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.
The Waste Land, T. S. Eliot’s landmark 1922 poem, is full of rich symbolism. But its symbolism is also highly ambiguous, making it difficult to explain the poem by appealing to a particular symbol or image alone. Let’s take a closer look at some of the most important symbols in The Waste Land, and what we should make of them.
By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University)
Ivy possesses some curious symbolism in literature, religion, and myth. Its associations with immortality and romantic loyalty are firmly established, but are worth exploring in more detail, with reference to some specific examples from the world of literature.
By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University)
Doves are well-known symbols of peace. Although such symbolism is strongly associated with Christianity, the associations between doves and peace go back much further than this: in ancient Mesopotamia, doves were symbols of Inanna-Ishtar, the goddess of love, sexuality, and (perhaps surprisingly) war.
Indeed, the ancient Greek word for ‘dove’, peristerá, may be derived from the Semitic peraḥ Ištar, meaning ‘bird of Ishtar’. We’ve written about Inanna, the subject of the oldest known epic poem, here.
By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University)
Milk, of course, is the primary source of nourishment for mammals, a word that is ultimately derived from ‘breast’ (as, coincidentally, is the name for the city of Manchester, because it was built on a ‘breast-like’ hill). Because of its pivotal role in providing sustenance for humans and many other animals, milk has attained a number of significant symbolic qualities. Let’s take a closer look at the symbolism of milk in literature, religion, and myth.