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| snake at Uxmal |
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| snake birthing man |
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| winged serpent, Mayan carving |
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| Mayan snake painting |
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| my kiln goddess is the Minoan, snake goddess |
I once gave a friend a pair of handmade, silver earrings that were coiled like a snake, with the stylized head of a snake. At the end of her birthday party, she cornered me and gave me back the earrings, saying that she just could not wear snake earrings. Now, when ever I see the snake symbol, I think of this. The snake or serpent is one of the oldest and most widespread mythological symbols in the world. Snakes have been associated with some of the oldest rituals of mankind. My friend was raised as a French Catholic so maybe the serpent in the garden of Eden haunted her. She claims it was from working in her garden and fearing the small garter snakes that she often saw. Fascinating in appearance, snakes often trigger such fears. That is probably why they were used as guardians of treasure and are often seen as symbols of evil. It is probably also, that reaction to snakes that has made them the most widely used symbol, around the world. The snakes in my friends garden were eating slugs, mice, and earthworms and contributing to a healthy eco system. Snakes command respect. Do you fear them?
10 comments:
Hello:
Although we are reluctant to admit it, particularly in the light of your comment here, we are not over happy in the company of snakes and would, even on a visit to the zoo, avoid the reptile house.
That said, the images you have posted are wonderful, not least in the variety of ways in which they depict the snakes. Those in stone have, strangely, a very tactile quality.
Once we had made iron curtain poles, for an outside room, with ends forged as snake heads.
Snakes are indeed powerful Goddess symbols. I like them in artistic form. In real life, not so much.
yup, i am scared of snakes. but i can handle (pardon the pun!!!) replications of them! ;)
the snakes scare me! but thank you for your comments on my painting, your words are always appreciated!
Hi Susan! I wanted to reply to your last comment but cant seem to find an email address for you...I love beach combing...it's one of my most favorite pass times! It always makes me smile to hear someone else love it as much as I do! I have an obscene amount of sea glass (seriously...I have TONS!Carla can vouch for that!) I'd love to share if you'd like to have some for your art or just to put in a bowl to remind you of the beach! If you'd like some, email me your address! Have a happy weekend! Doreen
no offense but your friend is weird. i have, not one, but TWO snake rings that i love! and hi i'm catholic! well, i was raised to be anyway ;)
fascinating photographs. Nelson (Slocan/Arrow Lake, etc.) is beautiful... it looks like artist Alan Lee's visions of middle earth.
the mystery specie (photograph #12) in your thursday april 12 2011 'a walk on the beach' post are whelk eggs (photograph #4 is a whelk shell).
BTW (to answer your question about snakes) I love snakes, reptiles & amphibians of any kind, birds (parrots)... & fossils too :-)
... also your Minoan snake goddess statuette. A reproduction female Cycladic idol occupies one corner of my altar.
('The Gods And Goddesses Of Old Europe 6500 - 3500 BC: Myths And Cult Images' by Marija Gimbutas is a great reference book if you can find it).
visit me at:
http://objectsofvirtue.blogspot.com/
(my photographs for now)
http://elementallight.blogspot.com/
(my artwork, pop culture, books, cinema)
These snakes are positively unearthly...snake giving birth to man? I wonder what the inference or meaning behind that is.
Loved the "SSSSSSSSS."
on the necklace for sale on your sidebar :)
I couldn't agree with you more on snakes. I used to be afraid of them until a local man who kept snakes taught me more about them and showed me how to handle them. Now I look at them totally differently. BTW, we loved Uxmal. They have some beautiful ruins there, but our favourtie is Palenque.
Kevin and Ruth
www.travelwithkevinandruth.com
I am not as creeped out by snakes as most women I know. Spiders, on the other hand...
Great pix!
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