'Snake goddess' is a type of figurine depicting a woman holding a snake in each hand, as were found in Minoan archaeological sites in Crete. The first two of such figurines (both incomplete) were found by the British archaeologist Arthur Evans and date to the neo-palatial period of Minoan civilization, c. 1700â1450 BCE. It was Evans who called the larger of his pair of figurines a 'Snake Goddess', the smaller a 'Snake Priestess'; since then, it has been debated whether Evans was right, or whether both figurines depict priestesses, or both depict the same deity or distinct deities.[1]
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Minoan Snake Goddess figurines, c 1600 BCE, Archaeological Museum, Heraklion, Crete
The figurines were found only in house sanctuaries, where the figurine appears as 'the goddess of the household', and they are probably (according to Burkert) related to the Paleolithic traditions regarding women and domesticity.[2] The figurines have also been interpreted as showing a mistress of animals-type goddess and as a precursor to Athena Parthenos, who is also associated with snakes.[1]
Figurines[edit]
The younger 'snake goddess', from the palace of Knossos. Heraklion Archaeological Museum
The first two snake goddess figurines to be discovered were found by Arthur Evans in 1903, in the temple repositories of Knossos.[3] The figurines are made of faience, a technique for glazing earthenware and other ceramic vessels by using a quartz paste. After firing, this produces bright colors and a lustrous sheen. This material symbolized the renewal of life in old Egypt, therefore it was used in the funeral cult and in the sanctuaries.
These two figurines are today exhibited at the Herakleion Archeological Museum in Crete. It is possible that they illustrate the fashion of dress of Minoan women: a tight bodice which left the breasts bare, a long flounced skirt, and an apron made of material with embroidered or woven decoration. The larger of these figures has snakes crawling over her arms up to her tiara. The smaller figure holds two snakes in her raised hands, which seems to be the imitation of a panther.[4] These were usually symbols of an earth goddess.
In particular, one of the 'snake goddesses' was found in a few scattered pieces, and was later filled with a solution of paraffin to preserve it from further damage.[5] The goddess is depicted just as in other statues (crown on head, hands grasping snakes etc.). The expression on her face is described as lifelike, and is also wearing the typical Minoan dress. Another figure found in Berlin, made of bronze, looks more like a snake charmer with the snakes on top of her head. Many Minoan statues and statuettes seem to express a pride.[5]
Clay sculptures with raised hands and curling snakes were found in the 'House of the double axes' in Knossos, in Asine, in Gournia, and in Myrtos. Objects with snakes curling up the sides of clay tubes were also found in Cyprus and Palestine.[2]
Interpretations[edit]
Objects from the temple repositories (Knossos) after its discovery in 1903
The snake goddess's Minoan name may be related with A-sa-sa-ra, a possible interpretation of inscriptions found in Linear A texts.[6] Although Linear A is not yet deciphered, Palmer relates tentatively the inscription a-sa-sa-ra-me which seems to have accompanied goddesses, with the Hittite išhaššara, which means 'mistress'. [7]
A woman (probably a goddess) holding snakes in both hands, from Gotland, Sweden
The serpent is often symbolically associated with the renewal of life because it sheds its skin periodically. A similar belief existed in the ancient Mesopotamians and Semites, and appears also in Hindu mythology.[8] The Pelasgian myth of creation refers to snakes as the reborn dead. However, Martin P. Nilsson noticed that in the Minoan religion the snake was the protector of the house,[2] as it later appears also in Greek religion.[9] Among the Greek Dionysiac cult it signified wisdom and was the symbol of fertility.[8]
Barry Powell suggested that the 'snake goddess' reduced in legend into a folklore heroine was Ariadne (whose name might mean 'utterly pure' or 'the very holy one'), who is often depicted surrounded by Maenads and satyrs.[10] Some scholars relate the snake goddess with the PhoenicianAstarte (virgin daughter). She was the goddess of fertility and sexuality and her worship was connected with an orgiastic cult. Her temples were decorated with serpentine motifs. In a related Greek myth Europa, who is sometimes identified with Astarte in ancient sources, was a Phoenician princess whom Zeus abducted and carried to Crete.[11][12] Evans tentatively linked the snake goddess with the Egyptian snake goddess Wadjet but did not pursue this connection. Statuettes similar to the 'snake goddess' type identified as 'priest of Wadjet' and 'magician' were found in Egypt.[13]
Sacral knot[edit]
Both goddesses have a knot with a projecting looped cord between their breasts. Evans noticed that these are analogous to the sacral knot, his name for a knot with a loop of fabric above and sometimes fringed ends hanging down below. Numerous such symbols in ivory, faience, painted in frescoes or engraved in seals sometimes combined with the symbol of the double-edged axe or labrys which was the most important Minoan religious symbol.[14] Such symbols were found in Minoan and Mycenaean sites. It is believed that the sacral knot was the symbol of holiness on human figures or cult-objects.[15] Its combination with the double-axe can be compared with the Egyptian ankh (eternal life), or with the tyet (welfare/life) a symbol of Isis (the knot of Isis).[16]
Oracle[edit]
Wadjet had a famous oracle in the city Per-Wadjet (Greek name Buto). According to Herodotus this may have been the source of the oracular tradition which spread to Greece from Egypt.[17] The serpents were considered the protectors of the temples and the chthonic masters of the ancient earth goddess. In Greece the old oracles were devoted to the mother goddess.
Comparison to other goddesses[edit]
Other goddesses probably associated with the 'snake goddess' are:
Art[edit]
The feminist artwork The Dinner Party by Judy Chicago features a place setting for a 'Snake Goddess'.[18]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
External links[edit]
Retrieved from 'https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Minoan_snake_goddess_figurines&oldid=890160289'
In Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism, the nÄga (IAST: nÄga; DevanÄgarÄ«: नाà¤) or Nagi (f. of nÄga; IAST: nÄgÄ«; DevanÄgarÄ«: नाà¤à¥)[1] are divine, semi-divine deities, or a semi-divine race of half-human half-serpent beings that reside in the netherworld (Patala) and can occasionally take human form. They are principally depicted in three forms: wholly humans with snakes on the heads and necks; common serpents or as half-human half-snake beings.[2] A female naga is a 'nagi', 'nagin', or 'nagini'. Nagaraja is seen as the king of nÄgas and nÄginis.[3] They are common and hold cultural significance in the mythological traditions of many South Asian and Southeast Asian cultures.
Etymology[edit]
In Sanskrit, a nÄgá (नाà¤) is a cobra, the Indian cobra (Naja naja). A synonym for nÄgá is phaá¹in (फणिनà¥). There are several words for 'snake' in general, and one of the very commonly used ones is sarpá (सरà¥à¤ª). Sometimes the word nÄgá is also used generically to mean 'snake'.[4] The word is cognate with English 'snake', Germanic: *snÄk-a-, Proto-IE: *(s)nÄg-o- (with s-mobile).[5]
Hinduism[edit]
Patanjali as Åeá¹£a
The mythological serpent race that took form as cobras often can be found in Hindu iconography. The nÄgas are described as the powerful, splendid, wonderful and proud semidivine race that can assume their physical form either as human, partial human-serpent or the whole serpent. Their domain is in the enchanted underworld, the underground realm filled with gems, gold and other earthly treasures called Naga-loka or Patala-loka. They are also often associated with bodies of waters â including rivers, lakes, seas, and wells â and are guardians of treasure.[6] Their power and venom made them potentially dangerous to humans. However, they often took beneficial protagonist role in Hindu mythology, such as in Samudra manthan mythology, Vasuki, a nÄgarÄja who abides on Shiva's neck, became the churning rope for churning of the Ocean of Milk.[7] Their eternal mortal enemies are the Garudas, the legendary semidivine birdlike-deity.[8]
Vishnu is originally portrayed in the form sheltered by Åeá¹£anÄga or reclining on Åeá¹£a, but the iconography has been extended to other deities as well. The serpent is a common feature in Ganesha iconography and appears in many forms: around the neck,[9] use as a sacred thread (Sanskrit: yajñyopavÄ«ta)[10] wrapped around the stomach as a belt, held in a hand, coiled at the ankles, or as a throne.[11] Shiva is often shown garlanded with a snake.[12] Maehle (2006: p. 297) states that 'Patanjali is thought to be a manifestation of the serpent of eternity'.
Buddhism[edit]
Mucalinda sheltering Gautama Buddha at Wat Phra That Doi Suthep in Chiang Mai, Thailand
As in Hinduism, the Buddhist nÄga generally has the form of a great cobra, usually with a single head but sometimes with many. At least some of the nÄgas are capable of using magic powers to transform themselves into a human semblance. The nÄga is sometimes portrayed as a human being with a snake or dragon extending over his head.[13] One nÄga, in human form, attempted to become a monk; and when telling it that such ordination was impossible, the Buddha told it how to ensure that it would be reborn a human, and so able to become a monk.[14]
In the 'Devadatta' chapter of the Lotus Sutra, the daughter of the dragon king, an eight year old longnü (nÄga), after listening to MañjuÅrÄ« preach the Lotus Sutra, transforms into a male Bodhisattva and immediately reaches full enlightenment.[15][16][17] This tale appears to reinforce the viewpoint prevalent in Mahayana scriptures that a male body is required for Buddhahood, even if a being is so advanced in realization that they can magically transform their body at will and demonstrate the emptiness of the physical form itself.[18]
Naga at the steps of a building in the Wat Phra Kaew in Bangkok
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Nagas are believed to both live on Nagaloka, among the other minor deities, and in various parts of the human-inhabited earth. Some of them are water-dwellers, living in streams or the ocean; others are earth-dwellers, living in underground caverns.
The nÄgas are the followers of VirÅ«pÄká¹£a (PÄli: VirÅ«pakkha), one of the Four Heavenly Kings who guards the western direction. They act as a guard upon Mount Sumeru, protecting the dÄvas of TrÄyastriá¹Åa from attack by the asÅ«ras.
Among the notable nÄgas of Buddhist tradition is Mucalinda, NÄgarÄja and protector of the Buddha. In the Vinaya Sutra (I, 3), shortly after his enlightenment, the Buddha is meditating in a forest when a great storm arises, but graciously, King Mucalinda gives shelter to the Buddha from the storm by covering the Buddha's head with his seven snake heads.[19] Then the king takes the form of a young Brahmin and renders the Buddha homage.[19]
It is noteworthy that the two chief disciples of the Buddha, Sariputta and MoggallÄna are both referred to as MahÄnÄga or 'Great NÄga'.[20] Some of the most important figures in Buddhist history symbolize nagas in their names such as DignÄga, NÄgÄsÄna, and, although other etymons are assigned to his name, NÄgÄrjuna.
In the VajrayÄna and MahÄsiddha traditions,[21] nagas in their half-human form are depicted holding a naga-jewel, kumbhas of amrita, or a terma that had been elementally encoded by adepts.
According to tradition, PrajñapÄramita sutras had been given by the Buddha to a great Naga who guarded them in the sea, and were conferred upon NÄgÄrjuna later.[22][23]
Other traditions[edit]
In Thailand and Java, the nÄga is a wealthy underworld deity. For Malay sailors, nÄgas are a type of dragon with many heads. In Laos they are beaked water serpents.[citation needed]
Cambodia[edit]
Cambodian seven-headed naga at the Royal Palace in Phnom Penh
The seven-headed nagas often depicted as guardian statues, carved as balustrades on causeways leading to main Cambodian temples, such as those found in Angkor Wat.[24] Apparently they represent the seven races within naga society, which has a mythological, or symbolic, association with 'the seven colors of the rainbow'. Furthermore, Cambodian naga possess numerological symbolism in the number of their heads. Odd-headed naga symbolise the Male Energy, Infinity, Timelessness, and Immortality. This is because, numerologically, all odd numbers come from One (1). Even-headed naga are said to be 'Female, representing Physicality, Mortality, Temporality, and the Earth.'[citation needed]
Indonesia[edit]
Crowned golden Naga woodcarving at KeratonYogyakarta, Java
In Javanese and Balinese culture, Indonesia, a naga is depicted as a crowned, giant, magical serpent, sometimes winged. It is similarly derived from the Shiva-Hinduism tradition, merged with Javanese animism. Naga in Indonesia mainly derived and influenced by Indic tradition, combined with the native animism tradition of sacred serpents. In Sanskrit the term naga literally means snake, but in Java it normally refer to serpent deity, associated with water and fertility. In Borobudur, the nagas are depicted in their human form, but elsewhere they are depicted in animal shape.[25]
Early depictions of circa-9th-century Central Java closely resembled Indic Naga which was based on cobra imagery. During this period, naga serpents were depicted as giant cobras supporting the waterspout of yoni-lingam. The examples of naga sculpture can be found in several Javanese candis, including Prambanan, Sambisari, Ijo, and Jawi. In East Java, the Penataran temple complex contain a Candi Naga, an unusual naga temple with its Hindu-Javanese caryatids holding corpulent nagas aloft.[26]
Girl Snake Names
Crowned Naga flanked the stairs entrance of Pura Jagatkarta
Female Names That Mean Snake Name
The later depiction since the 15th century, however, was slightly influenced by Chinese dragon imageryâalthough unlike its Chinese counterparts, Javanese and Balinese nagas do not have legs. Naga as the lesser deity of earth and water is prevalent in the Hindu period of Indonesia, before the introduction of Islam.
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In Balinese tradition, nagas are often depicted battling Garuda. Intricately carved naga are found as stairs railings in bridges or stairs, such as those found in Balinese temples, Ubud monkey forest, and Taman Sari in Yogyakarta.
In a wayang theater story, a snake (naga) god named Sanghyang Anantaboga or Antaboga is a guardian deity in the bowels of the earth.[27][28] Naga symbolize the nether realm of earth or underworld.
Laos[edit]
Naga are believed to live in the Laotian stretch of the Mekong or its estuaries. Lao mythology maintains that the naga are the protectors of Vientiane, and by extension, the Lao state. The naga association was most clearly articulated during and immediately after the reign of Anouvong. An important poem from this period San Leupphasun (Lao: ສາàºàº¥àº¶àºàºªàº¹àº) discusses relations between Laos and Thailand in a veiled manner, using the naga and the garuda to represent the Lao and the Thai, respectively.[29] The naga is incorporated extensively into Lao iconography, and features prominently in Lao culture throughout the length of the country, not only in Vientiane.
Thailand[edit]
In Thailand and Laos, Phaya Naga are nÄga believed by locals to live in the Mekong river or estuaries.
Malaysia[edit]
In Malay and Orang Asli traditions, the lake Chini, located in Pahang is home to a naga called Sri Gumum. Depending on legend versions, her predecessor Sri Pahang or her son left the lake and later fought a naga called Sri Kemboja. Kemboja is the Malay name for Cambodia. Like the naga legends there, there are stories about an ancient empire in lake Chini, although the stories are not linked to the naga legends.[30][31]
Philippines[edit]
Bakunawa hilt from a Visayan (Panay) tenegre sword.
The NÄga where often called Bakunawa, a serpent-like dragon in Philippine mythology. It is believed to be the cause of eclipses, earthquakes, rains, and wind.[32] The movements of the bakunawa served as a geomanticcalendar system for ancient Filipinos and were part of the shamanistic rituals of the babaylan. It is usually depicted with a characteristically looped tail and was variously believed to inhabit either the sea, the sky, or the underworld.[33]The common assumption is that the belief in Bakunawa is an indigenous legend, and has been a part of ancient astronomy and rituals in the Philippines since people first arrived to the region. In reality, stories of Bakunawa are directly linked to the Hindu demi-god âRahuâ, from Indiaâs Vedic period ( c. 1500 â c. 500 BCE) and was brought to SE Asia through trade and the expansion of the Indianized Kingdoms around 200BCE. The stories travelled to areas of the Philippines through trade and subsequent migrations between 200-900CE. Evidence of Rahu being brought to SE Asia also exists in Javanese Mythology, Thai Mythology, and other Hindu influenced areas such as China. [34]
Notable nÄgas[edit]
Naga couple from Hoysala era relief.
In popular culture[edit]![]()
Naagin (2015-present).
Gallery[edit]
See also[edit]References[edit]
Further reading[edit]
External links[edit]
Retrieved from 'https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=NÄga&oldid=902209024'
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