Editing Serpent symbolism (section)

===Ancient Near East===
{{Main|Snake worship}}
[[File:Ningizzida.jpg|thumb|The "libation vase of [[Gudea]]" with the dragon [[Mushussu]], dedicated to [[Ningishzida]] (twentieth century&nbsp;BCE [[short chronology]]). The [[caduceus]] is interpreted as depicting the god himself.<ref name="BlackGreen1992"/>]]
In [[Mesopotamia|ancient Mesopotamia]], [[Nirah]], the messenger god of [[Ištaran]], was represented as a serpent on ''[[kudurru]]s'', or [[boundary marker|boundary stones]].<ref name="BlackGreen1992">{{cite book |last1=Black |first1=Jeremy |first2=Anthony |last2=Green |title=Gods, Demons and Symbols of Ancient Mesopotamia: An Illustrated Dictionary |location=Austin, Texas |publisher=University of Texas Press |year=1992 |isbn=0-7141-1705-6 |pages=166–168 }}</ref> Representations of two intertwined serpents are common in [[Sumerian art]] and Neo-Sumerian artwork<ref name="BlackGreen1992"/> and still appear sporadically on [[cylinder seal]]s and amulets until as late as the thirteenth century&nbsp;BCE.<ref name="BlackGreen1992"/> The horned viper (''[[Cerastes cerastes]]'') appears in [[Kassites|Kassite]] and [[Neo-Assyrian Empire|Neo-Assyrian]] kudurrus<ref name="BlackGreen1992"/> and is invoked in [[Assyria]]n texts as a magical protective entity.<ref name="BlackGreen1992"/> A dragon-like creature with horns, the body and neck of a snake, the forelegs of a lion, and the hind-legs of a bird appears in Mesopotamian art from the [[Akkadian Empire|Akkadian period]] until the [[Hellenistic period]] (323&nbsp;BCE–31&nbsp;BCE).<ref name="BlackGreen1992"/> This creature, known in [[Akkadian language|Akkadian]] as the ''[[mušḫuššu]]'', meaning "furious serpent", was used as a symbol for particular deities and also as a general protective emblem.<ref name="BlackGreen1992"/> It seems to have originally been the attendant of the underworld god [[Ninazu]],<ref name="BlackGreen1992"/> but later became the attendant to the [[Hurrian religion|Hurrian]] storm-god [[Tishpak]], as well as, later, Ninazu's son [[Ningishzida]], the Babylonian [[national god]] [[Marduk]], the scribal god [[Nabu]], and the Assyrian national god [[Ashur (god)|Ashur]].<ref name="BlackGreen1992"/>

Snake cults were well established in [[Canaanite religion]] in the [[Bronze Age]], for archaeologists have uncovered serpent [[cult object]]s in Bronze Age strata at several pre-Israelite cities in Canaan: two at [[Tel Megiddo|Megiddo]],<ref>Gordon Loud, ''Megiddo II: Plates'' plate 240: 1, 4, from Stratum X (dated by Loud 1650–1550&nbsp;BCE) and Statum VIIB (dated 1250–1150&nbsp;BCE), noted by Karen Randolph Joines, "The Bronze Serpent in the Israelite Cult" ''Journal of Biblical Literature'' '''87'''.3 (September 1968:245–256) p. 245 note 2.</ref> one at [[Gezer]],<ref>R.A.S. Macalister, ''Gezer II'', p. 399, fig. 488, noted by Joiner 1968:245 note 3, from the high place area, dated Late Bronze Age.</ref> one in the ''sanctum sanctorum'' of the Area H temple at [[Tel Hazor|Hazor]],<ref>Yigael Yadin et al. ''Hazor III-IV: Plates'', pl. 339, 5, 6, dated Late Bronze Age II (Yadiin to Joiner, in Joiner 1968:245 note 4).</ref> and two at [[Shechem]].<ref>Callaway and Toombs to Joiner (Joiner 1968:246 note 5).</ref>

In the surrounding region, serpent cult objects figured in other cultures. A late Bronze Age [[Hittites|Hittite]] shrine in northern Syria contained a bronze statue of a god holding a serpent in one hand and a staff in the other.<ref>Maurice Vieyra, ''Hittite Art 2300 - 750 B.C.'' (Alec Tiranti Ltd., London 1955) fig. 114.</ref> In 6th-century [[Babylon]], a pair of bronze serpents flanked each of the four doorways of the temple of [[Esagila]].<ref>Leonard W. King, ''A History of Babylon'', p. 72.</ref> At the Babylonian New Year's festival, the priest was to commission from a woodworker, a metalworker and a goldsmith two images, one of which "shall hold in its left hand a snake of cedar, raising its right [hand] to the god [[Nabu]]".<ref>Pritchard, ''[[Ancient Near Eastern Texts Relating to the Old Testament|ANET]]'', 331, noted in Joines 1968:246 and note 8.</ref> At the tell of Tepe Gawra, at least seventeen Early Bronze Age [[Assyria]]n bronze serpents were recovered.<ref>E.A. Speiser, ''Excavations at Tepe Gawra: I. Levels I-VIII'', p. 114ff., noted in Joines 1968:246 and note 9.</ref>

====Bronze and Iron Age United Arab Emirates====
[[File:Snake decoration on pot from Rumeilah, Al Ain.jpg|thumb|Snake decoration on [[Bronze Age]] pot from [[Rumailah, UAE|Rumailah]], [[Al Ain]]]]
Significant finds of pottery, bronze-ware and even gold depictions of snakes have been made throughout the [[United Arab Emirates]] (UAE). The [[Bronze Age]] and [[Iron Age]] metallurgical centre of [[Saruq Al Hadid]] has yielded probably the richest trove of such objects, although finds have been made bearing snake symbols in Bronze Age sites at [[Rumailah, UAE|Rumailah]], [[Al Bithnah|Bithnah]] and [[Masafi]]. Most of the depictions of snakes are similar, with a consistent dotted decoration applied to them.

Although the widespread depiction of snakes in sites across the UAE is thought by archaeologists to have a religious purpose, this remains conjecture.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.thenational.ae/uae/brushing-off-sands-of-time-at-the-archaeological-site-of-saruq-al-hadid-1.150378 |title=Brushing off sands of time at the archaeological site of Saruq al-Hadid |last=Gornall |first=Jonathan |date=31 July 2016 |work=The National |access-date=7 August 2018}}</ref>

====Abrahamic Religions====

=====Jewish beliefs=====
[[File:Tissot The Brazen Serpent.jpg|thumb|''The Brazen Serpent'' (watercolor circa 1896–1902 by [[James Tissot]])]]
{{Main|Serpents in the Bible|Fiery flying serpent}}
In the [[Hebrew Bible]] the serpent in the [[Garden of Eden]] lured Eve with the promise of being like God, tempting her that despite God's warning, death would not be the result, that God was withholding knowledge from her.

The staff of [[Moses]] transformed into a snake and then back into a staff ([[Book of Exodus|Exodus]] 4:2–4). The [[Book of Numbers]] 21:6–9 provides an origin for an [[Nehushtan|archaic copper serpent, ''Nehushtan'']], by associating it with Moses. This copper snake according to the Biblical text is put on a pole and used for healing. Book of Numbers 21:9 "And Moses made a snake of copper, and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a snake had bitten any man, when he beheld the snake of brass, he lived."

When the reformer [[King Hezekiah]] came to the throne of Judah in the late 8th century&nbsp;BCE, "He removed the high places, broke the sacred pillars, smashed the idols, and broke into pieces the copper snake that Moses had made: for unto those days the children of Israel did burn incense to it: and he called it Nehushtan. ({{bibleverse|2|Kings|18:4|KJV}})

=====Christian beliefs=====
{{expand section|date=May 2015}}
In the [[Gospel of John]] 3:14–15, Jesus makes direct comparison between the raising up of the [[Son of Man]] and the act of Moses in raising up the serpent as a sign, using it as a symbol associated with [[salvation]]: "As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have [[Eternal life (Christianity)|eternal life]]".

Christian Tradition also identifies [[Satan]] as a talking serpent in the Old Testament's [[Garden of Eden]] who had tempted Eve with a fruit from the [[Tree of the knowledge of good and evil]]. Eve, as well as her consort Adam, were then punished by [[YHWH]] for their disobedience to commandments outlined prior to this; had lifespan decreased, for women to suffer in birthing, as well as other torments.

=====Islamic beliefs=====
[[File:Flying Snake "Arabhar" from arabic legend.jpg|thumb]]
The serpent is a recurrent motif in Islamic thought, appearing in both sacred texts representing evil and works of art. The creature is often seen as a symbol of evil and punishment. The serpent is a complex figure in Islamic thought, appearing as both a symbol of evil and a figure of wisdom. Djinn, which are likewise figures of great potential mixed with danger, are also believed to appear in the form of snakes on occasion. <ref>{{Cite web |title=The World of the Jinn - Notes from Muhammad Tim's Lectures |url=https://notes.muhammadtim.com/ruqyah/worldofthejinn |access-date=2023-12-02 |website=notes.muhammadtim.com |archive-date=2023-12-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231202182512/https://notes.muhammadtim.com/ruqyah/worldofthejinn |url-status=dead }}</ref>
The Arabian Flying Snakes, also known as [[Flying snake|Arabhar]], are a part of Arabian folklore and are said to live near the Arabian Sea. These snakes are believed to have the ability to fly, and their name "Arabhar" means "Arab snake."

The Islamic serpent generally follows in the tradition of earlier Abrahamic myths as a symbol for the seductive draw of wisdom.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Mundkur |first=Balaji |title=Ayya in Islamic Thought |date=October 1980 |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1478-1913.1980.tb03415.x |journal=The Muslim World |volume=70 |issue=3–4 |pages=213–225 |doi=10.1111/j.1478-1913.1980.tb03415.x |issn=0027-4909}}</ref> This symbolism is reflected in various stories and parables, such as the tale of the snake-catcher and the serpent from [[Rumi]], which uses the serpent as a symbol for the sensual soul within human beings.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2011-03-03 |title=Two Tales from Rumi: The Snake-Catcher and the Serpent and The Elephant and the Travellers |url=https://simerg.com/parables/two-tales-from-rumi-the-snake-catcher-and-the-serpent-the-elephant-and-the-travellers/ |access-date=2023-12-02 |website=Simerg - Insights from Around the World |language=en}}</ref> Another story from Arabian mythology features the giant serpent [[Falak (Arabian legend)|Falak]], which is said to live below the fish known as Bahamut and is mentioned in the [[One Thousand and One Nights]] as a dangerous monster.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Nair |first=Nitten |date=2022-03-28 |title=Discover the Mystical World of Falak Mythology at Mythlok |url=https://mythlok.com/falak/ |access-date=2023-12-02 |website=Mythlok |language=en-US}}</ref>  It is said that Falak only fears God's greater power, which prevents it from consuming all of creation.{{Empty section|date=January 2022}}