In ancient Greece, snakes or serpents were considered healers. Today a rod with two intertwined snakes is one of the main symbols of medicine. Two intertwined snakes around a rod, known as the Rod of Asclepius, are a symbol of the ancient healing temples in ancient Greece, devoted to the god Asclepius, the Greek god of medicine. The Greek poet Hesiod talked about the killing of the monster Hydra, a serpent with many heads, which was performed by the Greek hero Heracles. Athena turned her into a monster after the god Poseidon raped her in Athena’s temple. The Roman poet Ovid, in his book Metamorphoses described Medusa as the beautiful priestess serving to the goddess Athena.
Perseus, the famous Greek hero, killed the Medusa. Medusa had snakes instead of hair, and her gaze turned people to stone if they happened to look at her.
The famous Gorgon described in Greek myths was the Medusa. The ancient Greeks had a mythical creature, the Gorgon, which had a horrifying face and a hair made of snakes. This symbol was later adopted by the early Christians and it continued to be used in medieval alchemy, only that a snake took a form of a dragon. They symbolize awareness, intuition, the life cycles, balance, intellect, secret knowledge, mystery, creativity, hidden fears and threats, vindictiveness, the unconscious, spirituality, changes, transitions, energy, betrayal, death, rebirth, fertility, immortality, healing, and transformation. Snakes are considered powerful guardians in some cultures. Snakes are considered to have dual symbolism, both good and evil. Snakes have accompanied humans all throughout the process of evolution and there is various symbolism related to them. Seeing them in reality usually has great importance for our lives and it is important to decipher it accurately. Snakes have an important and powerful symbolism which has evolved through millennia of human existence. Some people are so mesmerized by these creatures that they risk their lives and keep them in their houses, as pets. They are animals which are both admired and feared by most people. Some snakes have such powerful venom that can kill an adult human being almost instantaneously. The ones, that are venomous, use their venom to kill their prey and they rarely use it to defend themselves. Their sizes range from tiny ones, of up to 10cm, to giant ones, of up to 13 meters. It is estimated that around 3,600 species of snakes exist today. Snakes live on every continent, except Antarctica. Their skull and their jaws are specially designed to enable them to swallow much larger prey than their heads. Their bodies are covered with overlapping scales.
Snakes are elongated carnivorous reptiles without extremities.