Serpent Symbolism
. The most prominent serpent story in our culture is of Christian tradition, that story happens to be the creation story of Adam and Eve. It is often suggested that the serpent is symbolic of the devil or evil in Genesis. Assuming that the serpent exemplifies evil, one may then safely ask the question, "Why do bishop's crooks have serpents on them?" Looking around at other cultures it is also relevant to question why the Romans often kept serpents in their homes (Simon and Schuster 370). Many other questions arise, but by opening one's mind and looking at other possibilities one can find the answers. It is true that the serpent can be symbolic of evil, however the serpent is also representative of, among many other things, eternity, wisdom, and healing. From the beginning of time to the present, the serpent has had multiple meanings for different cultures. By looking at the serpent as simply evil in the creation story or any other story, one fails to exhaust the rich !background that the serpent has accumulated through time. The serpent and their offspring have generally thought to be cursed by God for its actions in the Garden of Eden. According to the New Catholic Encyclop
Although nearly a god, Gilgamesh is still1/3 human and strives to be immortal- the only thing separating him from the gods. As more examples like this come along it will be possible to see the many connotations of the serpent and how it is illogical to associate a serpent with a single symbolic meaning. In Adapa, Ea creates his own priest that he names Adapa. As promised, the people were cured and the serpent was their healer. Haddonfield: Haddonfield House, 1974. Throughout time the serpent has been many things to many people, in some cultures it even had multiple meanings. Although it is commonly first associated with evil, the serpent has many meanings today. Accordingly, the Egyptians considered the serpent evil because it was an extension of Apep and referred to him as, "the destroyer," "the enemy of the gods," and "the devourer of the souls of men (Joines 29). Recognizing the Brazen serpent, bishops' crooks are adorned with snake figures (Becker 343). " Having heard Moses prayer God instructed him to build a bronze serpent, anyone who has been bitten may look at the serpent and be cured. He prepared for the flood and in doing so survived the disastrous flood. Further along in the Bible the serpent not only signifies chaos but also death and evil. Chapter eighty-seven of "The Book of the Dead," if repeated, can deliver immortality by changing an individual into a serpent.
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Acceptance Essays
