ON SEEPENT-WOESHIP AND VENOMOUS SNAKES. 87 



Scandinavia and on the east coast of Scotland, north of the 

 Forth, where sculptured stone monuments have been found 

 on which the serpent appears frequently, and as a prominent 

 figure. 



In Greece the temple of iEsculapius was a centre of serpent- 

 worship, whilst the iEsculapian rod symbolises wisdom. In 

 this, as in other cases, the serpent was the symbol of the god, 

 rather than itself the god.* 



In Italy the serpent was often represented as the genius loci, 

 but there is no direct evidence that beyond this the Romans 

 ever worshipped it. Dante, in his " Inferno," ascribes to 

 the serpent supernatural power, his bite causing a man to be 

 reduced to ashes : — 



" Ed ecco ad un, cli'era da nostra proda, 

 S'avvento un serpente, che'l trafisse 

 La, dove'l collo alle spalle s'annoda. 

 Ne O si tosto mai, ne" I si scrisse, 

 Com' ei s'accese, ed arse, e cener tutto 

 Convenne die cascando divenisse." 



(Inferno, xxiv, 97.) 



It probably prevailed in Eastern Europe during the Middle 

 Ages, and in Esthonia and Finland up to a comparatively 

 recent period. 



In Africa, Fergusson says that Sheikh Haredi in Upper 

 Egypt is one of the best known sites of modern serpent-wor- 

 ship, but there are very slight traces of its prevalence in ancient 

 Egypt. The Egyptians worshipped many animals, but there is 

 nothing to show that the serpent was honoured above the rest. 



In Abyssinia it was worshipped before the introduction of 

 Christianity in the fourth century, and on the Guinea coast 

 serpent-worship flourishes at the present day, and possibly 

 has done so for the last 4,000 years. 



In Eastern Asia, Persia affords but slight traces of it. The 

 Iranians were Aryans, and brought with them fire-worship. 

 It may have existed among their predecessors. 



Cashmere was one of the principal centres of it. There is 

 no direct testimony of its existence there till a century before 

 the Christian era, and the latest authoritative notice of its 

 practice was in the reign of Akbar (fourteenth century). 



In Cambodia and the adjacent countries, serpent- worship 

 reached its fullest development. The country was couquered 



* For instance, when a pestilence was raging in Eome in 291 b.c, the 

 god was brought in the form of a serpent from Epidaurua A sanctuary 

 was built for him on the Tiber Island. 



H 



