AN INDIAN COBRA IN A BASKET WITH A SNAKE CHARMER. Image via Wikipedia
Snakes and other serpents form a large group of spirits that have always been important to humans. The beliefs surrounding snakes are complex and varied.
Snakes as a group represent renewal, shedding their skins and renewing them as they grow. In some cultures snakes have been revered, while in others they are feared.
Humans have respected snakes for their venom and for the fact that snakes generally are peaceful as long as they are left alone. Few snakes are aggressive.
Yet some poisonous snakes have been honored for wisdom, such as cobras. Cobras were a symbol (and perhaps a totem) of royalty in ancient Egypt, where a cobra was part of the pharoah’s crown.
In India whole temples are dedicated to snakes. Live snakes are fed there and they move about freely without harming the humans who visit them.
Indigenous people often have quite different associations for animals such as snakes, depending on the species of snakes living near them, and the conditions under which they live.
