The Serpent Symbol in Tradition: A Study of Traditional Serpent and Dragon Symbolism, Based in Part Upon the Concepts and Observations of René Guénon, Mircea Eliade, and Various Other Relevant Researchers

Description

Serpent and dragon symbolism are ubiquitous in the art and mythology of premodern cultures around the world. Over the centuries, conflicting hypotheses have been proposed to interpret this symbolism which, while illuminating, have proved insufficient to the task of revealing a singular meaning for the vast majority of examples. In this dissertation I argue that, in what the symbolist René Guénon and the historian of religions Mircea Eliade have called ‘traditional’ or ‘archaic’ societies, the serpent/dragon transculturally symbolizes what I term ‘matter,’ a state of being that is constituted by the perception of the physical world as ‘chaotic’ in comparison to what traditional peoples believed to be the ‘higher’ meta-physical source of the physical world or ‘nature.’ What is called ‘nature,’ I argue, is also considered in ‘Tradition’ to be a perception of, from a certain state of consciousness, that aspect of existence that is called samsara in the Hindu philosophy of Vedanta, which Guénon equivalently describes, from a broadly traditional perspective in The Symbolism of the Cross, as “the indefinite series of cycles of manifestation.” ‘Chaos,’ according to Eliade in The Sacred and the Profane, is “the amorphous and virtual…everything that has not yet acquired a ‘form.’” The following elements have been useful in discerning the specified meaning of the serpent/dragon symbol: 1) Guénon’s interpretation of the terminology of the ‘Hindu Doctrines,’ as well as his interpretation of the ‘language’ of traditional symbolism and the metaphysics that underlies it; 2) Eliade’s interpretation of ‘traditional’/‘archaic’ societies by means of his concepts of ‘chaos,’ ‘creation,’ Axis Mundi (‘World Axis’), and ‘Sacred and Profane’; and 3) the insights of various other researchers of serpent/dragon symbolism. Beyond purporting to resolve some of the mystery of the ancient and varied symbolism of the serpent/dragon, my dissertation strives, to a lesser degree, to serve two related functions: 1) informing the interpretation of the symbolic meanings of a wide variety of premodern artifacts and narratives and 2) providing a rough outline for a proposed prolegomenon to the study of the origination, and ancient human awareness, of the mentioned state of ‘matter.’ LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS, v INTRODUCTION, 1 —Tradition, Symbols, and the Metaphysical, 3 —The Concepts of “The Indefinite Series of Cycles of Manifestation” and Samsara, 10 —‘Enlightenment’ and the Equivalency of ‘Chaos’ and “the Indefinite Series of Cycles”, 15 —‘Transcendence,’ ‘Matter,’ and the ‘New Man’, 20 —‘Symbolic Modifications,’ ‘Spiritualization,’ and Outline of the Project, 23 PROLEGOMENA —CHAPTER 1 | RENÉ GUÉNON, 27 ——The Man and His Thought, 27 ——The Question of Mastery and other Criticisms, 36 —CHAPTER 2 | MIRCEA ELIADE, 49 ——The Man and His Thought, 49 ——The Function of Symbols, 62 ——Symbols and Reductionism, 67 ——Some Criticisms of Eliade, and Responses, 70 ——The Continuing Importance of Eliade’s Approach, 77 —CHAPTER 3 | SYMBOLISM, ‘TRADITION,’ AND UNIVERSALISM, 81 ——Symbols and Symbolism in Guénon and Eliade, 81 ——The Idea of ‘Tradition’ in Guénon and Eliade, 90 ——Universalism, 96 —CHAPTER 4 | THE SYMBOLISM OF THE SERPENT/DRAGON IN THE CONTEXT OF GUÉNON’S ‘HINDU DOCTRINES’ AND ELIADE’S INTERPRETATION OF THE ——TRADITIONAL IDEA OF ‘CHAOS’, 114 ——Traditional Metaphysics and Epistemology in the Hindu Vedanta, 114 ——The Samkhya Concept of Tamas, 120 ——‘Slaying’ the Serpent/Dragon: ‘Realization’ in the ‘Chaos’ of ‘Matter’, 122 ——Eliade’s ‘Extraterrestrial Archetypes’ and ‘Creation’, 129 THE SERPENT/DRAGON SYMBOL —CHAPTER 5 | ‘MODIFICATIONS’ OF THE SERPENT/DRAGON SYMBOL: ‘SPIRITUALIZATION’ AND ‘MATERIALIZATION’, 133 ——Heroic ‘Transcendence’ and ‘Symbolic Modifications’ of the Serpent/Dragon, 133 ——‘Manifestation’ and ‘Creation’ as ‘Realization’ of the ‘New Man’, 140 ——‘Chaos,’ the Serpent/Dragon Symbol, and the ‘Combat Myth’, 142 ——The ‘Thunderweapon’ and the ‘World Axis’/Axis Mundi, 146 ——‘Spiritualization’ and ‘Materialization’, 148 —CHAPTER 6 | THE SERPENT SYMBOL, THE ‘WORLD AXIS,’ AND ‘DUALITY’ AND ITS VARIATIONS IN ANCIENT EGYPT AND GENESIS 3, 158 ——The ‘World Axis’ or Axis Mundi in Guénon and Eliade, 160 ——The Serpent, ‘Duality,’ and Dichotomy in Genesis 3 and Ancient Egyptian Myth, 165 ——‘Duality’ and Dichotomy Imply the Ideas of Formlessness, Indefinitude, and Potentiality, 172 ——The ‘Traditional’ Interpretation of Genesis 3 from the Perspective of Advaita Vedanta, 175 ——Samsara and the Serpent Symbol in Genesis 3, 181 ——Samsara and Maya in Genesis 3, 183 ——The ‘Fascination’ of the Serpent, 186 —CHAPTER 7 | ‘MIGRATION’ OF THE ‘SELF’ IN THE BIBLE, 188 ——‘Migration’ and ‘Axial’ Symbols in Jewish and Christian Tradition, 188 ——‘Involution,’ ‘Evolution,’ ‘Redemption,’ and Dichotomies, 191 ——Maya and the Manipulative Nachash in Genesis 3, 194 ——‘Migration’ of the ‘Self’ in Genesis 3 and Advaita Vedanta, 197 ——Dichotomies and ‘Migration’ in Numbers 21 and John 3, 200 ——The Use of Snake Imagery to Represent ‘Migration’, 202 —CHAPTER 8 | THE GUARDIAN OF IMMORTALITY/MOKSHA, 205 ——Ancient Greek Guardians, 207 ——The Serpent as ‘Guardian’ in Genesis 3, 214 ——The Metaphysical Symbolism of the Cross, the ‘Ways’ of Islam, and the Gunas of Samkhya in Relation to Genesis 3, 217 ——The Guardian of Immortality/Moksha in The Epic of Gilgamesh, 223 ——Guardian of Moksha, not of Physical Life: A Critique of James Frazer’s Interpretation of Genesis 3, 227 —CHAPTER 9 | THE OUROBOROS AND THE ANIMA MUNDI, 232 ——The Ouroboros, 232 ——Anima Mundi, the ‘Soul of the World’, 246 —CHAPTER 10 | SYMBOLS OF ‘DUALITY’ IN UNITY, 260 ——The Double Spiral and the Androgyne, 260 ——Yin-Yang, ‘World Egg,’ ‘Word’ and Tao in Connection with Serpent/Dragon Symbolism, 265 —CHAPTER 11 | THE SERPENT AS ‘MEDIATOR’ AND ‘MESSENGER’, 279 ——The Caduceus and Hermes/Mercury: ‘Messenger’ and ‘Mediator’ of the Divine, 281 ——Hermes/Mercury and other traditional ‘Mediators’/‘Messengers’ of the Divine, 283 ——‘Creation’/‘Manifestation’ and ‘Reactualization’, 288 ——Healing as Re-‘Creation,’ ‘Mediation,’ Resurrection, and Reincarnation/Rebirth, 291 ——The ‘Mediation’ of ‘Contrariety’, 296 ——The Amphisbaena and the ‘Plumed Serpent’ Quetzalcoatl, 301 —CHAPTER 12 | THE ‘RISEN’ SERPENT: THE CONJUNCTION OF WISDOM AND ‘HEALING’ IN KUNDALINI, THE URAEUS, THE BIBLE, AND BUDDHISM, 309 ——Kundalini as ‘Mediator’ and ‘Messenger’, 309 ——The Serpent, ‘Healing,’ and Knowledge/Wisdom, 318 ——Kundalini, Uraeus, Circle and Sun, 321 ——‘Copper Serpent’ and Crucified Christ in Connection with the Uraeus and Kundalini, 335 ——The Buddhist Variation of Wisdom and ‘Healing’ as ‘Enlightenment’: The ‘Risen’ Serpent in Buddhist Art and Myth, 342 ——The Symbolism of the Buddha with Naga, 351 —CHAPTER 13 | THE SERPENT AND SACRED STONES, 356 ——Shesha/Ananta and the Devas and Asuras: ‘The Churning of the Sea’ in the Ramayana, 356 ——The Serpent, the Mountain, the Omphalos, and Sacred Stones, 364 ——The Beith-El, the Omphalos, and the Oracle of Delphi, 368 ——Serpents, ‘Angels,’ and ‘Polarized Currents’, 373 ——Sacred Stones Considered Transculturally, 383 —CHAPTER 14 | THE SYMBOLISM OF THE SERPENT IN MENHIRS AND MOUNDS, 391 ——Megaliths as ‘Sacred Stones’ and the Element of Time, 391 ——Serpent Symbolism in the Megaliths: The Avebury Cycle of Wiltshire, England, 397 ——The Ohio Serpent Mound, 413 —CHAPTER 15 | THE DRAGON AND THE ORB, 433 ——The East Asian, or ‘Far Eastern,’ Dragon, 433 ——General Relationship between the Serpent/Dragon and the Circle/Sphere, 434 ——‘Polarization’ of the ‘Principle’ and Symbolic Differentiation of Circle/Sphere Symbolism, 439 ——The Serpent/Dragon and the Moon, 444 ——The Serpent’s/Dragon’s Traditional Association with the Control of ‘Water’, 446 ——East Asian Dragon, South Asian Naga, and Moon/Ball/Pearl/Spiral, 451 ——To Control ‘Water’ is to Control ‘Possibilities’, 464 ——The Dragon: ‘Water,’ ‘Possibility,’ ‘Chaos,’ ‘Matter’, 468 ——The Symbolism of the Spiral, and the Chinese Wang as Mediator of ‘Possibilities’, 474 —CHAPTER 16 | THE SPIRAL, THE ‘THUNDERWEAPON,’ AND THE SWASTIKA, 484 ——‘Spiraled Orb,’ Wang, and ‘Thunder’, 484 ——The Meaning of the ‘Thunderweapon’ and the Gods who Wield It, 494 ——‘Sky Gods’ and the ‘Thunderweapon’, 505 ——The ‘Spiraled Orb’ and the Swastika, 514 CONCLUSION, 524 —The Serpent Symbol’s Identification with ‘Life’, 524 —The ‘Overcoming’ of ‘Cyclicity’: The Redefining of ‘Life’, 530 —The Management and Control of ‘Life’, 536 —The Serpent Symbol, Shamanism, DNA, and ‘Duality’, 545 —‘Life’ is something to be transcended….and ‘Controlled and Managed’, 564 BIBLIOGRAPHY, 580