Snakes. You either love them or hate them. They are fascinating creatures whose appearance has been a subject of fascination since ancient times. Snakes are chthonic creatures, linked to the underworld, as they have the ability to shed skin, as if being reborn.
In many ancient cultures, the movement of the snake reminded them of river bends, mountains, roots, the cosmos and the wind, all things that mother nature created. This resemblance is one of the reasons why snakes symbolize creation, life force, fertility and difference.
These cosmic and ancestral associations united with its graceful movements, is what connected the snake with Wisdom. Particularly in ancient Egypt it was associated with divine wisdom, stemming from their many gods. Snakes have also become a symbol of medicine, this stems from the Greek god Asclepius, he was a Greek warrior who was in a group called the Argonauts. They were similar to what might have been a medic as they were experts in drugs and poisons. Eventually he turned into a snake god. One of the possible reasons for him becoming a snake god was the Greeks connection of snakes and the underworld, often being regarded as the messengers between over and underworld, additionally the snake was a symbol of immortality.
Snakes had dual power, while they were seen as good creatures, they were also seen as evil ones too. A snake’s venom has the power to kill and is naturally a predator to weak creatures. It also has the ability to swallow its victims whole, this is where snakes may have gotten an eviller reputation from. A famous example of evil snakes is in Christianity, the snake corrupts and persuades Eve to eat the forbidden fruit. In this, the snake was a vessel for the devil to speak to Eve and corrupt her, filling her with poison.