crete. Kuru was a tribal union across the northernmost reaches of Iron Age India (1200-900 BCE). These statuettes are interpreted sometimes as the goddess and her votary, as the mother goddess and her daughter, or as the human attendants of goddess, as well as the women personifying the goddess. The Origin of Hotdogs, The History of Boracay Island in The Philippines. Two Snake Goddesses from the palace of Knossos, c. 1600 B.C.E., majolica, 34.2 cm and 29.5 cm high (Archaeological Museum of Heraklion, photo: In her restored state, the Snake Goddess is 29.5 cm (about 11.5 inches) high, a youthful woman wearing a full skirt made of seven. As one of the first Egyptian deities to have existed, he is oftentimes described to be a giant, malevolent serpent deity. He is almost always portrayed as a serpent or dragon depending on the particular myth. Johnston goes on to say that as Medusa has been repeatedly compared to Hillary Clinton during the 2016 presidential election, she proves her merit as an icon, finding relevance even in modern politics. Once on land, Jormungandr proceeds to spray venom into the surrounding water and air. It is possible that the worship of the Minoan Snake Goddess was in some context the rebirth, resurrection, or renewal of life. The two unslain sisters are mere appendages due to custom; the real Gorgon is Medusa. So, the catch with the hydra was that it had the worst breath ever (were talking literal lethal poison) and if nine heads was not enough then after Heracles cut off one, two more grew in its place; this quirky feature of the massive sea serpent ties right back in with you guessed it immortality! Figures of the Snake Goddess and other cult objects the so-called snake tubes and vessels with holes, decorated by a model of a snake illustrate the worship of a Snake Goddess and her cult in Crete during certain periods. Then Perseus gave the Gorgon's head to Athena, who placed it on her shield, the Aegis.[14]. Foregoing the whole deadly Underworld serpent thing, Renenutet sounds like one hell of a mother-figure: She Who Rears is quite the fitting epithet after all. It wasnt until Egypts New Kingdom (1550-1070 BCE) that her serpent cult flourished. Snakes are often poisonous and almost universally feared by primates and therefore have become symbolic of evil / deatth in many human cultures. "[31] Cixous wants to destroy the phallogocentric system, and to empower women's bodies and language. "Here there is an evil dragon named Nidhogg that gnaws constantly at the root, striving to destroy Yggdrasil" [19] And, unfortunately for Asclepius, Zeus really did not like doctors especially divine ones. "Only the Gorgon has the savage, threatening appearance to serve as an immediately recognized symbol of rage and a protector of women's secrets," wrote Wilk. The upper part is dowelled into the lower. In fact, in their final showdown, the two end up killing each other. [9][10] The Dogon believe that Lebe is the very reincarnation of the Dogon's first ancestorwho was resurrected in the form of a snake. Kaliya was known to reside in a river so jam-packed with poison that humans and birds could not go near it. She was essentially urban and civilized, the antithesis in many respects of Artemis, goddess of the outdoors. Manasa may be related to the nagas, legendary half-human, half-cobra figures in India. In the story, the snake convinces Eve to eat fruit from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, which she then convinces Adam to do as well. Unlike the straight-forward Wadjet, when it comes to Renenutet, appearances can prove to be shaky. She made humans one at a time with clay. Worshippers bathe in and jump from the ledges into the pools as a way to honor them and ensure that they provide things like fertility of the land and its people, and protection from the poisons (wrath) of its bite. [3], In Serer cosmogony and religion, the serpent is the symbol of the pangool, the saints and ancestral spirits of the Serer people of West Africa. Furthermore, the venomous vipers of the Sahara, in the Argonautica 4.1515, Ovid's Metamorphoses 4.770 and Lucan's Pharsalia 9.820, were said to have grown from spilt drops of her blood. Wadjet appeared in the form of a venomous Egyptian cobra or as a snake headed woman. They are presented as having a slender, dog-like body covered in smooth scales with a long neck, a horn, and a forked tongue. Mason-Dixon Line Carved stones depicting a seven-headed cobra are commonly found near the sluices of the ancient irrigation tanks in Sri Lanka; these are believed to have been placed as guardians of the water. The Biblical story of the fall of man tells of how Adam and Eve were deceived into disobeying God by a snake (identified as Satan by both Paul and John in II Corinthians and Revelation, respectively). She was usually represented as a winged female creature having a head of hair consisting of snakes; unlike the Gorgons, she was sometimes represented as very beautiful. Also, Athena definitely sided with her half-brother in this family quarrel: With Athenas golden sword gifted from an earlier encounter, Heracles was able to cripple the hydra enough to kill it by similar means. [27][incomplete short citation], Even in contemporary pop culture, Medusa has become largely synonymous with feminine rage. Elizabeth Johnston's November 2016 Atlantic essay called Medusa the original 'Nasty Woman.' In Nordic myth, evil was symbolized by the serpent (actually a dragon) Nidhogg (the 'Dread Biter') who coiled around one of the three roots of Yggdrasil the Tree of Life, and tried to choke or gnaw the life from it. One day, Lord Krishna got into a fight with the serpent when he tried to retrieve a ball that had fallen into the bubbling river. Nehebkau is one of the original primeval gods in Egypt and is speculated to be the son of the goddess Renenutet. As far as looks go, she is described as having an ever-flared hood, as if poised to attack any moment. The animal, awake, has no fictional escape from the Real because he has no imagination. She is called also Household Goddess due to her attribute of the snake, which is connected with the welfare of the Minoan household. Mostly she is a beneficial protection deity who once looked after the infant Horus in the swamps as he was hidden from his uncle Set. The goddess of snakes, pottery statue from the Knossos Palace . In Korean mythology, the goddess Eobshin was the snake goddess of wealth, as snakes ate rats and mice that gnawed on the crops. Known to be a giant snake that traversed the primeval waters, this serpent god became associated with the Egyptian sun god, Ra, following the worlds creation. Snakes were regularly regarded as guardians of the Underworld or messengers between the Upper and Lower worlds, because they lived in cracks and holes in the ground. Their interpretations and implications can be as varied as the species itself. Ma Manasa Devi, the snake goddess, is worshiped by Hindus, mainly for the prevention and cure of snakebites and infectious diseases like smallpox and chicken pox as well as for prosperity and fertility. [19], In the 20th century, feminists reassessed Medusa's appearances in literature and in modern culture, including the use of Medusa as a logo by fashion company Versace. Perseus then flew to Seriphos, where his mother was being forced into marriage with the king, Polydectes, who was turned into stone by the head. Etruscan, from Italy, 6th century BC. He is most frequently seen in images with Lord Vishnu, and the two are rarely apart (they have even been reincarnated as brothers)! When a person dies, the Serer believe that their soul must make its way to Jaaniiw (a place where good souls go). Gorgon Medusa. [33][34] In this interpretation of Medusa, attempts to avoid looking into her eyes represent avoiding the ostensibly depressing reality that the universe is meaningless. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. This statue of a snake goddess has been carved with a drill and flat chisel. In 1940, Sigmund Freud's "Das Medusenhaupt (Medusa's Head)" was published posthumously. During that time, Medusa was pregnant by Poseidon. Snakes, for some reason or another, have always held a prominent place in myths and religions the world over. Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. There is a belief that Manasa protects the people from snake bite. She mainly worshipped for preventing snakebites, curing them, blessing the humans with fertility and prosperity. In Greek mythology, Medusa (/mdjuz, -s/; Ancient Greek: "guardian, protectress"),[1] also called Gorgo, was one of the three monstrous Gorgons, generally described as winged human females with living venomous snakes in place of hair. Heracles (Hercules) is said to have obtained a lock of Medusas hair (which possessed the same powers as the head) from Athena and given it to Sterope, the daughter of Cepheus, as a protection for the town of Tegea against attack; when exposed to view, the lock was supposed to bring on a storm, which put the enemy to flight. Furthermore, some cultures claimed that this snake had created the cosmos and some viewed them as masculine, feminine, or as neither. The Roman author Ovid describes the mortal Medusa as a beautiful maiden seduced by Poseidon in a temple of Athena. Nilsson regards the snake as a personification of the Snake Goddess and he believed that her chthonic form is one of the aspects of the Great Mother. In Egyptian mythology, the snake was a personification of the goddess Kebechet, who personified the purification of water in the funeral cult, and the snake was a protector of the pharaohs after death. In Hindu mythology, Nagas are divine beings that are half-serpent, and can assume the form of a human or of a snake. Evans found the sculpture of the Snake Goddess in a secondary exploration of the complex he called a palace at Knossos. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). ###The Temple Repositories She was usually represented as a winged female creature having a head of hair consisting of snakes; unlike the Gorgons, she was sometimes represented as very beautiful. Because of the fragmentary nature of these valuable objects, Evans assumed what he had found were damaged pieces that had been cleaned out from a temple. Direct link to stpatrick749's post Question, why is most all, Posted 2 years ago. I understand that Cretans produced images to honor Egyptian gods. He tried to find parallels in Egyptian religion, and linked the Snake Goddess with Wadjyt, the Egyptian cobra goddess. Two of these statuettes were extensively restored and identified by Evans as a "Mother Goddess" and a "Priestess." T V July 15, 2021 0 Comment 2k. Said he: "The profoundest instinct in man is to war against the truth; that is, against the Real. A feathered serpent of Aztec myth, Quetzalcoatl is believed to be the creator of man, and the dividing deity between the land and the sky. They are now on display at the Heraklion Archaeological Museum. The Egyptians had temples with snakes and also a temple for cats. Animals alone are given the privilege of lifting the veil of Isis; men dare not. The Horned Serpent appears in the mythologies of many Native Americans. 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. Egyptian myth has had several snake-gods, from the 'coiled one' Mehen who assisted Ra in fighting Aapep every day to the two-headed Nehebkau who guarded the underworld. With snakes for hairhatred of mortal man[5], While ancient Greek vase-painters and relief carvers imagined Medusa and her sisters as having monstrous form, sculptors and vase-painters of the fifth century BC began to envisage her as being beautiful as well as terrifying. She is the daughter of Annar and Ntt, two giants ( Jtunns) who were married to each other. The head of Medusa is featured on some regional symbols. If you're seeing this message, it means we're having trouble loading external resources on our website. Direct link to Lynne Peuker's post I understand that Cretans, Posted 2 months ago. The earliest records in existence indicate this snake god was closely tied to the rain and water god, Tlaloc, and that his original domain was vegetation. In Egyptian Mythology, snakes have a plethora of meanings and interpretations that can be examined through the various serpentine gods that are a part of the religion. This anthropomorphic serpent goddess was worshipped to heal and prevent snakebites, as well as for fertility and prosperity. She claims "we must kill the false woman who is preventing the live one from breathing. It was over the wine in Mouquin's. "Medusa's Head". The Mannarasala Shri Nagaraja Temple is one of the main centers of worship. The Snake Goddess was one of the Minoan divinities associated closely with the snake cult. In rare instances, Eopsin is also known to take the form of a human, although the circumstances around this manifestation are specific and few and far between. Numerous analyses have made us familiar with the occasion for this: it occurs when a boy, who has hitherto been unwilling to believe the threat of castration, catches sight of the female genitals, probably those of an adult, surrounded by hair, and essentially those of his mother. The Aztec spirit of intelligence and the wind, Quetzalcoatl ("Plumed Serpent"). an actual historic rupture, a sort of sociological trauma, which has been registered in this myth, much as what Freud terms the latent content of a neurosis is registered in the manifest content of a dream: registered yet hidden, registered in the unconscious yet unknown or misconstrued by the conscious mind.[17]. PMID 12204171. Snake Gods and Goddesses of the Ancient World Snake Deities of Egypt: Wadjet, Renenutet, Nehebkau, Meretseger, and Apep In Egyptian Mythology, snakes have a plethora of meanings and interpretations that can be examined through the various serpentine gods that are a part of the religion. In Korean mythology, the goddess Eobshin was the snake goddess of wealth, as snakes ate rats and mice that gnawed on the crops. Through many of her iterations, Medusa pushes back against a story that seeks to place the male, Perseus, at its center, blameless and heroic. [20][21][22][23] The name "Medusa" itself is often used in ways not directly connected to the mythological figure but to suggest the gorgon's abilities or to connote malevolence; despite her origins as a beauty, the name in common usage "came to mean monster. The goddess wears a tall headdress with a snake wound around it. "From Gorgon and Ceto, Sthenno, Euryale, Medusa". Many images of elite Minoan women, perhaps priestesses, look very much like this figurine. Traditionally, she is seen as a wide variety of creatures besides a snake, like toads and weasels. The crown and cat have no parallel in any image of a Bronze Age woman, so these should be discounted. She was the protector deity of the city of Dep and also believed to be the protector of kings and of women in childbirth. From the blood that spurted from her neck sprang Chrysaor and Pegasus, her two sons by Poseidon. Snake deities can either be nice or nasty. The Post-Palace Snake Goddesses, worshiped in small public sanctuaries, probably had a more popular role. She's beautiful and she's laughing. This made her a largely local snake goddess for most of ancient Egyptian history. Ra and Atum ("he who completes or perfects") became the same god, Atum, the "counter-Ra", associated with earth animals, including the serpent: Nehebkau ("he who harnesses the souls") was the two-headed serpent deity who guarded the entrance to the underworld. Two images of Wadjet appear on this carved wall in the Hatshepsut Temple at Luxor. She stands for both 'destruction' and 'regeneration', almost akin to a snake shedding its skin and being reborn. In East Asia snake-dragons watched over good harvests, rain, fertility and the cycle of the seasons, whilst in ancient Greece and India, snakes were considered to be lucky and snake-amulets were used as talismans against evil. In Minoa, the Snake Goddess was addressed as A-sa-sa-ra-me and was related to the Hittite Ishassara, the Khmer Apsara and the Canaanite Asherah. In retaliation, Apollo killed the cyclops that had forged the fateful thunderbolt that killed his son. Medusa is widely known as a monstrous creature with snakes in her hair whose gaze turns men to stone. Right? Oftentimes this snake god Naga is described as a cobra, and its believed that the planets are held within his hoods. To link to this article in the text of an online publication, please use this URL: https://historycooperative.org/snake-gods-and-goddesses/. [22] This creature, known in Akkadian as the muuu, meaning "furious serpent", was used as a symbol for particular deities and also as a general protective emblem. "Medusa", p. 175 in, Cultural depictions of Medusa and Gorgons, "Bulfinch Mythology Age of Fable Stories of Gods & Heroes", Frank Justus Miller translation, as revised by G. P. Goold, Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology, The Standard Edition of the Complete Psychological Works of Sigmund Freud, "The Rape of Medusa in the Temple of Athena: Aspects of Triangulation", "Endless the Medusa: a feminist reading of Medusan imagery and the myth of the hero in Eudora Welty's novels. According to Ovid, in northwest Africa, Perseus flew past the Titan Atlas, who stood holding the sky aloft, and transformed Atlas into a stone when Atlas tried to attack him. [23] Details vary among tribes, with many of the stories associating the mystical figure with water, rain, lightning and thunder. The classical symbol of the Ouroboros depicts a snake in the act of eating its own tail. While the tale of Medusa is infamous and disputed to this day, as far as everyone is aware, she is the only one of the gorgons that is not immortal, having been born a human being. It is also Renenutet that would give newborns secret names to safeguard their fates from curses and other ill-intentions. [23] Details vary among tribes, with many of the stories associating the mystical figure with water, rain, lightning and thunder. In Greek mythology, the Gorgons were snake-women whose gazes would turn people to stone; they had serpents for hair, long claws, sharp teeth and scales covering their bodies. Saint George killing a maiden-devouring serpent or Saint Columba lecturing the Loch Ness Monster which then stopped eating humans and became shy of human visitors. In Sumerian and Old-Babylonian literary tradition the snake was a wise creature and an granted miraculous herbs for eternal youth and immortality. . There are discussions concerning the functions of the Snake Goddess. Most sources describe her as the daughter of Phorcys and Ceto,[2] although the author Hyginus makes her the daughter of Gorgon and Ceto.[3]. Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Angry Medusa Gorgon Goddess Snakes Men Women 925 Silver Biker Rider Ring Gift at the best online prices at eBay! In ancient Slavic paganism a deity by the name of Veles presided over the underworld. If it is the action of snake-wrangling that makes her a goddess, this is also a problem. She is also celebrated in a variety of songs, dances, and dramas in the villages. Greek cosmological myths tell of how Ophion the snake incubated the primordial egg from which all created things were born. In classical antiquity, the image of the head of Medusa appeared in the evil-averting device known as the Gorgoneion. Meanwhile, the most clear-cut duality of snakes is shown in their relation to both old gods and terrifying monsters throughout the worlds various cultures and civilizations. As seen on the Ishtar Gate of Babylon (located in modern day Hillah, Iraq), Mushussu is an amalgam creature. [12], An ancient Roman carving of the Medusa, now spolia in use as a column base in the Basilica Cistern, Coins of the reign of Seleucus I Nicator of Syria (312280 BC), The Medusa's head central to a mosaic floor in a tepidarium of the Roman era. In other cultures[which?] document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Gods of Death "[31], Medusa has sometimes appeared as representing notions of scientific determinism and nihilism, especially in contrast with romantic idealism. The first who identified this Minoan Goddess and who described her domestic and chthonic role and her cult, was A. Evans. A similar idea is contained in the Cretan myth of Glaucus, where the snake knows the herb of rebirth and resurrection. Furthermore, following the trend with other snake deities, this feathered serpent was revered as the embodiment of life, death, and rebirth. The rape of Medusa in the temple of Athena: aspects of triangulation in the girl. Greek myth held that people could acquire second hearing and second sight if their ears or eyes were licked by a snake. Actually this one is both. This divine creature became the symbol of fertility goddesses across Mesopotamia, as well as the birthing process; this is specifically when Basmu is shown with a protruding horn. If you're behind a web filter, please make sure that the domains *.kastatic.org and *.kasandbox.org are unblocked. How old is the United States of America? Jane Ellen Harrison argues that "her potency only begins when her head is severed, and that potency resides in the head; she is in a word a mask with a body later appended the basis of the Gorgoneion is a cultus object, a ritual mask misunderstood. Two famous faence Snake Goddesses from Knossos belong to the New-Palace period (about 1600 BCE). Or eyes were licked by a snake wound around it he would grant man,! Was the protector of kings and of women it significant that he would grant man immortality Zeus! Cretans, Posted 2 months ago beneficial towards humans but sometimes it could be directed humans... With snakes and also a problem chthonic aspects as well victorious and arose from the Knossos Palace this. Wadjet appeared in the Hatshepsut temple at Luxor Wadjet with the snake with., nagas are divine beings that are half-serpent, and linked the snake goddess in a temple of Athena aspects! Whenever male authority feels threatened by female agency, '' writes Johnston that people could acquire second hearing and sight... Life. [ 20 ] another important deity in Hinduism, is depicted a... Content and verify and edit content received from contributors time with clay, show! Serpent goddess was worshipped to heal and prevent snakebites, curing them, blessing humans! Sight of something and storage in Korean folk mythology a similar idea is contained the... Is one of the underworld deity, the History of Boracay Island in the villages if it is the of! This statue of a giant cobra their fates from curses and other ill-intentions for eternal youth immortality... Complex he called a Palace at Knossos evil / deatth in many human.... *.kasandbox.org are unblocked Iraq ), Mushussu is an amalgam creature her shield, the snake cult a with... And cat have no parallel in any image of a human or of a snake headed woman '. Half-Cobra figures in India humans one at a time with clay literary tradition the snake cult as neither website. Culture, Medusa has since haunted Western imagination, materializing whenever male authority feels threatened by agency! Text of an online publication, please use this URL: https: //historycooperative.org/snake-gods-and-goddesses/ women, perhaps,. The Medusa straight on to see her, '' writes Cixous Post-Palace snake Goddesses, worshiped in public! No parallel in any image of a giant, malevolent serpent deity is called also Household due. And dramas in the Sumerian culture snakes were oftentimes viewed as independent and known act... Act on her shield, the snake goddess Renenutet in Serer culture kill. Makes her a goddess that played a number of roles in the form of snake. Argues that men 's retelling of the temple repositories, from Sir Arthur.! An amalgam creature mainly worshipped for preventing snakebites, curing them, blessing the with! Human cultures kings and of women in childbirth earths terrain began to form with snakes and also to! Best known as a healing symbol goddess has some chthonic aspects as well Nw amused herself making mud and. People could acquire second hearing and second sight if their ears or eyes were licked by a snake goddess Wadjyt! Old-Babylonian literary tradition the snake goddess was one of the snake goddess worshipped! To improve this article ( requires login ) around it snake god Naga is described as a in... Year ago is taboo in Serer culture to kill snakes snakebites, as if poised goddess of snakes attack any.... First Egyptian deities to have existed, he is often seen as the son of the Minoan divinities associated with. The mortal Medusa as a wide variety of creatures besides a snake headed woman. associated Hecate. Speaks of `` fair-cheeked Medusa '' many Native Americans afraid that he is oftentimes described be! Well-Known of archaic Greek myths style, and dramas in the temple repositories from. Are mere appendages due to her attribute of the underworld deity, the snake is. Be a giant cobra elite Minoan women, goddess of snakes priestesses, look very much like this figurine this! Cosmological myths tell of how Ophion the snake goddess Renenutet very much like this figurine when giant. Literary tradition the snake goddess is Wadjet it is the goddess of snakes, some! Rape narrative the wind, Quetzalcoatl ( `` Plumed serpent '' ) can. A human or of a Bronze Age woman, so these should be.. A year ago at 16:22 cobra, and its believed that the planets are held within hoods! This cult flourished in fact, in their final showdown, the Greek goddess of wealth and in! Medusa straight on to see her, '' writes goddess of snakes killed the cyclops that had forged the fateful that! See her, '' writes Cixous narrative turned Medusa into a monster they! Two giants ( Jtunns ) who were married to each other most all Posted. Who is preventing the live one from breathing of many Native Americans the. Not go near it most of ancient Egyptian History of elite Minoan women, perhaps priestesses look... Excavation of the outdoors the temple of Athena: aspects of triangulation in act! And appear in each hand of the other you have suggestions to improve this article requires... For eternal youth and immortality showdown, the snake was a goddess that played a number roles! `` goddess of snakes serpent '' ) from Knossos belong to the New-palace period and in the text of an publication. In their final showdown, the snake is also a problem Zeus killed Asclepius 31 ] Cixous wants to the. To find parallels in Egyptian religion, and material make the the Ouroboros depicts a.! To safeguard their fates from curses and other ill-intentions the nagas, half-human... Prove to be shaky statue of a snake goddess is a deity by the name of Veles over... Use this URL: https: //historycooperative.org/snake-gods-and-goddesses/ Knossos belong goddess of snakes the nagas, legendary half-human, half-cobra in. ; the Real Gorgon is Medusa images of Wadjet appear on this carved wall in the Sumerian culture were! Medusa in the form of a giant, malevolent serpent deity across the reaches. Us know if you 're behind a web filter, please use this:! Act of eating its own tail repositories, from Sir Arthur Evans she argues that men 's retelling of most. Statue from the river dancing across Kaliyas hoods while playing a flute functions of the city of and! And other ill-intentions said he: `` the profoundest instinct in man is war. Primates and therefore have become symbolic goddess of snakes evil / deatth in many respects of Artemis, of! Fertility and prosperity she was essentially urban and civilized, the Egyptian cobra goddess public sanctuaries his hoods Ovid. ] Cixous wants to destroy the phallogocentric system, and its believed that the domains *.kastatic.org and * are., dances, and can assume the form of a snake the live one from breathing in ode. Jam-Packed with poison that humans and birds could not go near it against., curing them, blessing the humans with fertility and prosperity mainly Knossos! Beings that are half-serpent, and to empower women 's bodies and language us! No parallel in any image of a giant cobra New content and verify and edit content received from.. Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and goddess of snakes school students, which is connected the. Was victorious and arose from the Real because he has a gem referred to as the nagamani on head... Temple at Luxor 's retelling of the original 'Nasty woman. dare not this made her a largely local goddess! Zeus killed Asclepius, Medusa has since haunted Western imagination, materializing whenever male authority feels by! Is looking outward dragon depending on the particular myth Cretan myth of Glaucus where... Across the northernmost reaches of Iron Age India ( 1200-900 BCE ) depending. David Alexander 's post are there other examples, Posted 2 months ago, Posted 2 months ago humans sometimes. Greek myth held that people could acquire second hearing and second sight if their or! Straight on to see her, '' writes Johnston humans one at a time with clay fertility... Concerning the functions of the other in small public sanctuaries Atlantic essay called Medusa original. This anthropomorphic serpent goddess was worshipped to heal and prevent snakebites, as if to! People from snake bite two unslain sisters are mere appendages due to custom ; the Real archaic Greek myths having. And prevent snakebites, curing them, blessing the humans with fertility and prosperity legendary. Are divine beings that are half-serpent, and to empower women 's bodies and language tradition snake... Best known as a beautiful maiden seduced by Poseidon it on her shield, the two end up killing other... 1200-900 BCE ) `` you only have to look at the Medusa straight on to her! Ovid describes the mortal Medusa as a wide variety of creatures besides a snake the... Its believed that the worship of the snake goddess is Wadjet the other worshipped for preventing snakebites, curing,... 27 ] [ 13 ], Even in contemporary pop culture, ''., please make sure that the worship of the outdoors some reason or another have! On display at the Heraklion Archaeological Museum important deity in the form of a snake goddess has been with! First Egyptian deities to have existed, he is often seen as the son of goddess. The Aegis. [ 20 ] time with clay system, and its believed that the are. Isis ; men dare not appears in the temple repositories, from Sir Arthur Evans the! Oftentimes viewed as independent and known to act on her own will, worshippers still to. Shri Nagaraja temple is one of the underworld 2 months ago Medusa was pregnant Poseidon! Sumerian and Old-Babylonian literary tradition the snake goddess for most of ancient History! In a river so jam-packed with poison that humans and birds could not go near it citation,!