Editing Serpent symbolism (section)

===Cosmic serpents===
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The serpent, when forming a ring with its tail in its mouth, is a clear and widespread symbol of the "All-in-All", the totality of existence, [[infinity]] and the cyclic nature of the cosmos. The most well known version of this is the Aegypto-Greek [[ourobouros]]. It is believed to have been inspired by the [[Milky Way]], as some ancient texts refer to a serpent of light residing in the heavens. The Ancient Egyptians associated it with [[Wadjet]], one of their oldest deities, as well as another aspect, [[Hathor]]. In [[Norse mythology]] the World Serpent (or [[Midgard]] serpent) known as [[Jörmungandr]] encircled the world in the ocean's abyss biting its own tail.

[[File:Anantavishnu.jpg|thumb|left|upright|[[Vishnu]] resting on Ananta-Shesha, with [[Lakshmi]] massaging his "lotus feet"]]
In [[Hindu mythology]] Lord [[Vishnu]] is said to sleep while floating on the cosmic waters on the serpent [[Shesha]]. In the [[Puranas]] Shesha holds all the planets of the universe on his hoods and constantly sings the glories of Vishnu from all his mouths. He is sometimes referred to as "Ananta-Shesha," which means "Endless Shesha". In the [[Samudra manthan]] chapter of the Puranas, Shesha loosens [[Mount Mandara]] for it to be used as a churning rod by the [[Asura (Hinduism)|Asuras]] and [[Deva (Hinduism)|Devas]] to churn the [[ocean of milk]] in the heavens in order to make [[Soma (drink)|Soma]] (or [[Amrita]]), the divine elixir of immortality. As a churning rope another giant serpent called [[Vasuki]] is used.

In pre-Columbian Central America [[Quetzalcoatl]] was sometimes depicted as biting its own tail. The mother of Quetzalcoatl was the Aztec goddess [[Coatlicue]] ("the one with the skirt of serpents"), also known as Cihuacoatl ("The Lady of the serpent"). Quetzalcoatl's father was [[Mixcoatl]] ("Cloud Serpent"). He was identified with the Milky Way, the stars, and the heavens in several [[Mesoamerican]] cultures.

The [[demigod]] Aidophedo of the West African [[Ashanti people]] is also a serpent biting its own tail. In [[Dahomey mythology]] of [[Benin]] in West Africa, the serpent that supports everything on its many coils was named Dan. In the [[West African Vodun|Vodou]] of Benin and [[Haiti]], [[Ayida-Weddo]] (a.k.a. Aida-Wedo, Aido Quedo, "Rainbow-Serpent") is a spirit of fertility, rainbows and snakes, and a companion or wife to Dan, the father of all spirits. As Vodou was exported to Haiti through the slave trade, Dan became [[Damballa|Danballah]], Damballah or Damballah-Wedo. Because of his association with snakes, he is sometimes disguised as Moses, who carried a snake on his staff. He is also thought by many to be the same entity of [[Saint Patrick]], known as a snake banisher.

The serpent [[Hydra (constellation)|Hydra]] is a star [[constellation]] representing either the serpent thrown angrily into the sky by [[Apollo]] or the [[Lernaean Hydra]] as defeated by [[Heracles]] for one of his Twelve Labors. The constellation [[Serpens]] represents a snake being tamed by [[Ophiuchus]] the snake-handler, another constellation. The most probable interpretation is that Ophiuchus represents the healer Asclepius.