The Inversion of a Symbol Concept

Document Type : Research Paper

Author

Assistant Professor, Department of Archaeology, Isfahan University of Art, Isfahan, Iran

Abstract

This article has tried to look at the prototype of serpent, in the art of ancient Iran and neighboring civilization (Mesopotamia, Egypt, India & Greece), since the beginning of these cultures to the first millennium B.C, by researching their myths and beliefs, and also looking at the motifs of their artifacts, by mean of shine a flash on relationship between these cultures, and perusing the inversion of symbols. The serpent or snake is one of the oldest and most widespread mythological symbols. Historically, they represent divine powers like fertility or creativity of life force, especially in the ancient east. As snakes shed their skin through sloughing, they are symbols of rebirth, transformation, immortality, and healing. Serpents also has represented as potent guardians of temples and other sacred spaces. They are connected with remedy and medicine. The serpent, when forming a ring with its tail in its mouth, is a clear symbol of the totality of existence, infinity and the cyclic nature of the cosmos. The Sumerian fertility deity, Ningizzida, is the oldest known image of two snakes coiling around an axial rod.  Ningizzida was a god of healing and magic.In ancient Egypt Nehebkau was the two headed serpent deity who guarded the entrance to the underworld. He is the son of the snake goddess Renenutet.  Wadjet, the Egyptian cobra, was the patron and protector of the country, all other deities, and the pharaohs. In Hindu mythology, Lord Vishnu sleeps while floating on the cosmic waters on the serpent Shesha. Naga is the Sanskrit word for a deity or class of entity or being. The Minoan Snake Goddess brandished a serpent in either hand, perhaps evoking her role as source of wisdom. The rod of Asclepius, a snake-entwined staff, remains a symbol of medicine today. Snakes are also sacred and powerful in prehistoric cultures of Iran. It seems that they have worshiped along with the fertility goddesses, from fourth to first millennium B.C. We can detect their presence as mighty patrons and source of life and immortality in the art of Tal-e Bakun, Choqamish, Sialk, Jiroft, Shahr-e Sukhteh, Shahdad, Elamite art, Luristan art, etc. However, it seems that symbolic concept of serpent has reversed in these cultures over time. In some Abrahamic traditions, the serpent represents sexual desire. In the Hebrew Bible, the serpent in the Garden of Eden lured Eve with the promise of forbidden knowledge. Aryan religions call the serpents diabolic too. Azhi Dahake (Zahhak) in the Shahnameh is an infernal creature with two snakes on his shoulders. In the Assyrian traditions, a mighty male god named Marduk overcomes the snakelike goddess Tiamat. In the new kingdom, Egyptians built a story about Apep, the monstrous serpent who lives at the underworld, and Ra has to fight with him every night until down. In historic Greece, Medusa and the other Gorgons were vicious female monsters with sharp fangs and hair of living. I believe that this replacement is due to the conversion of matriarchy into patriarchy, in these cultures.

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References

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Journal of Fine Arts: Visual Arts
Volume 20, Issue 3 - Serial Number 3
February 2016
Pages 25-34

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