The worship of serpents has ancient roots in multiple cultures, including the Hebrews, Hindus, and Chinese. [1] Indiscriminate kindness may lead to social evils; be wise as serpents and harmless as doves. [2] The snakes became fetish animals, leading to taboos on eating their flesh. [3]
Childless wives were feared to transform into snakes in the spirit world due to the belief that barrenness was solely the wife's fault, causing many unsatisfactory marriages among primitive peoples. [4] Snakes, descended from nonprogressive reptiles, are one of the surviving branches of the saurian family after the disappearance of the dinosaurs. [5] The fatality of snake bites was attributed to the sorcerer's belief in the power of magic. [6] If a child asks for a watersnake, a wise father would give what is needed, not what is foolishly requested. [7] The Phoenicians and Jews considered the snake to be the mouthpiece of evil spirits, a belief shared by many throughout history. [8] The religious leaders were condemned as offspring of vipers by John, and now face inevitable judgment. [9] Snake charming shamans, once venom addicts in love cults, inspire the worship of serpents worldwide. [10] The wisdom of the serpent, a symbol of Greek medicine, is still employed as an emblem by modern physicians. [11]
See also: UB 60:3.20; UB 61:3.14.