![]() 400 CE) describes the ouroboros as a twelve-part dragon surrounding the world with its tail in its mouth. In Gnosticism, a serpent biting its tail symbolised eternity and the soul of the world. Historical representations Įarly alchemical ouroboros illustration with the words ἓν τὸ πᾶν ("The All is One") from the work of Cleopatra the Alchemist in MS Marciana gr. ![]() The snake biting its own tail is a fertility symbol in some religions: the tail is a phallic symbol and the mouth is a yonic or womb-like symbol. The ouroboros is often interpreted as a symbol for eternal cyclic renewal or a cycle of life, death, and rebirth the snake's skin-sloughing symbolises the transmigration of souls. The term derives from Ancient Greek οὐροβόρος, from οὐρά oura 'tail' plus -βορός -boros '-eating'. Another wild rat snake was found having swallowed about two-thirds of its body. One captive snake attempted to consume itself twice, dying in the second attempt. ![]() ![]() Some snakes, such as rat snakes, have been known to consume themselves. It was adopted as a symbol in Gnosticism and Hermeticism and most notably in alchemy. The ouroboros entered Western tradition via ancient Egyptian iconography and the Greek magical tradition. ![]() The ouroboros or uroboros ( / ˌ j ʊər ə ˈ b ɒr ə s/ ) is an ancient symbol depicting a serpent or dragon eating its own tail. An ouroboros in a 1478 drawing in an alchemical tract ![]()
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