THE CULT OF THE SERPENT IN THE ANCIENT NEAR EAST AND EGYPT

SECOND INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCEON THE TOWER OF BABYLON

AND THE ZIGURRAT OF BORSIPPA20-26 March, 2002

Ph. D. Ana María Vázquez HoysPrehistory and Ancient History Dept.

U.N.E.D., Madrid (Spain)

1. Pátera de Perotitos

• Interpretation?• Serpent was not goddess - Maybe a divinity.• Powers of protection, immortality, regeneration.

2. Scene in the House of the Vetti

• Roman cult.• Soul of the dead = serpent inside the grave.• Spinal column becomes a serpent.• Sign of immortality.

3. Mosaic Against the Evil Eye

• Mosaic in Tunis. • Roman Magic Beliefs.• Serpent protects against evil eye.

4. Minoic Vessel

• IV Millenium - Greece - Minoic Times.• Serpent as an animal related to the gods.• Divine powers - Immortality.

5. Serpent Priestesses/Goddesses

• Possibly related to immortality.• Possibly related to the serpent goddess adored in Crete.

6. Apolo

• God Apolo.• Serpent entwined around the tripod of Delphos. • Python - Prophecy snake goddess vanquished by Sun God.

7. Statue of Esculapio/Asclepio

• In Greece, the serpent is not a goddess.• The serpent symbolises healing power in the god´s rod.

8. Statue of Higia

• Goddess of Health, daughter of Asclepio.• In the company of the serpent, healing symbol.• Serpent in pharmacy´s symbol, in modern world.

9. God Nergal

• Ancient Near East.• Caduceus, serpent, and scorpion.

10. Uroboros

• Phoenicia.• Serpent biting its tail.• Symbol of infinity.• Neverending passing of time.

11. Vessel o Gudea (2141-2122 B.C.)

• Ancient Near East.• Caduceus, symbol of god Ningizzida.

12. Scarf Serpent

• Ancient Greece.• Serpent used as Scarf.• Cold - relief from summer´s heat.

13. Serpent-charmers

• From goddess to mere tourist attraction?

14. Tutankamon - Goddess Wadjet

• Egyptian Pharaon.• Gets power from the goddess serpent.

15. Cat-shaped Re Killing Serpent-shaped Apopi

• Ctonic or Sea Serpent.• Enemy of masculine sky divinities.

16. Ur

• Mesopotamia.• Primitive goddeses.• Serpent-shaped or in company of serpents.

17. Primitive Ideograms

• Snake Head from Susa, with the archaic sign without the qunu.

• Serpent Primitive Ideogram, read as MUS.

18. Archaic Forms

• Ideogram origin of the sign BU, SIR.

• With a general sense of “to be or to become long, big, tall, to extend, to go far, to take”, with its translations ARKU, BAQAMU, RUQU, SABATU.

• Origin of the modern sign read as SIR, SUD, which, as ARAKU, means “to be long”, or ARKU, “long”.

19. The sign MUS

MUS(Sumerian and Babilonic Asirian)

Bûs (Eblaitic)

SIRU, SERRU, SERU (Serpent)

20. Other termsSarsaru, “Big Serpent”

Sippu, “Serpent” (Acadian)Basmu, “Venomous Serpent”,“Mythic serpent with fabulous

particularities”Btn, “Serpent” (Ugaritic)

Srr, (Hebraic)

Darra,(Arabic)

• According to Mayer Modena, the original meaning of this word comes from the Acadian SERRETU/SERRATE.• “To tie”, “to link together with a bond”, “magic knot”.

21. Serpent - Magic Knot

• Ctonic animal.• Linked to the dead.• Magical and supernatural powers.• Linked to prophecies.

22. Serpent Goddesses

• Sahan.• Mysterious serpent-goddess from Babylon.• Goddess of health. • Wife of Ninurta.

• Egypt.• Pharaon´s Uraeus.• Wadjet.

23. Summary

•

• In Ancient Near East and Egypt, the goddesses are serpent-shaped.• In the West, the serpents are not a divinity. They just symbolise their powers and their gifts to humans:

NourishingFertility

FecundityHealth

ImmortalityBeginning of Life

Protection in Afterlife...Weret-Heqau (Egypt)