Editing Snake (section)

==Interactions with humans==
[[File:Snake bite symptoms.png|thumb|Most common symptoms of any kind of snake bite envenomation.<ref name=MedlinePlus/><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.health-care-clinic.org/diseases/snakebite.html |title=Snake Bite First Aid – Snakebite |website=Health-care-clinic.org |access-date=January 9, 2016 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160116034305/http://www.health-care-clinic.org/diseases/snakebite.html |archive-date=January 16, 2016}}</ref> Furthermore, there is vast variation in symptoms between bites from different types of snakes.<ref name=MedlinePlus>{{cite web |url=https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/000031.htm |title=Snake bites |website=MedlinePlus.gov |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101204102457/http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000031.htm |archive-date=December 4, 2010 |url-status=live |access-date=March 9, 2010}} from Tintinalli JE, Kelen GD, Stapcynski JS, eds. ''Emergency Medicine: A Comprehensive Study Guide''. 6th ed. New York, NY: McGraw Hill; 2004. Update Date: 2/27/2008. Updated by: Stephen C. Acosta, MD, Department of Emergency Medicine, Portland VA Medical Center, Portland, OR. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.</ref>]]

=== Bite ===
{{Main|Snakebite}}
[[File:ViperaBerusFang.JPG|thumb|right|''[[Vipera berus]]'', one fang in glove with a small venom stain, the other still in place]]
Snakes do not ordinarily prey on humans. Unless startled or injured, most snakes prefer to avoid contact and will not attack humans. With the exception of large constrictors, nonvenomous snakes are not a threat to humans. The bite of a nonvenomous snake is usually harmless; their teeth are not adapted for tearing or inflicting a deep puncture wound, but rather grabbing and holding. Although the possibility of infection and tissue damage is present in the bite of a nonvenomous snake, venomous snakes present far greater hazard to humans.<ref name="Meh87"/>{{Rp|209}} The [[World Health Organization]] (WHO) lists [[snakebite]] under the "other neglected conditions" category.<ref>{{cite web |last1=WHO |title=The 17 neglected tropical diseases |url=https://www.who.int/neglected_diseases/diseases/en/ |website=WHO |publisher=[[World Health Organization]] |access-date=October 24, 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140222035302/http://www.who.int/neglected_diseases/diseases/en/ |archive-date=February 22, 2014}}</ref>

Documented deaths resulting from snake bites are uncommon. Nonfatal bites from venomous snakes may result in the need for amputation of a limb or part thereof. Of the roughly 725 species of venomous snakes worldwide, only 250 are able to kill a human with one bite. Australia averages only one fatal snake bite per year. In [[India]], 250,000 snakebites are recorded in a single year, with as many as 50,000 recorded initial deaths.<ref name="Sinha">{{Cite news |last=Sinha |first=Kounteya |name-list-style=vanc |title=No more the land of snake charmers... |newspaper=[[The Times of India]] |date=July 25, 2006 |url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/1803026.cms |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110811133738/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2006-07-25/india/27815969_1_snake-bites-russell-s-viper-krait-cobra |archive-date=August 11, 2011}}</ref> The WHO estimates that on the order of 100,000 people die each year as a result of snake bites, and around three times as many amputations and other permanent disabilities are caused by snakebites annually.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs337/en/ |title=Snakebite envenoming |website=[[World Health Organization]] |language=en-GB |access-date=October 27, 2017 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170418105431/http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs337/en/ |archive-date=April 18, 2017}}</ref>

The health of people is seriously threatened by snakebites, especially in areas where there is a great diversity of snakes and little access to medical care such as the Amazon Rainforest region in South America.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Amazon Rainforest |url=https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/amazon-rainforest |access-date=2024-03-23 |website=education.nationalgeographic.org |language=en}}</ref> Snakebite is classified by the World Health Organization (WHO) as "other neglected conditions".<ref name=":02">{{Cite web |title=Snakebite |url=https://www.who.int/health-topics/snakebite |access-date=2024-03-23 |website=www.who.int |language=en}}</ref> Although there aren't many recorded snakebite deaths, the bites can cause serious complications and permanent impairments.<ref name=":02" /> The most successful treatment for snakebites is still antivenom, which is made from snake venom.<ref name=":02" /> However, access to antivenom differs greatly by location, with rural areas frequently experiencing difficulties with both cost and availability.<ref name=":12">{{cite journal |last1=Warrell |first1=David A |title=Snake bite |journal=The Lancet |date=January 2010 |volume=375 |issue=9708 |pages=77–88 |doi=10.1016/S0140-6736(09)61754-2 |pmid=20109866 }}</ref> Clinical studies, serum preparation, and venom extraction are among the intricate procedures involved in the manufacturing of antivenom.<ref name=":12" /> The development of alternative treatments and increased accessibility and affordability of antivenom are essential for reducing the global impact of snake bites on human populations.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Williams |first1=David J. |last2=Faiz |first2=Mohd Abul |last3=Abela-Ridder |first3=Bernadette |last4=Ainsworth |first4=Stuart |last5=Bulfone |first5=Tommaso C. |last6=Nickerson |first6=Andrea D. |last7=Habib |first7=Abdulrazaq G. |last8=Junghanss |first8=Thomas |last9=Fan |first9=Hui Wen |last10=Turner |first10=Michael |last11=Harrison |first11=Robert A. |last12=Warrell |first12=David A. |date=2019-02-21 |title=Strategy for a globally coordinated response to a priority neglected tropical disease: Snakebite envenoming |journal=PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases |language=en |volume=13 |issue=2 |pages=e0007059 |doi=10.1371/journal.pntd.0007059 |doi-access=free |issn=1935-2735 |pmc=6383867 |pmid=30789906}}</ref>

=== Snake charmers ===
{{Main|Snake charming}}
[[File:Snake in basket.jpg|thumb|upright|right|The [[Indian cobra]] is the most common subject of snake charmings.]] 
In some parts of the world, especially in India, snake charming is a roadside show performed by a charmer. In such a show, the snake charmer carries a basket containing a snake that he seemingly charms by playing tunes with his flutelike musical instrument, to which the snake responds.<ref name="Bagla"/> The snake is in fact responding to the movement of the flute, not the sound it makes, as snakes lack external ears (though they do have internal ears).<ref name="Bagla">{{cite news |last=Bagla |first=Pallava |name-list-style=vanc |title=India's Snake Charmers Fade, Blaming Eco-Laws, TV |date=April 23, 2002 |work=[[National Geographic]] News |url=http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2002/04/0417_020423_snakecharm_2.html |access-date=November 26, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071218213538/http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2002/04/0417_020423_snakecharm_2.html |archive-date=December 18, 2007}}</ref>

The [[Wildlife Protection Act, 1972|Wildlife Protection Act of 1972]] in India technically prohibits snake charming on the grounds of reducing animal cruelty. Other types of snake charmers use a snake and [[mongoose]] show, where the two animals have a mock fight; however, this is not very common, as the animals may be seriously injured or killed. Snake charming as a profession is dying out in India because of competition from modern forms of entertainment and environment laws proscribing the practice. Many Indians have never seen snake charming and it is becoming a folktale of the past.<ref name="Bagla"/><ref>{{Cite news |last=Harding |first=Luke |name-list-style=vanc |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2002/apr/02/worlddispatch.lukeharding |title=Snake tricks lose their charm |date=April 2, 2002 |work=[[The Guardian]] |access-date=April 16, 2020 |archive-date=16 May 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200516141126/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2002/apr/02/worlddispatch.lukeharding |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Chandra |first=Sharmila |name-list-style=vanc |url=https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/indiascope/story/19891231-indias-snake-charmers-sway-on-the-edge-of-extinction-816887-1989-12-31 |title=India's snake-charmers sway on the edge of extinction |date=November 12, 2013 |work=[[India Today]] |access-date=April 16, 2020 |archive-date=3 May 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200503031951/https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/indiascope/story/19891231-indias-snake-charmers-sway-on-the-edge-of-extinction-816887-1989-12-31 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BumyQJ14n8sC&pg=PA482 |title=International Wildlife Encyclopedia |last1=Burton |last2=Burton |first1=Maurice |first2=Robert |year=2002 |volume=4 |edition=3rd |section=Snake charmer's bluff |page=482 |publisher=Marshall Cavendish |isbn=9780761472704 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160818204631/https://books.google.com/books?id=BumyQJ14n8sC&pg=PA482 |archive-date=August 18, 2016 |url-status=live |via=[[Google Books]]}}</ref>

=== Trapping ===
The ''Irulas'' tribe of [[Andhra Pradesh]] and [[Tamil Nadu]] in India have been hunter-gatherers in the hot, dry plains forests, and have practiced the art of snake catching for generations. They have a vast knowledge of snakes in the field. They generally catch the snakes with the help of a simple stick. Earlier, the ''Irulas'' caught thousands of snakes for the snake-skin industry. After the complete ban of the snake-skin industry in India and protection of all snakes under the [[Wildlife Protection Act of 1972|Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972]], they formed the Irula Snake Catcher's Cooperative and switched to catching snakes for removal of venom, releasing them in the wild after four extractions. The venom so collected is used for producing life-saving antivenom, biomedical research and for other medicinal products.<ref name="Whitaker et al.">{{cite book |last1=Whitaker |first1=Romulus |last2=Captain |first2=Ashok |title=Snakes of India: The Field Guide |date=2004 |pages=11–13}}</ref> The ''Irulas'' are also known to eat some of the snakes they catch and are very useful in rat extermination in the villages.{{Citation needed|date=November 2024}}

Despite the existence of snake charmers, there have also been professional snake catchers or [[Wrangler (profession)|wranglers]]. Modern-day snake trapping involves a [[herpetologist]] using a long stick with a V-shaped end. Some television show hosts, like [[Bill Haast]], [[Austin Stevens]], [[Steve Irwin]], and [[Jeff Corwin]], prefer to catch them using bare hands.{{Cn|date=November 2024}}
<!-- NOTE: Austin Stevens only catches nonvenomous snakes with his bare hands. He uses snake tongs otherwise. -->
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At least one tribe uses a specialized form of snake catching as a rite of passage to manhood.{{Citation needed|date=February 2007}} The young man of interest will wrap his leg heavily in some type of cloth all the way to the inseam. He will then stick his leg in a burrow containing a large python, typically a [[Python reticulatus|reticulated python]]. After the snake swallows most of his leg, several other members of the tribe will pull him out of the hole along with the snake. The snake is then killed and the man's leg removed from the snake. These snakes can be over {{convert|7|m|ft|abbr=off|sp=us}} long, and it is possible for the man to have his leg dislocated. The scent of a prey animal may be used to help convince the snake to swallow the leg. Snakes have a single-tract digestive system, but the digestion process is actually much slower.

Commented this paragraph out till the tribe is identified and a reference given.
-->

=== Consumption ===
[[File:Snake meat.jpg|thumb|right|Snake meat, in a Taipei restaurant]]
Consuming snake flesh and related goods is a reflection of many cultures around the world, especially in Asian nations like China, Taiwan, Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, and Cambodia. Because of its supposed health benefits and aphrodisiac qualities, snake meat is frequently regarded as a delicacy and ingested.<ref name=":23">{{Cite web |title=The wine that comes with added bite |url=https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20151113-the-wine-that-comes-with-added-bite |access-date=2024-03-08 |website=www.bbc.com|date=25 February 2022 }}</ref> It is customary to drink wine laced with snake blood in an attempt to increase virility and vigor.<ref name=":23" /> Traditional Chinese medicine holds that snake wine, a traditional beverage infused with whole snakes, offers medicinal uses.<ref name=":23" /> Snake wine's origins are in Chinese culture. However, using snake goods creates moral questions about conservation and animal welfare.<ref name=":33">{{Cite web |title=Articles tagged as Snakes {{!}} Smithsonian Magazine |url=https://www.smithsonianmag.com/tag/snakes/ |access-date=2024-03-08 |website=www.smithsonianmag.com}}</ref> It is important to pay attention to and regulate the sustainable harvesting of snakes for human food, particularly in areas where snake populations are in decline as a result of habitat degradation and overexploitation.<ref name=":33" />

=== Pets ===
In the [[Western world]], some snakes are kept as pets, especially docile species such as the [[ball python]] and [[corn snake]]. To meet the demand, a [[herpetoculture|captive breeding]] industry has developed. Snakes bred in captivity are considered preferable to specimens caught in the wild and tend to make better pets.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Ernest |first1=Carl |first2=George R. |last2=Zug |first3=Molly Dwyer |last3=Griffin |name-list-style=vanc |title=Snakes in Question: The Smithsonian Answer Book |publisher=Smithsonian Books |year=1996 |location=Washington, D.C. |page=[https://archive.org/details/snakesinquestion00erns/page/203 203] |isbn=978-1-56098-648-5 |url=https://archive.org/details/snakesinquestion00erns/page/203}}</ref> Compared with more traditional types of companion animal, snakes can be very low-maintenance pets; they require minimal space, as most common species do not exceed {{convert|5|ft|m}} in length, and can be fed relatively infrequently—usually once every five to fourteen days. Certain snakes have a lifespan of more than 40 years if given proper care.{{cn|date=November 2024}}

=== Symbolism ===
{{Main|Serpent (symbolism)}}
[[File:Golden Uraes Cobra Tutankhamun's Throne.jpg|thumb|right|The reverse side of the throne of Pharaoh [[Tutankhamun]] with four golden uraeus cobra figures. Gold with [[lapis lazuli]]; [[Valley of the Kings]], Thebes (1347–37 BCE).]]
[[File:Longane, Sicily.JPG|thumb|right|upright=0.65|Snakes composing a bronze [[kerykeion]] from the mythical [[Longanus]] river in Sicily]]

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 |name-list-style=vanc |title=Gods, Demons and Symbols of Ancient Mesopotamia: An Illustrated Dictionary |location=Austin, Texas |publisher=[[University of Texas Press]] |year=1992 |isbn=978-0714117058 |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 BC.<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 Period until the [[Hellenistic Period]] (323 BC–31 BC).<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.<ref name="BlackGreen1992"/>

In [[History of Egypt|Egyptian history]], the snake occupies a primary role with the Nile cobra adorning the crown of the pharaoh in ancient times. It was [[snake worship|worshipped]] as one of the gods and was also used for sinister purposes: murder of an adversary and ritual suicide ([[Cleopatra VII of Egypt|Cleopatra]]).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.history.com/news/cleopatra-suicide-snake-bite|title=Did Cleopatra Really Die by Snake Bite?|author=Sarah Pruitt|date=March 10, 2020|website=History.com}}</ref> The [[ouroboros]] was a well-known [[ancient Egypt]]ian symbol of a serpent swallowing its own tail.<ref name="Hornung">{{cite book |last=Hornung |first=Erik |date=2001 |title=The Secret Lore of Egypt: Its Impact on the West |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SB_y56Vlz5kC&q=Ouroboros+dragon+ancient+Egypt&pg=PA75 |location=Ithaca, New York and London, England |publisher=[[Cornell University Press]] |isbn=978-0-8014-3847-9 |pages=13, 44 |via=[[Google Books]] |access-date=20 October 2020 |archive-date=19 February 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240219210357/https://books.google.com/books?id=SB_y56Vlz5kC&q=Ouroboros+dragon+ancient+Egypt&pg=PA75#v=snippet&q=Ouroboros%20dragon%20ancient%20Egypt&f=false |url-status=live }}</ref> The precursor to the ouroboros was the "Many-Faced",<ref name="Hornung"/> a serpent with five heads, who, according to the [[Amduat]], the oldest surviving [[Book of the Dead|Book of the Afterlife]], was said to coil around the corpse of the sun god Ra protectively.<ref name="Hornung"/> The earliest surviving depiction of a "true" ouroboros comes from the gilded shrines in [[KV62|the tomb]] of [[Tutankhamun]].<ref name="Hornung"/> In the early centuries AD, the ouroboros was adopted as a symbol by [[Gnosticism|Gnostic]] Christians<ref name="Hornung"/> and chapter 136 of the ''[[Pistis Sophia]]'', an early Gnostic text, describes "a great dragon whose tail is in its mouth".<ref name="Hornung"/> In medieval alchemy, the ouroboros became a typical western dragon with wings, legs, and a tail.<ref name="Hornung"/>

In the [[Bible]], King [[Nahash of Ammon]], whose name means "Snake", is depicted very negatively, as a particularly cruel and despicable enemy of the ancient Hebrews.{{Citation needed|date=November 2024}}

[[File:Medusa by Carvaggio.jpg|thumb|upright|''[[Medusa (Caravaggio)|Medusa]]'' (1597) by the Italian artist [[Caravaggio]] ]]
The ancient Greeks used the [[Gorgoneion]], a depiction of a hideous face with serpents for hair, as an [[Apotropaic magic|apotropaic symbol]] to ward off evil.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Phinney |first=Edward Jr. |date=1971 |title=Perseus' Battle with the Gorgons |journal=Transactions and Proceedings of the American Philological Association |volume=102 |pages=445–463 |doi=10.2307/2935950 |jstor=2935950}}</ref> In a [[Greek mythology|Greek myth]] described by Pseudo-Apollodorus in his ''[[Bibliotheca (Pseudo-Apollodorus)|Bibliotheca]]'', [[Medusa]] was a [[Gorgon]] with serpents for hair whose gaze turned all those who looked at her to stone and was slain by the hero [[Perseus]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Kinsley |first=David |date=1989 |title=The Goddesses' Mirror: Visions of the Divine from East and West |location=Albany, New York |publisher=[[New York State University Press]] |isbn=978-0-88706-836-2 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=82oFlfs3MpwC&q=Athena+pallas+goddess&pg=PA142 |page=151 |via=[[Google Books]] |access-date=20 October 2020 |archive-date=25 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230425062842/https://books.google.com/books?id=82oFlfs3MpwC&q=Athena+pallas+goddess&pg=PA142 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Deacy |first=Susan |author-link=Susan Deacy |title=Athena |location=New York City, New York and London, England |publisher=[[Routledge]] |date=2008 |isbn=978-0-415-30066-7 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kIiCAgAAQBAJ&q=Athena+and+Ares+Darmon&pg=PA163 |via=[[Google Books]] |access-date=20 October 2020 |archive-date=19 February 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240219205833/https://books.google.com/books?id=kIiCAgAAQBAJ&q=Athena+and+Ares+Darmon&pg=PA163#v=snippet&q=Athena%20and%20Ares%20Darmon&f=false |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>Pseudo-Apollodorus, ''Bibliotheca'' 2.37, 38, 39</ref> In the Roman poet [[Ovid]]'s ''[[Metamorphoses]]'', [[Medusa]] is said to have once been a beautiful priestess of [[Athena]], whom Athena turned into a serpent-haired monster after she was raped by the god [[Poseidon]] in Athena's temple.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Seelig |first=Beth J. |date=August 2002 |title=The Rape of Medusa in the Temple of Athena: Aspects of Triangulation in the Girl |journal=The International Journal of Psychoanalysis |volume=83 |issue=4 |pages=895–911 |doi=10.1516/3NLL-UG13-TP2J-927M |pmid=12204171 |s2cid=28961886}}</ref> In another myth referenced by the [[Boeotia]]n poet [[Hesiod]] and described in detail by Pseudo-Apollodorus, the hero [[Heracles]] is said to have slain the [[Lernaean Hydra]],<ref name="West2007">{{cite book |last=West |first=Martin Litchfield |author-link=Martin Litchfield West |title=Indo-European Poetry and Myth|url=https://archive.org/details/indoeuropeanpoet00west |url-access=limited |date=2007 |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |location=Oxford, England |isbn=978-0-19-928075-9 |page=[https://archive.org/details/indoeuropeanpoet00west/page/n272 258]}}</ref><ref name="Ogden2013">{{cite book |last=Ogden |first=Daniel |date=2013 |title=''Drakon'': Dragon Myth and Serpent Cult in the Ancient Greek and Roman Worlds |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FQ2pAK9luwkC&q=ancient+Greek+dragons |location=Oxford, England |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |isbn=978-0-19-955732-5 |pages=28–29 |via=[[Google Books]] |access-date=20 October 2020 |archive-date=19 February 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240219210917/https://books.google.com/books?id=FQ2pAK9luwkC&q=ancient+Greek+dragons#v=snippet&q=ancient%20Greek%20dragons&f=false |url-status=live }}</ref> a multiple-headed serpent which dwelt in the swamps of [[Lerna]].<ref name="West2007"/><ref name="Ogden2013"/>

The legendary account of the foundation of [[Ancient Thebes (Boeotia)|Thebes]] mentioned a monster snake guarding the spring from which the new settlement was to draw its water. In fighting and killing the snake, the companions of the founder [[Cadmus]] all perished—leading to the term "[[Cadmean victory]]" (i.e. a victory involving one's own ruin).<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Gf5QEAAAQBAJ|title=Reflections in a Serpent's Eye Thebes in Ovid's Metamorphoses|author=Micaela Janan|date=2009|isbn=9780191572258|publisher=OUP Oxford}}</ref>

[[File:Rod of asclepius.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Rod of Asclepius]], in which the snake, through [[ecdysis]], symbolizes healing]]
Three medical symbols involving snakes that are still used today are [[Bowl of Hygieia]], symbolizing pharmacy, and the [[Caduceus]] and [[Rod of Asclepius]], which are symbols denoting medicine in general.<ref name=AIM/>

One of the etymologies proposed for the common female first name ''[[Linda (given name)|Linda]]'' is that it might derive from Old German ''Lindi'' or ''Linda'', meaning a serpent.{{cn|date=November 2024}}

India is often called the land of snakes and is steeped in tradition regarding snakes.{{sfn|Deane|1833|p=61}} Snakes are worshipped as gods even today with many women pouring milk on snake pits (despite snakes' aversion for milk).{{sfn|Deane|1833|p=61}} The cobra is seen on the neck of [[Shiva]] and [[Vishnu]] is depicted often as sleeping on a seven-headed snake or within the coils of a serpent.{{sfn|Deane|1833|pp=62–64}} There are also several temples in India solely for cobras sometimes called ''Nagraj'' (King of Snakes) and it is believed that snakes are symbols of fertility. There is a Hindu festival called [[Nag Panchami]] each year on which day snakes are venerated and prayed to. See also ''[[Nāga]]''.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AiK2EAAAQBAJ&pg=PT782|editor=James Chambers|date=2015|title=Holiday Symbols & Customs, 5th Ed|isbn=9780780813656|publisher=Infobase Publishing|page=782}}</ref>

The [[Snake (zodiac)|snake]] is one of the 12 celestial animals of [[Chinese zodiac]], in the [[Chinese calendar]].<ref>{{cite web |work=timeanddate.com |title=The Chinese Calendar |url=https://www.timeanddate.com/calendar/about-chinese.html |access-date=June 1, 2017 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170815132857/https://www.timeanddate.com/calendar/about-chinese.html |archive-date=August 15, 2017}}</ref>

Many ancient Peruvian cultures worshipped nature.<ref>{{cite book |last=Benson |first=Elizabeth |title=The Mochica: A Culture of Peru |location=London |publisher=[[Thames & Hudson]] |year=1972 |isbn=978-0-500-72001-1}}</ref> They emphasized animals and often depicted snakes in their art.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Berrin |first1=Katherine |last2=Larco Museum |name-list-style=vanc |title=The Spirit of Ancient Peru: Treasures from the Museo Arqueológico Rafael Larco Herrera |location=New York |publisher=[[Thames & Hudson]] |year=1997 |isbn=978-0-500-01802-6 |title-link=Larco Museum}}</ref>

=== Religion ===
[[File:Mixco Viejo ballcourt marker.jpg|thumb|right|upright=0.85|[[Mesoamerican ballcourt|Ballcourt]] marker from the Postclassic site of [[Mixco Viejo]] in Guatemala. This sculpture depicts [[Kukulkan]], jaws agape, with the head of a human warrior emerging from his maw.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Sharer |first1=Robert J. |author-link=Robert Sharer |first2=Loa P. |last2=Traxler |name-list-style=vanc |year=2006 |title=The Ancient Maya |edition=6th (fully revised) |location=Stanford, California |publisher=[[Stanford University Press]] |isbn=978-0-8047-4817-9 |page=[https://archive.org/details/ancientmaya0006shar/page/619 619] |oclc=57577446 |url=https://archive.org/details/ancientmaya0006shar/page/619}}</ref>]]
{{Main|Snake worship}}
Snakes are used in [[Hinduism]] as a part of ritual worship.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/goa/hindus-unite-to-worship-the-snake-god-today/articleshow/9474357.cms |title=Hindus unite to worship the snake god today |date=August 4, 2011 |last=Kerkar |first=Rajendra P. |work=The Times of India |access-date=March 3, 2021 |archive-date=7 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210507062700/http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/goa/Hindus-unite-to-worship-the-snake-god-today/articleshow/9474357.cms |url-status=live }}</ref> In the annual [[Nag Panchami]] festival, participants worship either live cobras or images of [[Nāga]]s. Lord [[Shiva]] is depicted in most images with a snake coiled around his neck.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.timesnownews.com/spiritual/religion/article/what-is-the-significance-of-the-snake-around-lord-shivas-neck/468331 |title=What is the significance of the snake around Lord Shiva's neck? |date=August 22, 2019 |last=Iyer |first=Gayathri |website=TimesNowNews.com |access-date=March 2, 2021 |archive-date=15 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210415042638/https://www.timesnownews.com/spiritual/religion/article/what-is-the-significance-of-the-snake-around-lord-shivas-neck/468331 |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Puranas|Puranic]] literature includes various stories associated with snakes, for example [[Shesha]] is said to hold all the planets of the Universe on his hoods and to constantly sing the glories of [[Vishnu]] from all his mouths. Other notable snakes in Hinduism are [[Vasuki]], [[Takshaka]], [[Karkotaka]], and [[Pingala]]. The term ''Nāga'' is used to refer to entities that take the form of large snakes in Hinduism and [[Buddhism]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=naga {{!}} Hindu mythology |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/naga-Hindu-mythology |access-date=July 1, 2022 |website=Britannica |language=en |archive-date=4 September 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220904152421/https://www.britannica.com/topic/naga-Hindu-mythology |url-status=live }}</ref>

Snakes have been widely revered in many cultures, such as in [[ancient Greece]] where the serpent was seen as a healer.<ref>{{cite book |doi=10.1016/B978-0-12-815339-0.00017-2 |chapter=Asclepius and the Snake as Toxicological Symbols in Ancient Greece and Rome |title=Toxicology in Antiquity |date=2019 |last1=Tsoucalas |first1=Gregory |last2=Androutsos |first2=George |pages=257–265 |isbn=978-0-12-815339-0 }}</ref> [[Asclepius]] carried a serpent wound around his wand, a symbol seen today on many ambulances.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.mediband.com/gb/blog/medical-emergency-symbol-origin/ |title=The Origin of the Medical Emergency Symbol |date=February 26, 2019 |website=Mediband.com |access-date=February 26, 2021 |archive-date=26 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230326034414/https://www.mediband.com/gb/blog/medical-emergency-symbol-origin/ |url-status=live }}</ref> In [[Judaism]], the snake of [[brass]] is also a symbol of healing, of one's life being saved from imminent death.<ref>{{bibleverse|Numbers|21:6–21:9|NAB}}</ref>

In religious terms, the snake and [[jaguar]] were arguably the most important animals in ancient [[Mesoamerica]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.manzanillosun.com/the-mesoamerican-serpent/ |title=The Mesoamerican Serpent |date=2019-08-01 |last=Vickery |first=Kirby |work=Manzanillo Sun |access-date=March 3, 2021 |archive-date=20 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210120152448/https://www.manzanillosun.com/the-mesoamerican-serpent/ |url-status=live }}</ref> "In states of ecstasy, lords dance a serpent dance; great descending snakes adorn and support buildings from [[Chichen Itza]] to [[Tenochtitlan]], and the [[Nahuatl]] word ''coatl'' meaning serpent or twin, forms part of primary deities such as [[Mixcoatl]], [[Quetzalcoatl]], and [[Coatlicue]]."<ref>{{cite book |title=The Gods and Symbols of Ancient Mexico and the Maya |last=Miller |first=Mary |date=1993 |publisher=[[Thames & Hudson]] |location=London |isbn=978-0-500-27928-1}}</ref> In the [[Maya calendar|Maya]] and [[Aztec calendar]]s, the fifth day of the week was known as Snake Day.{{cn|date=November 2024}}

In some parts of [[Christianity]], the redemptive work of [[Jesus|Jesus Christ]] is compared to saving one's life through beholding the [[Nehushtan]] (serpent of brass).<ref>{{bibleverse|John|3:14|NAB}}</ref> [[Snake handling in Christianity|Snake handlers]] use snakes as an integral part of church worship, to demonstrate their faith in divine protection. However, more commonly in Christianity, the serpent has been depicted as a representative of [[evil]] and sly plotting, as seen in the description in [[Book of Genesis|Genesis]] of a snake tempting [[Eve]] in the [[Garden of Eden]].<ref name=genesis/> [[Saint Patrick]] is purported to have expelled all snakes from Ireland while converting the country to Christianity in the 5th century, thus explaining the absence of snakes there.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.irishcentral.com/roots/saint-patrick-banish-snakes-irleand |title=Did St. Patrick really banish all the snakes from Ireland? |date=February 24, 2019 |last=Drew |first=April |website=IrishCentral.com |access-date=March 2, 2021 |archive-date=10 March 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210310204431/https://www.irishcentral.com/roots/saint-patrick-banish-snakes-irleand |url-status=live }}</ref>

In Christianity and Judaism, the snake makes its infamous appearance in the first book of the Bible when a serpent appears before [[Adam and Eve]] and tempts them with the [[forbidden fruit]] from the [[Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil|Tree of Knowledge]].<ref name=genesis>{{bibleverse|Genesis|3:1|NAB}}</ref> The snake returns in the [[Book of Exodus]] when [[Moses]] turns his staff into a snake as a sign of God's power, and later when he makes the Nehushtan, a bronze snake on a pole that when looked at cured the people of bites from the snakes that plagued them in the desert. The serpent makes its final appearance symbolizing [[Satan]] in the [[Book of Revelation]]: "And he laid hold on the dragon the old serpent, which is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years."<ref>{{bibleverse|Revelation|20:2|NAB}}</ref>

In [[Neo-Paganism]] and [[Wicca]], the snake is seen as a symbol of wisdom and knowledge.<ref>{{Cite web |title=DISCUSSION ON WITCHCRAFT, WICCA NEO-PAGANISM AND AFRICAN TRADITIONS |url=https://people.ucalgary.ca/~nurelweb/papers/hayes/witch.html |access-date=2022-07-01 |website=people.ucalgary.ca |archive-date=9 June 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220609060259/https://people.ucalgary.ca/~nurelweb/papers/hayes/witch.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Additionally, snakes are sometimes associated with [[Hecate]], the Greek goddess of [[witchcraft]].<ref>{{cite book |first=Oskar |last=Seyffert |title=A Dictionary of Classical Antiquities: Mythology, Religion, Literature and Art |url=https://archive.org/details/b3135841x/page/270/mode/2up?view=theater |publisher=[[William Swan Sonnenschein|Swan Sonnenschein and Co]] |edition=6 |date=1901 |page=271 |access-date=January 2, 2022}}</ref>

=== Medicine ===
Several compounds from snake venoms are being researched as potential treatments or preventatives for pain, cancers, arthritis, stroke, heart disease, hemophilia, and hypertension, as well as to control bleeding (e.g., during surgery).<ref>{{cite journal |vauthors=Vyas VK, Brahmbhatt K, Bhatt H, Parmar U |title=Therapeutic potential of snake venom in cancer therapy: current perspectives |journal=Asian Pacific Journal of Tropical Biomedicine |volume=3 |issue=2 |pages=156–62 |date=February 2013 |pmid=23593597 |pmc=3627178 |doi=10.1016/S2221-1691(13)60042-8}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Holland |first1=Jennifer S. |name-list-style=vanc |title=The Bite That Heals |journal=[[National Geographic]] |date=February 2013 |url=https://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/2013/02/venom/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180525062346/https://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/2013/02/venom/|url-status=dead|archive-date=25 May 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Wilcox |first1=Christie |name-list-style=vanc |title=Venomous |date=2016 |publisher=[[Scientific American]] |isbn=978-0374283377 |url=http://christiewilcox.com/venomous.html |access-date=24 May 2018 |archive-date=24 May 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180524221949/http://christiewilcox.com/venomous.html |url-status=live }}</ref>