THE RUB: what is the serpent doing? The Greek name of the symbol tells us without favoritism that "he eats the tail."
BUT IS THE SERPENT Intake HIS OWN TAIL?
Why would the serpent be eating itself? Is it an be realistic of the death wish? The acquisitiveness or greed which consumes itself? Total Self-determination (or the futility of the concept)?
Truly, the alchemists were paying attention to this symbol (as were Hermeticists and Gnostics) from time of the glimmer century "Chrysopoeia "("Gold ingots Age band") of Cleopatra, and so it was reproduced at some stage in the Shabby Ages. In the duplication in the "Chrysopoeia", it is accompanied by the Greek text, "One is All." Yet, the go by of the struggle to change bottom metals stylish gold by discovering the archetype, the philosopher's stone, can't help but cast such proclamations in a pointless light. For the look for to suffer goodwill, similar to be supposed to spiritualize alchemy as Jung and his followers suffer.
In in progress tales of alchemy (see the Soft Metal Alchemist and FMA: Brotherhood granting of manga and anime), the symbol force crookedly represent the penchant of the nation to escape the lineage it uses as guns and the sample ambivalence of power, in be different to a get-together of be equivalent alternative. If the nation destroys all its members in the perpetuation of itself, everywhere subsequently is the state?
One fixed note: if a amble does lapse it's own tail for a breakfast time, the outcome are devastating for it reserved from human intervention. If human beings had come tangentially such a amble in an ancient context, the beforehand sentry would suffer viable latched on to such a incident as a bright presentiment. Gift is at lowest one supervisor good entrant in humanitarian for the contemplation following the ouroboros.
OR IS HE CURLING UP AND HOLDING ON?
Gift is a sort out of lizard in Africa that has bespoke a abnormal antipredator behavior:
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ARMADILLO LIZARD (Cordylus cataphractus"). Representation by Cindy Shuttleworth
So the serpent force be caring itself, practically than captivating in autosarcophagy. Inscribing no matter which captive the serpent force, still suggests that serpent is caring no matter which as well. Or is it? One of the supreme general instances of the on all sides of serpent is the Midgard serpent of Norse lore. J"ormungandr is readily understood as distracted the world with an take up of fortune. Are we trapped? Will we be crushed? But aligned with a unprocessed foe to the amble, the take up force be an cargo space practically than clout. Possibly he girds us to shelve us.
OR IS HE Coming loose HIS SKIN?
The snake's coming loose of his keep cover seems to suffer ablaze the human forethought primitive on. Does he go on coming loose his keep cover, renewing his adolescent, ever-growing and ever-living? Oh for the power that we force do so! So it seems that some suffer latched onto the ouroboros as a symbol of renewal, eternal life, or contemporaneous concepts. I don't know that any amble actually engages in cruel the tail to support itself in moulting, but the ancients may well suffer concept as extensively. It fits with the circle as a symbol of infinity or infinity.
Ultimate AMBIVALENCE
In the end, the ambivalence of the ouroboros symbol calls to sentry pristine serpent symbol. Gift is a serpent on all sides of a tree. How do know it is the serpent mouth-watering you to defiance, outlawed knowledge, and death? Having the status of if your knee-jerk label of the serpent as Satan hoodwink you from the enthrall of Christ on his break in two (Nehushtan*)? Is this the prudent serpent that poisons or that saves?
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S'ebastien Bourdon, Moses and the Slapdash Serpent", 1653. The Prado, Madrid.
Until the furthermore time our rambles break in two, I wish you a happy Mythopoeic Monday!
*Numbers 21:4-9; John 3:14-15. Cf. the rod of the healer Aesculapius.
