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Transformation and regeneration
- The symbolism of the serpent in alchemy is multi-faceted. It represents transformation and regeneration, shedding its old skin to reveal a new one. Just as the snake slithers through the grass, alchemical practitioners believe that they must navigate through challenges and obstacles to achieve personal growth and enlightenment.
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It was adopted as a symbol in Gnosticism and Hermeticism and most notably in alchemy. Some snakes, such as rat snakes, have been known to consume themselves. [5]
Oct 25, 2024 · The Ouroboros serpent is meant to be a positive symbol that represents unity and the natural eternal cycle of destruction and re-creation. It is unlike many other cultural representations of snakes, such as in Christian tradition, which have distinctly evil associations.
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
- Ouroboros is an emblematic serpent of ancient Egypt and Greece represented with its tail in its mouth, continually devouring itself and being rebor...
- Ouroboros is a gnostic and alchemical symbol that expresses the unity of all things, material and spiritual, which never disappear but perpetually...
- While the word Ouroboros has its origins in the Greek language, representations of the symbol itself have been documented as far back as the 13th a...
Dec 4, 2017 · In its original and most common variation, it depicts a snake eating its own tail in a closed circle. The ouroboros, however, isn’t Greek, and certainly isn’t a celebration of self-cannibalism....
The snake often was used as a symbol for duality - its long drawn out body separating the polarities of head and tail. Sometimes the figure of a winged dragon was used here in place of the snake, in order to close the circle with the dragon at the beginning of the work.
- Ouroboros Symbol Key Takeaways
- What Does An Ouroboros symbolize?
- Nature Symbolism and Geomythology
- China
- Egyptian Ouroboros
- Africa
- Ouroboros Symbol in Greece
- Ouroboros in Alchemy
- Ancient Rome
- Ouroboros in Judaism, Christianity, and Gnosticism
Here are some high-level insights for what the ouroboros symbol is about: 1. Archaeologists discovered the oldest known example of an ouroboros on a jar that is possibly 7,000 years old. It belonged to the neolithic Yangshao People, who lived along the Yellow River in what is now eastern China. 2. The ouroboros is a cross-cultural symbol, appearing...
RebirthImmortalityEternity and InfinityProtectionGeomythology is the study of how pre-scientific cultures explained astronomical events and other natural phenomena through creation stories and legends. Today, we don’t know the exact origins of the ouroboros symbol. However, historians believe it was inspired by real snakes, lizards (like the armadillo girdled lizard), or even pangolins, all of wh...
As mentioned earlier, archaeologists discovered the earliest known ouroboros symbol in China. Some historians believe the Chinese ouroboros could have been inspired by dragons, which represented strength, great power, and good luck. In addition, the Chinese ouroboros symbolizes the idea of unity, as it does in other cultures. It is sometimes compar...
The ouroboros figured prominently in Egyptian culture. It symbolized the ancient Egyptians’ views on immortality and the cycles of nature. In 1922, the archaeologist Howard Carter and his team found an ouroboros in the tomb of Tutankhamun. Engraved on a gilded shrine in honor of the young King Tut were two ouroboroi along with obscure text (not nor...
The Fon People of Benin also told tales of a giant serpent that encircled the Earth holding his tail in his mouth. According to Fon creation stories, when the creation of the world was complete, the Creator realized that it was too heavy with animals, mountains, rivers, and trees. In fact, he feared the world would fall apart and into the sea. So, ...
Eventually, the ouroboros symbol made its way across the Mediterranean Sea to Greece. In fact, the name ouroboros is derived from Greek words oura, which means tail, and boros, which means eating. So ouroboros loosely translates to the “tail devourer.” For the philosopher Plato, the ouroboros symbolized self-reliance – a perfect being that needed n...
An early form of chemistry, the study of alchemy focused on how matter changed. People from a number of diverse cultures, including Egyptian, Greek, Arabic, Indian, and even Taoist monks in China, began experimenting with alchemy hundreds of years ago. Alchemists also sought to understand how the cosmos affected all matter, including in the human b...
For the Romans, the ouroboros symbolized infinity. In addition, they associated the symbol with the god Saturn, who ruled time and the cycles of the year. According to Roman philosophy, Saturn connected one year to the next. In fact, the planet Saturn rules the astrological sign of Capricorn, which connects December, the last month of the year, wit...
The Hebrew Bible references a sea serpent called the Leviathan a number of times. Some historians believe he is based on Apep, the Egyptian snake deity who battled the sun god Ra. Indeed, while the Leviathanis sometimes described as created by God, at other times he is portrayed as God’s arch enemy. The Zohar, which is a foundational piece of Kabba...
Mercury is often represented by a serpent/snake, and its symbol is said to resemble a cosmic womb. Mercury is also sometimes said to represent the passive female principle, as well as wetness and cold.
Jul 10, 2024 · From the origins of alchemical symbols to the role they played in transmutation, we’ll explore fascinating concepts like the Ouroboros, the Philosopher’s Stone, and the Four Elements. Discover how...
