Serpent lore and symbols of deity

The snake itself has not changed. It seems completely unaware of any supposed wickedness. Anyone who has seen an Indian cobra in its native climate—with its head held high, its hood expanded and shimmering with metallic colors, and its proud, fearless gaze—can see no sign of being "lowly." It remains as graceful, agile, fascinating, and formidable as it appeared to the ancients.

Rather than being a disgusting object, the Encyclopædia Britannica describes tree snakes as some of "the greatest ornaments of tropical animal life. The graceful form of their body, the elegance and speed of their movements, and the exquisite beauty of their colors have been the admiration of all who have had the good fortune to watch them in their native haunts."

The change is not in the snake, but in the person looking at it. Modern disgust for the serpent is a social convention, though perhaps now it is somewhat inherited. There is nothing in the snake's actual traits to justify this hatred. What, then, explains such an extraordinary reversal of feeling?

The bitterness of this condemnation suggests a "theological hatred" original: "odium theologicum". Apparently, the downfall of the serpent was the result of a religious revolution. It marks the victory of Sun God worship over the worship of the Earth Goddess. The serpent was originally an emblem of the Earth, naturally associated with the ground. It was linked to the cult of the "Great Mother" original: "Magna Mater" or the "Good Goddess" original: "Bona Dea". Therefore, its significance was originally feminine.

In the ancient world, the Goddess was not inferior to the God, and women held primary tribal influence. Descent was traced through the mother, and property was inherited through her line. This "Mother Right" the matriarchal system seems to have existed alongside the dignity of the divine feminine and the practice of serpent worship.

But when Sun worship became dominant, everything changed. The patriarchal system replaced the matriarchal system; descent was traced through the male, and property passed into his hands. The serpent, the symbol of womanhood, then suffered a similar degradation. Because the symbols of the Earth and of women were too deeply rooted to be erased, they were forcibly converted into solar and masculine symbols.

In ancient legends, the serpent was originally seen as female in relation to the human race. Myths of "serpent-women" were common. Lilith, traditionally called the first wife of Adam, was represented this way. Even the tempting snake in the Tree of Knowledge is often shown with a woman's head. Herodotus An ancient Greek historian mentions that Hercules had three sons with a woman who was a serpent from the waist down. Later, after Earth symbols were transferred to the Sun, the role of the serpent was...