Editing Serpent symbolism (section)

==Folklore==
In folk and fairy tale traditions all over the world, the serpent and the snake appear as characters in several fairy tales, either a main character in animal fables and magic tales (''[[Fairy tale|Märchen]]''), or as the [[Donor (fairy tale)|donor]] who grants the protagonist a special ability or impart him with some secret knowledge.

According to the [[Aarne-Thompson-Uther Index]], the serpent can appear in this capacity in the following tale types:<ref>Sundermann, Werner. "VII. Friedmar Geißler (f), Erzählmotive in der Geschichte von den zwei Schlangen". In: ''Ein manichäisch-soghdisches Parabelbuch''. Berlin, Boston: De Gruyter, 2022 [1985]. pp. 57-68. {{doi|10.1515/9783112592328-007}}</ref>

* Aarne-Thompson-Uther Index tale type ATU 155, "The Ungrateful Animal (Serpent) Returned to Captivity": a farmer rescues an animal (snake) from a trap ([[Pit cave|pit]]). Now free, the animal wants to eat (bite) its saviour, who tries to delay this fate. He consults with other creatures and finally to a trickster animal ([[fox]] or [[jackal]]). The trickster animal feigns innocence and wants to understand the origin of the problem, so the ungrateful animal goes back to the pit to demonstrate. The farmer leaves the animal trapped again.<ref>Aarne, Antti. ''Verzeichnis der Märchentypen''. Folklore Fellows Classification 3. Helsinki: Suomalaisen Tiedeakatemian Toimituksia, 1910. p. 8. [https://de.wikisource.org/wiki/Verzeichnis_der_M%C3%A4rchentypen]</ref> Example: ''[[The Tiger, the Brahmin and the Jackal]]'', Indian fable.
* Aarne-Thompson-Uther Index tale type ATU 411, "The King and the [[Lamia]] (The [[Snake]]-Wife)": a man takes to wife a woman of mysterious background. A holy person (hermit, cleric, monk) sees through the deception and reveals the woman's true nature as a serpent.<ref>"The White Snake, Apollonius of Tyana and John Keats's ''Lamia''". In: Murray, Chris. ''China from the Ruins of Athens and Rome: Classics, Sinology, and Romanticism, 1793-1938''. Oxford University Press. 2020. pp. 63-97. {{ISBN|978-0-19-876701-5}}</ref><ref>Behr-Glinka, A.I. "[https://www.academia.edu/37739804/%D0%91%D0%B5%D1%80_%D0%93%D0%BB%D0%B8%D0%BD%D0%BA%D0%B0_%D0%90_%D0%98_%D0%A1%D1%8E%D0%B6%D0%B5%D1%82%D0%BD%D1%8B%D0%B9_%D1%82%D0%B8%D0%BF_%D0%90%D0%A2U411_%D0%B2_%D1%81%D0%BA%D0%B0%D0%B7%D0%BE%D1%87%D0%BD%D0%BE%D0%B9_%D1%82%D1%80%D0%B0%D0%B4%D0%B8%D1%86%D0%B8%D0%B8_%D0%95%D0%B2%D1%80%D0%B0%D0%B7%D0%B8%D0%B8_%D0%BD%D0%B5%D0%BA%D0%BE%D1%82%D0%BE%D1%80%D1%8B%D0%B5_%D0%B7%D0%B0%D0%BC%D0%B5%D1%87%D0%B0%D0%BD%D0%B8%D1%8F_%D0%BA_%D0%A2%D0%B8%D0%BF%D0%BE%D0%BB%D0%BE%D0%B3%D0%B8%D1%87%D0%B5%D1%81%D0%BA%D0%BE%D0%BC%D1%83_%D1%83%D0%BA%D0%B0%D0%B7%D0%B0%D1%82%D0%B5%D0%BB%D1%8E_%D0%93_%D0%99_%D0%A3%D1%82%D0%B5%D1%80%D0%B0_%D0%AD%D0%9E_4_2018_ Folk-Tale Type ATU411 in Eurasian Folk Tradition: Some Remarks to the “Typological Index of Folk-Tale Types” of H.-J. Uther]" [Siuzhetnyi tip ATU411 v skazochnoi traditsiiEvrazii: nekoto rye zamechaniia k “Tipologicheskomu ukazateliu skazochnykh siuzhetov” H.-J. Utera]. [[Etnograficheskoe Obozrenie]], 2018, no. 4, pp. 171–184. {{ISSN|0869-5415}} {{doi|10.31857/S086954150000414-5}}</ref> This type would include ''[[Legend of the White Snake]]'' (Chinese legend);<ref>Ting, Nai-tung. "The Holy Man and the Snake-Woman. A Study of a Lamia Story in Asian and European Literature". In: ''Fabula'' 8, no. Jahresband (1966): 145–191. {{doi|10.1515/fabl.1966.8.1.145}}</ref> ''[[Mélusine]]'', a French medieval legend.<ref>Le Roy Ladurie, Emmanuel; [[Jacques Le Goff|Le Goff, Jacques]]. "Mélusine maternelle et défricheuse". In: ''Annales. Économies, Sociétés, Civilisations''. 26ᵉ année, N. 3-4, 1971. pp. 593-594. {{doi|10.3406/ahess.1971.422431}}</ref>
* Aarne-Thompson-Uther Index tale type ATU 425, "[[Animal as Bridegroom|The Search for the Lost Husband]]", and subtypes: a maiden is betrothed to an animal bridegroom (a [[snake]], [[dragon]] or serpent, in several variants), who comes at night to the bridal bed in human form. The maiden breaks a taboo and her enchanted husband disappears. She is forced to seek him.<ref>Uther, Hans-Jörg. ''Handbuch zu den "Kinder- und Hausmärchen" der Brüder Grimm: Entstehung - Wirkung - Interpretation''. Berlin; New York: Walter de Gruyter. 2008. pp. 200-201. {{ISBN|978-3-11-019441-8}}</ref> Example: ''[[The Green Serpent]]'', French literary fairy tale; ''[[The Snake Prince]]'', Indian fairy tale; ''[[The Enchanted Snake]]'', Italian literary fairy tale; ''[[The Serpent Prince (Hungarian Folk Tale)|The Serpent Prince]]'', Hungarian folktale.
* Aarne-Thompson-Uther Index tale type ATU 425M, "The Snake as Bridegroom":<ref>Felton, Debbie. "Apuleius' Cupid Considered as a Lamia (Metamorphoses 5.17-18)." ''Illinois Classical Studies'', no. 38 (2013): 230 (footnote nr. 4). {{doi|10.5406/illiclasstud.38.0229}}.</ref> a girl goes bathing and leaves her clothing by the shore. When she returns, a snake ([[grass snake]]) hides her clothing and will only return them if the girl agrees to marry it. She promises to marry the snake. Some time later, the grass snake comes to take its bride and bring her to its [[underwater]] (or [[Subterranea (geography)|underground]]) palace.<ref>Aarne, Antti; Thompson, Stith. ''The types of the folktale: a classification and bibliography''. Folklore Fellows Communications FFC no. 184. Helsinki: Academia Scientiarum Fennica, 1961. p. 144.</ref> This tale type seems to be restricted to the Baltic geographical area.<ref>"Ji pagrįstai gali būti laikoma baltų – lietuvių ir latvių – pasaka, nes daugiausia jos variantų užrašyta Lietuvoje ir Latvijoje." Bagočiūnas, Saulis. ""Eglė žalčių karalienė": pasakos topografijos paieškos" ["Eglė - the Queen of Serpents": in search of the tale's topography]. In: ''Tautosakos darbai'' [Folklore Studies]. 2008, 36, p. 64. {{ISSN|1392-2831}} [https://www.lituanistika.lt/content/21517]</ref> Example: ''[[Egle the Queen of Serpents]]'', a [[Lithuania]]n fairy tale.
* Aarne-Thompson-Uther Index tale type ATU 433B, "King Lindworm": a childless queen gives birth to a boy in snake form. Years later, he wishes to marry, but either devours his brides on their wedding night or cannot find a woman brave enough to accept his serpentine form. The snake prince is disenchanted by a maiden who wears layers of clothing in their nuptial night to mirror his layers of [[snakeskin]].<ref>Aarne, Antti. ''Verzeichnis der Märchentypen''. Folklore Fellows Classification 3. Helsinki: Suomalaisen Tiedeakatemian Toimituksia, 1910. p. 19. [https://de.wikisource.org/wiki/Verzeichnis_der_M%C3%A4rchentypen]</ref> Example: ''[[King Lindworm]]'', a [[Denmark|Danish]] fairy tale; ''[[The Dragon-Prince and the Stepmother]]'', Turkish fairy tale.
* Aarne-Thompson-Uther Index tale type ATU 485, "Borma Jarizhka" or "The City of Babylon": a tsar sends a brave knight to the city of Babylon to retrieve three symbols of royal power (a robe, a crown, a scepter). The city is surrounded by snakes and ruled by a princess with snake-like attributes.<ref>Eremina, Valeriia. 2010. “An International Tale-Type: ‘The City of Babylon’”. FOLKLORICA - Journal of the Slavic, East European, and Eurasian Folklore Association 15 (July): 99-128. {{doi|10.17161/folklorica.v15i0.4027}}.</ref>
* Aarne-Thompson-Uther Index tale type ATU 560, "The [[Magic Ring]]": a poor man either buys or rescues four types of animals, a cat, a dog, a mouse and a snake. This snake is the son of the king of serpents. It takes the boy to its father's court to reward him a wish-granting object (usually a magic stone or ring).<ref>Thompson, Stith. ''The Folktale''. University of California Press, 1977. pp. 70-71. {{ISBN|0-520-03537-2}}</ref> Example: ''[[The Enchanted Watch]]'', French fairy tale.
* Aarne-Thompson-Uther Index tale type ATU 612, "[[The Three Snake-Leaves]]": a man kills a snake. Its mate brings three magical leaves to resurrect it. This inspires the man to find a similar herb to use on his deceased bride/wife.<ref>Aarne, Antti. ''Verzeichnis der Märchentypen''. Folklore Fellows Classification 3. Helsinki: Suomalaisen Tiedeakatemian Toimituksia, 1910. p. 29. [https://de.wikisource.org/wiki/Verzeichnis_der_M%C3%A4rchentypen]</ref>
* Aarne-Thompson-Uther Index tale type ATU 672, "The Serpent's Crown": a snake takes off its crown to bathe in the lake. The crown is stolen by a human, who discovers the crown can grant special abilities (most often, the knowledge of animal languages).<ref>Aarne, Antti; Thompson, Stith. ''The types of the folktale: a classification and bibliography''. Folklore Fellows Communications FFC no. 184. Helsinki: Academia Scientiarum Fennica, 1961. pp. 235–236.</ref>
* Aarne-Thompson-Uther Index tale type ATU 673, "The White Serpent's Flesh": the main character learns the language of animals by eating the flesh of a white serpent.<ref>Frazer, James G. "The Language of Animals". In: ''Archaeological Review''. Vol. I. No. 3. May, 1888. D. Nutt. 1888. pp. 166 and 175-177.</ref> Example: ''[[The White Snake]]'', German fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm.