Editing Serpent symbolism (section)

==Evolutionary origins==
The anthropologist Lynne Isbell has argued that, as [[primate]]s, the serpent as a symbol of death is built into our unconscious minds because of our evolutionary history. Isbell argues that for millions of years snakes were the only significant predators of primates, and that this explains why fear of snakes is one of the most common [[phobia]]s worldwide and why the symbol of the serpent is so prevalent in world mythology; the serpent is an innate image of danger and death.<ref name=Isbell>[[#refIsbellL|Isbell, ''The Fruit, the Tree, and the Serpent'']]</ref><ref name=Haycock>[[#refHaycockDE|Haycock, ''Being and Perceiving'']]</ref>

Furthermore, the psychoanalyst [[Joseph Lewis Henderson]] and the ethnologist Maude Oakes have argued that the serpent is a symbol of initiation and rebirth precisely because it is a symbol of death.<ref name=Henderson>[[#refHendersonJL|Henderson, ''The Wisdom of the Serpent'']]</ref>

Using phylogenetical and statistical methods on related [[Motif-Index of Folk-Literature|motifs]] from folklore and myth, French comparativist Julien d'Huy managed to reconstruct a possible archaic narrative about the serpent. In this Paleolithic "ophidian" myth, snakes are connected to rains and storms, and even to water sources. In regards to the latter, it blocks rivers and other water sources in exchange for human sacrifices and/or material good offerings.<ref>d'Huy, Julien. "Première reconstruction statistique d'un rituel paléolithique: autour du motif du dragon". In: ''Nouvelle Mythologie Comparée'' [New Comparative Mythology] (3) 2016: 1-34. En ligne: http://nouvellemythologiecomparee.hautetfort.com/archive/2016/03/18/julien-d-huy-premiere-reconstruction-statistique-d-un-rituel-5776049.html. ⟨halshs-01452430⟩</ref>