Ouroboros – Cosmic Serpent And The Self-Devourer – Universal, Powerful Symbol Of Great Antiquity
A. Sutherland - AncientPages.com - Widely known in many religions worldwide from Europe, Asia, and Africa, this mystical, very old symbol means "the end is the beginning." It has the ability to reproduce itself. It mates, impregnates, and destroys itself, and all this happens in the cycle of time.
An ouroboros in a 1478 drawing in an alchemical tract. Anonymous medieval illuminator. Image credit: uploader Carlos adanero - Public Domain
Artifacts in the form of bracelets with this symbol are found in areas occupied by the Slavs beginning with the first European Neolithic cultures. The ancient Greeks considered Ouroboros a serpent or a worm engulfing its tail and forming a circle with the beginning and the end.
The same was also an interpretation of the symbol in other cultures because Ouroboros' means always the same: an eternal cyclic force – both destructive and at the same time, crucial as a part of nature's process of regeneration.
Cosmic cycle - wheel appears half as light and half as darkness; in this form, it is Yang and Yin. Ouroboros means 'life conflict' when life passes and death comes. Still, the end also means the beginning.
It is also a union of opposites, Heaven and Earth working together and consistently in harmony.
Ancient engravings of Ouroboros, dated to the Chou dynasty in China (1200 BC), symbolize the continuity of life with the dragon biting his tail and in a mythical monster called the Midgard serpent—also known as Jormungand, encircled the world, biting its tail.
Engraving of a wyvern-type ouroboros by Lucas Jennis, in the 1625 alchemical tract De Lapide Philosophico. The figure serves as a symbol for Mercury. source
The circle is also a symbol of perfection like the halo that is drawn over the heads of the Byzantine images of the saints—believed to be inspired by the Milky Way and described in ancient writings as a luminous serpent (serpent of light) that dwells in high heavens. Ouroboros is associated with Hermetism alchemy. It speaks of purity, wholeness, and infinity. Gnostic belief "passes through all things" as the symbol of the inseparable, the "unchanging law" that applies to all things and connects between them.
Generally, the symbol's meaning remains the same – eternal cyclic force is both destructive and regenerative.
Hermes - the god of alchemy - defines the Ouroboros as: "Serpens cuius caudam devorabit, "a snake that devours its own tail, symbolizes the alchemical Mercury represents the cosmic unity and the circular nature of the work of the alchemist.
Ouroboros, which symbolizes the cyclical nature of the universe and a path to the sun, was already known to ancient Egyptians around 1600 BC. Still, it is likely to be even much older than this.
From there, knowledge about Ouroboros moved to the Phoenicians and to the Greeks and took a distinguished place in myths of Vikings (Norse,) Hindus, tribes of Central America, West Africa, Voodoo beliefs,
The Ouroboros concept appears elsewhere.
Updated on March 7, 2024
Written by – A. Sutherland AncientPages.com Staff Writer
Copyright © AncientPages.com All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or part without the express written permission of AncientPages.com
Expand for referencesMore From Ancient Pages
-
Anomalous Ancient Structures In The South West Pacific Remain Unexplained
Civilizations | May 19, 2018
-
Early North Americans Much More Diverse Than Previously Believed
Archaeology | Jan 30, 2020
-
Ancient Maya Drug Containers – Scientists Identified What’s Inside
Archaeology | Jan 16, 2021
-
Hammer Of Thor – Great Loss Of Treasure That Protected Aesir Gods And Asgard
Featured Stories | Mar 14, 2018
-
1,800-Year-Old Statue Of A Water Nymph Found Underground In The Ancient City Of Amastris
Archaeology | Sep 8, 2023
-
Pasargadae: Capital Of Achaemenid Empire Destroyed By Alexander The Great
Civilizations | Oct 24, 2016
-
Fascinating Portable Art From Torre Cave, Gipuzkoa – One Of The Most Complete Specimens From The Entire Iberian Peninsula
Archaeology | May 26, 2023
-
Are The Baffling La Marche Cave Paintings Authentic Or Cunning Forgeries?
Featured Stories | Sep 14, 2020
-
Ancient Monuments The World Is Not Allowed To See – Reason For Denial? – Part 1
Featured Stories | Aug 24, 2020
-
What Routes Did Homo Sapiens Take On His Way From Africa To Europe And Asia? Out Of Africa Path Examined
Archaeology | Dec 26, 2021
-
Perforated Shells Were Used By Humans 120,000 Years Ago
Archaeology | Jul 10, 2020
-
Ancestral Home Of All Humans Revealed Through World’s Largest Genome Reconstruction Of Our Ancestors
Archaeology | Jan 3, 2023
-
DNA Taken From Cement On Hairs Belonging To Ancient Mummies Shed Light On South American Ancestry
Archaeology | Dec 29, 2021
-
10 Ancient Love Symbols
Featured Stories | Mar 2, 2023
-
Huge, Ancient Underground City Filled With Artifacts Discovered In Mardin, Turkey
Archaeology | Apr 20, 2022
-
On This Day In History: Anne Boleyn, The Second Wife Of Henry VIII – Beheaded For Adultery, Treason And Incest – On May 19, 1536
News | May 19, 2016
-
Unique Medieval Bronze Buckle Of A Snake Devouring A Frog-Like Creature Found In Brno, Czech Republic
Archaeology | Dec 13, 2023
-
Little-Known Mummy Fragments Analyzed By Scientists
Archaeology | Jan 3, 2024
-
Queen Teuta: Power-Hungry Villain Who Underestimated The Romans
Featured Stories | Oct 31, 2019
-
Extraordinary Archaeological Discovery In Spain
Archaeology | Oct 10, 2023