Masonic & Occult Symbols Illustrate

The oroboros is also representative of the androgyne. “The serpent’s head and neck is distinctly a masculine symbol, but the serpent is sometimes symbolized with its tail in it mouth, the body forming a circle which is feminine. Also, the mouth is feminine, while the tail, which is in the mouth, is masculine. Thus for two good reasons the serpent with its tail in its mouth represents both sexes.” As stated earlier, the androgyne (meaning male and female in one body) was considered to be “the image of human perfection and wholeness.”

Another creature with some snake-like features is a basilisk. It is a: “fabulous animal with a snake’s body, pointed head and a three-pointed crest. In mediaeval descriptions it was said to be born of a yolkless egg laid by a cock and hatched by a toad on a bed of dung, and to have a three-pointed tail, glittering eyes and a crown on its head. Its glance was believed to be lethal, so that it could only be destroyed while its assailant was watching it in a mirror. This belief is related to the myth of the Gorgon’s head. In the East, its body was supposed to be a mixture of cock, snake and toad. According to Diel, this projected image of the human psyche is clearly infernal in character, as is shown by its threefold attributes (its three-pointed crest and trifurcated tail) since they are an inversion of the qualities of the Trinity; and also by the predominance of evil components, such as the toad and the snake. It is one of the many ‘keepers of treasure’ mentioned in legend.”