By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University)
The snake, or serpent, is one of the most symbolically significant animals in literature, religion, and mythology. Although many people associate the snake with sinister and even downright evil connotations, in reality the symbolism of the serpent is far more ambiguous and wide-ranging than this. In the following post, we’re going to try to condense some of the most famous and important symbolic traits of the serpent into one post.