Bad Publicity for Snakes?

[Discordia]

I think fear of snakes is inherent as a survival instinct and then encouraged as a learned fear. It is like how humans naturally fear heights and bugs. Unless people learn not to be afraid, they will be. It doesn't help that in so many cultures, there are mythical portrayals of snakes as enemies. Look at the largest religion in the world, Christianity, and its teachings. The very first chapter of the Bible makes an enemy out of a snake. There is also generalization that encourages fear of snakes. Where I live, rattlesnakes are common. Kids are taught early on not to go near a snake if they come across one in case it happens to be venomous. They will generalize that all snakes are therefore dangerous and learn to fear it.

I agree that education is the best way to show people that snakes aren't all bad- even the ones that can hurt a human would only do so under circumstances in which they feel threatened and don't believe fleeing would be the best choice for survival. But inevitably, there will be (many) people that will fear snakes and snakes will almost always be the bad guy. While I don't think educating people is a lost cause, I do think that getting worked up about snake-hating is, just because people are stubborn and it's never going to go away.

 

[Outcast]

I've not seen Jackass, but the thought of someone being cruel to snakes is highly aggrivating to me. Even venomous snakes deserve respect.

Devon, I was thinking the same exact thing. I'm writing a book atm and I'm using Naga as a race of healers. In many video games, Guild Wars, World of Warcraft, Naga are bad/evil snake humanoids. I've also refused to associate snakes with any evil force and plan on associating one with good at some point.

However, I think the Cadeus of Medicine symbol is derived from the Bronze Serpent in the Bible. Numbers 21:6-9 says:

Then the Lord sent venomous snakes among them; they bit the people and many Israelites died. - The people came to Moses and said, "We sinned when we spoke against the Lord and against you. Pray that the Lord will take the snakes away from us." So Moses prayed for the people. - The Lord said to Moses, "Make a snake and put it up on a pole; anyone who is bitten can look at it and live." - So Moses made a bronze snake and put it up on a pole. Then when anyone was bitten by a snake and looked at the bronze snake, he lived.

I could be wrong. But that's what I've always thought. And while this passage shows snakes as instruments of punishment, it also shows them as symbols of healing, too.

I do think a lot of misgivings regarding snakes comes from the fear of venomous snake bites. Not everyone realizes that non-venomous snakes such as Corns, Kings, Rats, Boids, etc can actually be fun and lovable. They're so caught up in the "omg if I get bitten by a snake I'll die!!" that they fear ALL snakes.

But even venomous snakes aren't necessarily evil. They usually strike to defend themselves, just like any wild creature that feels threatened or is startled when people go traipsing through the woods or a field or whatever. Snakes don't bite people for the fun of it and that's something few "outsiders" seem to understand.

Don't forget, there are good snake people in Guild Wars. Many of "The Forgotten" in the Crystal Desert, are allies. Even though most are enemies. I like to think of it as a misunderstanding between cultures...

 

[MysticExotics]

I think fear of snakes is inherent as a survival instinct and then encouraged as a learned fear. It is like how humans naturally fear heights and bugs. Unless people learn not to be afraid, they will be. It doesn't help that in so many cultures, there are mythical portrayals of snakes as enemies. Look at the largest religion in the world, Christianity, and its teachings. The very first chapter of the Bible makes an enemy out of a snake. There is also generalization that encourages fear of snakes. Where I live, rattlesnakes are common. Kids are taught early on not to go near a snake if they come across one in case it happens to be venomous. They will generalize that all snakes are therefore dangerous and learn to fear it.

I agree that education is the best way to show people that snakes aren't all bad- even the ones that can hurt a human would only do so under circumstances in which they feel threatened and don't believe fleeing would be the best choice for survival. But inevitably, there will be (many) people that will fear snakes and snakes will almost always be the bad guy. While I don't think educating people is a lost cause, I do think that getting worked up about snake-hating is, just because people are stubborn and it's never going to go away.

There is a lot of misconceptions about many topics, because of how Christianity portrays them. Because Christianity as a whole, is such a large group of people, it has skewed the beliefs of many people.

Education, by far, is our best tool to help educate people. Some people will not listen, they are not open to learning the truth, & that's ok. If we focus on the ones that will listen, we are making a difference.

 

[Outcast]

I think fear of snakes is inherent as a survival instinct and then encouraged as a learned fear. It is like how humans naturally fear heights and bugs. Unless people learn not to be afraid, they will be. It doesn't help that in so many cultures, there are mythical portrayals of snakes as enemies. Look at the largest religion in the world, Christianity, and its teachings. The very first chapter of the Bible makes an enemy out of a snake. There is also generalization that encourages fear of snakes. Where I live, rattlesnakes are common. Kids are taught early on not to go near a snake if they come across one in case it happens to be venomous. They will generalize that all snakes are therefore dangerous and learn to fear it.

There are many points in the Bible, where the snake is used as an ally too. Mose's staff, then the staff that he had the Israelite create for healing snake bites. It is Numbers 21:8,9.

I agree that generally people in the Christian religions, believe that snakes are evil. Though I look at it like this. When Jesus went to the cross, he purified everything, He did not just give me the ability to have my sins forgiven, but forgave all creatures of everything. So even if the animals were "unclean" before his death and resurrection, after they were clean.

I try to educate my grandparents about snakes. But it seems as though the only person that I have gotten to convert is my Aunt Kim. Who's middle child now is the proud mommy of an Anery Motley, that they got from Petco in Louisiana...LOL

 

[Triple M]

we all need to make a power point and make it go viral. We could each send in a pic of how snakes are actually nice and not evil and also just say caution is all you need to be safe. Almost any snake attack or anything serious is all the humans fault. Ex: You lunged at m y snake to pick it up and it instictivley bites you. Another one would be a berm killing a small child but it hasn't been fed in god knows how long and it was not in a proper holding unit. These are all classic examples of people being under educated and think its the snake's fault. So maybe someone could start the power point video idea I had and we could all post it on our various social networking pages and other forums. It's not too hard to spread a good video.

 

[Dreamsnake]

Python was one of the monsters that Apollo dispatched in the Greek myths when he took over the Oracle at Delphi. The snake was a symbol of Cybel, an ancient mother goddess. Snakes were sacred household animals in ancient Greece, as they were used for rodent control and there were no cats in Greece then.

The Caduceus was carried by Hermes, but the origins of the winged serpent staff go back further to Egypt. It is confused with the Rod of Asclepius, the symbol for medicine.

 

[Iulia]

Wasn't Kaa in the Jungle Book quite a nice guy?

 

[Em Wright]

Kaa, as I remember, was always trying to eat the kid... at least in the Disney version which I'm familiar with.

Hiss in Robin Hood wasn't really "evil" but he was greedy and worked with Prince John to take over the Kingdom.

(I need to watch Jungle Book again, it's been forever!)

 

[ghosthousecorns]

I recall reading a book called "Dreamsnake" by Vonda McIntyre, older book ( I read it as a teen) The protagonist was a healer living in a post apocalyptic world and the snakes were her instruments of healing.
But most of the time they are the bad guys, like in the Brian Jacques Redwall series, where the characters are mice. I guess in their world the snake being a predator would necessarily have to represent death (it would slither around hissing the word "Asmodeus" all the time)
Maybe someone needs to write another book like Redwall or Watership Down, where the herooes actually ARE snakes? LOL

 

[Caryl]

I guess I'm just gonna have to fix this and write a fairy tale type story where the snake is the good guy! And then somehow make this story as famous as "The Princess Bride." Waddya think??
Devon

Do it! Put me down for a first edition.

Yes most people have a fear and down right hatred for serpents, and I feel it is up to snake owners to tactfully educate the public about our beloved critters. I also think it is time we stop bickering among ourselves over petty things such as how one feeds or what they feed, on housing, or what ever the latest train wrecky thread is about....

As most of you know the fear of snakes is a learned fear, you can see it in a child's eyes the wonder and awe of seeing and handling a snake. And can also see it as they get older and have been taught to be afraid. So why can't we do something to teach them the truth and maybe it will save a few more of the world's snakes.

Of course you are on target about the need for more education of the general public. Bickering isn't a good way to handle anything. That said, respectful discussion and sometimes even disagreement about issues like how/what to feed or housing is NOT a bad thing. When the purpose of the discussion is the best interests of the animals - as should always be the case, and generally is - such a discussion is a necessary and good thing.

In the first book/movie, Harry speaks with a snake and semi-accidentally releases it. It was very friendly and spoke with him politely. It even scared his cousin (I think it's his cousin) a bit as it escaped, if I recall.

Good point! What I'm pointing out to people who use the Harry Potter movies/books to bash snakes with Nagini as an example is the fact that, as a horcrux, Nagini's behavior is highly flavored by Voldemort and does not represent typical pythons, nor typical snakes. After all, no one considers diaries, rings or lockets dangerous although they were real menaces as horcruxes!

There is a lot of misconceptions about many topics, because of how Christianity portrays them. Because Christianity as a whole, is such a large group of people, it has skewed the beliefs of many people....
Education, by far, is our best tool to help educate people. Some people will not listen, they are not open to learning the truth, & that's ok. If we focus on the ones that will listen, we are making a difference.

As a Christian, a passionate animal lover and snake breeder, and a learned person I object to the categorization of Christians as idiots who are unwilling to learn. This is true for some Christians. It is likewise true for some non-Christians.

It is true that some Christians are extremely negative about and fearful of snakes, but I have never found this to be so among people who delve deeply into actual Biblical foundations. In my experience, this view is held only by people who are uneducated about their own faith.

I am a high school teacher, so I do believe in the importance of education. I am not sure what is meant by "Education, by far, is our best tool to help educate people."

Kaa, as I remember, was always trying to eat the kid... at least in the Disney version which I'm familiar with.

Hiss in Robin Hood wasn't really "evil" but he was greedy and worked with Prince John to take over the Kingdom.

(I need to watch Jungle Book again, it's been forever!)

I love "The Jungle Book!" Yeah, Kaa was less than a nice guy in Kipling's story as well as in the Disney versions. But he's still a lot of fun! I quite enjoyed Sir Hiss, too. I guess the moral is that, if we can laugh at things like that while letting people know that real snakes aren't evil, they are more likely to listen to our explanations.

 

[Pal-O-Mine]

Okay, I have two suggestions on the story front. One: I already have the ideas for a fairy story where snakes are the good guys, dancing around in my cranium. ( I am woefully bad at FINISHING stories let me warn you so don't be too eager to read what I've got tomorrow! ) Maybe I'll give it a good, hard bite.

Two : This was done at a Sci-Fi con I attended in the con suit as just a bit of fun. A bunch of blank pages were taped onto the door and people were invited to write a story. Each writer would contribute only a few lines. Yes, the story was convoluted and wandered and sometimes made no sense whatsoever but was still a very amusing read. It was a lot of fun!

Wanna play????

Devon

 

[Lycari]

However, I think the Cadeus of Medicine symbol is derived from the Bronze Serpent in the Bible. Numbers 21:6-9 says:

Then the Lord sent venomous snakes among them; they bit the people and many Israelites died. - The people came to Moses and said, "We sinned when we spoke against the Lord and against you. Pray that the Lord will take the snakes away from us." So Moses prayed for the people. - The Lord said to Moses, "Make a snake and put it up on a pole; anyone who is bitten can look at it and live." - So Moses made a bronze snake and put it up on a pole. Then when anyone was bitten by a snake and looked at the bronze snake, he lived.

I could be wrong. But that's what I've always thought. And while this passage shows snakes as instruments of punishment, it also shows them as symbols of healing, too.

Umm.... Not to be abrasive or anything, but the caduceus is actually the symbol/staff carried by Hermes (known to the Romans as Mercury), the god of medicine, messengers, theives, and various other things.

Just thought someone would find a bit of mythology interesting.


Back on topic, I agree, I hate hearing people bash snakes for no good reason. My mom used to be like that; she couldn't stand ANY reptile at all, except small turtles. It took all of ten years of begging before she finally agreed to let me have a corn. I think she's getting more used to the idea, thought; I even got her to hold a boa at Petco. XD

I've actually been planning novel for a about a year now, and the male lead is (sort of) a snake. ^_^ He has a special connection to a certain snake (either a green mamba or a king cobra, or perhaps something else, not totally sure yet) which allows him to shapeshift into the snake in question. He has a very prominent "good guy" role. I hope someday, someone will read it and get into snakes. ^_^

 

[Outcast]

You know. I was writing a fan fiction novel about Guild Wars once. The lead character was a necromancer, but was able to use every type of magic, due to his ancestry. His mother was a Faery (elf like creature, but closer to pure energy) who took human form and was punished during child birth... She exploded, but her pet was a snake. She wasn't in the story very long, only the first chapter... You know, talking about this stuff makes me want to start writing it again...LOL

 

[Triple M]

make it a burm or something big to lessen peoples fears of big snakes and false aggresion.

 

[Em Wright]

Okay, I have two suggestions on the story front. One: I already have the ideas for a fairy story where snakes are the good guys, dancing around in my cranium. ( I am woefully bad at FINISHING stories let me warn you so don't be too eager to read what I've got tomorrow! ) Maybe I'll give it a good, hard bite.

Two : This was done at a Sci-Fi con I attended in the con suit as just a bit of fun. A bunch of blank pages were taped onto the door and people were invited to write a story. Each writer would contribute only a few lines. Yes, the story was convoluted and wandered and sometimes made no sense whatsoever but was still a very amusing read. It was a lot of fun!

Wanna play????

Devon

Maybe a collection of short stories written by snake keepers? Kind of like Chicken Soup ... but we tell inspiring stories about the snakes and reptiles in our lives. It'd be a great group effort and we could get it published and use it to spread the word about how GOOD reptiles could be. What you think of that?

 

[ARiley144]

Ok slightly off topic it but I was watching Legend of the Guardians last night with my son and is it just me and the way hbo made it look or did it appear to anyone else that the snakes eyes were milky/glazed over like she was goin to shed? And although Kaa was trying to eat the kid he also didn't give him to the Tiger, and is my favorite Jungle Book character ;-)

 

[Pal-O-Mine]

I think the chicken soup idea is great too! Those are great books. I think "Chicken Soup for the Pet Lovers Soul" should be a required book to have in Vet. hospitals waiting room; short, uplifting stories for people worried about their pet to get lost in. Great idea! Wish I had come up with it first! Grumble, grumble!

And reptiles DEFINITELY deserve their own version of it! We've got a lot of good, creative writers here. I'm sure we can come up with enough stories from different people to fill a book!

Devon

 

[Pal-O-Mine]

BTW I read the book "Dreamsnake" years ago when I was in high school ( LLLLLOOOONNNNGGGG before I got bitten by the snake-keeping bug ) and LOVED it! I highly recommend it. I'm not sure if its still in print. It kinda had that 70's feel to it. But the snakes play a very important role, they're written very realistically and I can see using venom to heal. If you have a chance to look it up and read it, please do so!

Devon

 

[Triple M]

Ok slightly off topic it but I was watching Legend of the Guardians last night with my son and is it just me and the way hbo made it look or did it appear to anyone else that the snakes eyes were milky/glazed over like she was goin to shed? And although Kaa was trying to eat the kid he also didn't give him to the Tiger, and is my favorite Jungle Book character ;-)

They were blind and I guess that is there way of making us know they are blind. People's eyes are sometimes glazed over when they are blind.

 

[Dreamsnake]

I convinced my husband that I needed a snake so I could design more realistic dragon scales for my dragon fantasy story. Now I've shelved the dragon story and am writing a Steampunk (got sick of magic). I was planning on writing a short story based on my childhood snake experiences.