Serpent (symbolism) facts for kids

The serpent, or snake, is one of the oldest and most widespread mythological symbols. The word is derived from Latin serpens, a crawling animal or snake. Snakes have been associated with some of the oldest rituals known to humankind and represent dual expression of good and evil.

In some cultures, snakes were fertility symbols. For example, the Hopi people of North America performed an annual snake dance to celebrate the union of Snake Youth (a Sky spirit) and Snake Girl (an Underworld spirit) and to renew the fertility of Nature. During the dance, live snakes were handled and at the end of the dance the snakes were released into the fields to guarantee good crops.

Images for kids

Meditating Buddha being shielded by the naga Mucalinda. Cambodia, 1150 to 1175
Mami Wata, important in African and African-American religions
The "libation vase of Gudea" with the dragon Mushussu, dedicated to Ningishzida (twentieth century BCE short chronology). The caduceus is interpreted as depicting the god himself.
Serpent on a jewelry box from Shahdad, Iran, 2700 BC
Snake decoration on Bronze Age pot from Rumailah, Al Ain
Níðhöggr gnaws the roots of Yggdrasil in this illustration from a 17th-century Icelandic manuscript.
The Sumerian deity, Ningizzida, is accompanied by two gryphons Mushussu; it is the oldest known image of two snakes coiling around an axial rod, dating from before 2000 BCE.
Ancient North American serpent imagery often featured rattlesnakes
Vishnu resting on Ananta-Shesha, with Lakshmi massaging his "lotus feet"
An ancient painting of Nuwa and Fuxi unearthed in Xinjiang
The archaic Gorgon at the pediment of the Temple of Artemis in Corfu as shown at the Archaeological Museum of Corfu. She wears a belt of intertwined snakes, a fertility symbol.
Statue of Asclepius
Naga or serpent
The Star of Life features a Rod of Asclepius
Imperial Japan depicted as an evil snake in a WWII propaganda poster