Snakes are all over the board
culturally. In America, and most Christian nations, the most pervasive idea of
the snake is that it’s evil, since the Devil supposedly took it as the form to
tempt Eve into eating the apple. In Hindu, most images of Shiva show him with a
snake around his neck. Wicca sees the snake as a symbol of knowledge. In Buddhism,
Naga are deities that have taken the form of snakes. And that’s not even getting into ancient
cultures, many of which had snakes as gods.
Why are opinions on snakes so diverse? Part of
the reason is that they’re so diverse as a species. Many countries in Europe
can count the (not very aggressive) Common European Adder as their sole
venomous snake, so other animals were seen as more of a threat than in parts of
Africa or Asia where snakes like the very aggressive Black Mamba are found. Big
snakes, like pythons, are usually only found in dense jungles, and vipers,
cobras, and small constrictors are so visibly different that they were able to
develop different reputations, only for those to all get put under the word “snake”.
So, there are tons of places you’ll see snakes
today. One of the most obvious is on the crest for Slytherin House, the house
of ambition and cunning in the popular Harry
Potter books. Another is on the Rod of Asclepius, used by several doctor’s
offices and a few insurance agencies as a symbol of healing. One of the more
famous portraits of Queen Elizabeth the First, The Rainbow Portrait, has a snake on her sleeve as a sign of
wisdom. The movies can’t get enough of them, from the Anaconda series to Snakes on
a Plane, usually as symbols of danger or, by enlarging them, as the movie’s
monster.
Interestingly enough, a lot of modern media productions
try to find reasons for their snakes to be aggressive. Snakes on a Plane justified the unusual aggression with pheromones
the snakes were overdosed with, and Anacondas
2 made the excuse of mating season. It seems even movie-makers are trying
to improve the snakes image slightly, at least to where people won’t think they
pose more of a threat than they do.
That’ll be the next topic, actually: Ophidiophobia: Why Fear the Awesome Snake?
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