Mysterious serpents occur not only in ancient myths but also in modern legends. For centuries, people have reported seeing huge snakes or snakelike monsters at sea or in lakes. Although many marine scientists admit that creatures yet unknown may inhabit the depths, no one has produced reliable evidence of an entirely new kind of sea serpent. Most likely the mysterious creatures seen swimming on the water's surface are masses of seaweed, floating logs, rows of porpoises leaping into the air, giant squid, or just common sharks or sea lions.
Uh-lisk), a serpent with a dragon’s body that could kill merely by looking at or breathing on its victims. Melusina (pronounced meh-loo-SEE-nuh), another figure in European folklore, was part woman, part fish and snake, and had to spend one day each week in water.
Myths that emphasized the frightening or evil aspects of serpents and snakes often portrayed them as the enemies of deities and humans. The Greek hero Perseus (pronounced PUR-see-uhs) rescued Andromeda (pronounced an-DROM-i-duh), who was chained to a rock, by slaying a sea monster that threatened to eat her. In Norse mythology, a monster called the Midgard serpent—also known as Jormungand (pronounced YAWR-moon-gahnd)—was wrapped around the earth, biting its tail. Thor battled the serpent, which lived in the sea, where its movements caused storms around the world. Another Norse monster, the Nidhogg (pronounced NEED-hawg), was an evil serpent coiled around one of the roots of Yggdrasill (pronounced IG-druh-sil), the World Tree. It was forever trying to destroy the tree by biting or squeezing it.
In the mythology of ancient Egypt, Apophis (pronounced uh-POH-fis) was a demon who appeared in the form of a serpent. Each night he attacked Ra, the sun god. But Mehen, another huge serpent, coiled himself around Ra’s sun boat to protect the god from Apophis—a perfect illustration of how snakes can be symbols of both good and evil.
Mythological snakes that act as forces of good have various roles, such as creating the world, protecting it, or helping humans. Stories of the Fon people of West Africa tell of Da, a serpent whose thirty-five hundred coils support the cosmic ocean in which the earth floats. Another thirty-five hundred of its coils support the sky. Humans Occasionally catch a glimpse of many-colored Da in a rainbow, or in light reflected on the surface of water.
The Aboriginal people of northern Australia tell how the Great Rainbow Snake Julunggul shaped the world. When human blood dropped into a waterhole, Julunggul grew angry. He sent a wave of water washing across the earth, and he swallowed people, plants, and animals. Julunggul reared up toward heaven, but an ant spirit bit him and made him vomit up what he had swallowed. This happened again and again until Julunggul departed from the earth, leaving people, plants, and animals in all parts of it.
According to a story of the Diegueno (pronounced dee-uh-GWAY-nyoh) Indians of California, humans obtained many of the secrets of civilization from a huge serpent named Umai-hulhlya-wit. This serpent lived in the ocean until people performed a ceremony and called him onto the land. They built an enclosure for him, but it was too small to hold him. After Umai-hulhlya-wit had squeezed as much of himself as possible into the enclosure, the people set him on fire. Soon the serpent’s body exploded, showering the earth with the knowledge, secrets, songs, and other cultural treasures he had contained.
Hindu myths contain many tales of serpents. Kaliya (pronounced KAH-lee-yuh) was a five-headed serpent king who poisoned water and land until the god Krishna (pronounced KRISH-nuh) defeated him in battle. Kaliya then worshipped Krishna, who spared his life. Kadru was a snake goddess who bore one thousand children. Legend says that they still live today as snakes in human form. One of Kadru’s children was the world snake Shesha that the gods used to turn a mountain and stir up the ocean, just as people churn milk into butter by using a rope coiled around a stick or paddle. As the gods churned the ocean with the snake, many precious things arose from it, including the moon, a magical tree, and the Amrita (pronounced uhm-REE-tuh), or water of life.
World History
