Snakes are a common occurrence in myths for a multitude of cultures. The Hopi people of North America viewed snakes as symbols of healing, transformation, and fertility. Snakes in Mexican folk culture tell about the fear of the snake to the pregnant women where the snake attacks the umbilical cord.[1] The Great Goddess often had snakes as her familiars—sometimes twining around her sacred staff, as in ancient Crete—and they were worshipped as guardians of her mysteries of birth and regeneration.[2] Although not entirely a snake, the plumed serpent, Quetzalcoatl, in Mesoamerican culture, particularly Mayan and Aztec, held a multitude of roles as a deity.[3] He was viewed as a twin entity which embodied that of god and man and equally man and serpent, yet was closely associated with fertility. In ancient Aztec mythology, Quetzalcoatl was the son of the fertility earth goddess, Cihuacoatl, and cloud serpent and hunting god, Maxicoat. His roles took the form of everything from bringer of morning winds and bright daylight for healthy crops, to a sea god capable of bringing on great floods. As shown in the images there are images of the sky serpent with its tail in its mouth, it is believed to be a reverence to the sun, for which Quetzalcoatl was also closely linked.[3]
- ^ Kelly, Patricia Fernandez (December 1974). "Death in Mexican Folk Culture". American Quarterly. 26 (5): 516–535. doi:10.2307/2711888. JSTOR 2711888.
- ^ Hilda Roderick, Ellis Davidson (1988). Myths and Symbols in Pagan Europe: Early Scandinavian and Celtic Religions. U.K.: Manchester University Press. ISBN 9780719025792.
- ^ a b Phillips, Charles (2006). The Mythology of the Aztec & Maya. London: Southwater. pp. 56–59. ISBN 978-1-84476-236-1.