414 SERPENT 



Scriptural account in the Garden of Kden onwards; Milton's 

 words are : — 



•' The serpent, subtlest beast of all the field 

 Of huge extent sometimes, though to thee 

 Not noxious, but obedient to thy call." 



In Irish, in addition to the very general terra "piast," the 

 serpent is called " bofulan " or " buafannan," ban no liath, white 

 or grey. 



When casting its slough, the serpent, as Virgil puts it, " almost 

 scorns his famished young," but this merely refers to the period 

 of the year when, in common with other animals, he is fiercest 

 and most irritable, as the boar which then is most cruel. A 

 superstition exists, that if a person stung by a serpent reaches 

 running water before it, the latter will burst and die, and vice 

 versa. When a serpent is killed it should be cut into five pieces, 

 besides the head, and burned ; if left exposed to the sun large 

 dark green and spotted flies will be generated, which are supposed 

 to be fatal in their bite. Great power was thought to accrue to the 

 person killing the first seen for the year by him or her, while 

 good luck follows if the skin be kept, and hung up in the house. 

 One of the many " fuathan na h-uiseige," or the lark's hatred, is 

 " nead nathrach air dris," the nest of a serpent on a thorn. One 

 kind of serpent or adder exudes a most powerful odour, especially 

 when roused or disturbed. The ovinn anguinium, or serpent's ^gg, 

 is described by Pliny. This egg was formed from a cluster of 

 serpents, and was the ensign of a Druid, having numerous and 

 great virtues. These eggs were also made of glass, the Druids 

 employing certain retainers of theirs, specially in the manufacture 

 of what were merely glass beads for the Druids' robes (see article 

 Adder as to adder stones). As there stated in regard to adders, 

 the serpent kind generally are said to have a great antipathy to 

 the ash tree ; a well-known saying is " theid an nathair troimh an 

 teine dearg mu'n teid i troimh dhuilleach an uinnsinn," the 

 serpent will go through living (red) fire before it will go through 

 the foliage of the ash. The word "ash" has a far-fetched meaning 

 attached to it, viz., that it is supposed to be from the Celtic word 

 " asc," a snake or adder. 



Serpents, it is said, will never sting a Maclvor, viz., a person of 

 that name, and the following lines, where it is poetically termed 

 a "daughter of Ivor," or Edward, is also thought to be well 

 known to Celts : — 



" Cha bhi mise ri Nic lomhair I will not molest Maclvor, 



'S cha bhi Nic lomhair rium, And Maclvor will not molest me, 



Mhionnaich mise do Chlann lom- I have sworn to Clan Ivor 



hair. And Clan Ivor have sworn to me 



'S mhionnaich Clann lomhair That I will not touch Clan Ivor 



dhomhsa And that Clan Ivor will not touch me. 



Nach bean mise do Chlann lom- 

 hair 

 'S nach bean Clann lomhair 

 dhomhsa." 



