Two Spirit Myths: Snakes
According to Native American Iroquois mythology, Djodi’kwado’ is a horned serpent who inhabits the depths of rivers and lakes. He is capable of taking the form of a man and seducing young women. His myth is prominent in the tales under the theme, “Thunder Destroys Horned Snake.” [1]
Another myth, there is a Native American Story about serpents in what is now Ohio. Known as The Serpent Mound, one theory is that the shape of the mound, a destinctive serpent, imitates the constellation Draco. The Pole Star in that constellation matches the placement of the first curve in the snake’s torso from the head. An alignment with the Pole Star may indicate that the mound was used to determine true north and thus served as a kind of compass.
Some versions of the serpent mound show feathers around the throat of the serpent. Is it eating an egg? The sun? (At the summer solstice, the sun sets on the horizon, following a line where the egg lies.)
Feathered Serpent at Teotihuacan Temple, Mexico
Perhaps the most destinctive serpent image is on the third largest pyramid at Teotihuacan, in Mexico. Called the Temple of the Feathered Serpent, it is an immense pre-Columbian site near cultural centers of Mexico.
Due to some discoveries in the 1980’s this structure was the site of the deaths of more than a hundred sacrificial victims, whose bones were found buried beneath the structure. The burials, like the pyramid structure, are dated to between 150 and 200 CE. The pyramid takes its name from representations of the Mesoamerican “feathered serpent” deity which covered its sides. These are some of the earliest-known representations of the feathered serpent, which are often identified with the much-later Aztec god named Quetzalcoatl. “Temple of the Feathered Serpent” is the modern-day name for the structure; it is also known as the Temple of Quetzalcoatl and/or the Feathered Serpent Pyramid. Quetzalcoatl, in Aztec mythology, was a creator deity.
The double symbolism used by the Feathered Serpent is considered allegoric to the dual nature of the deity, where being feathered represents its divine nature or ability to fly to reach the skies and being a serpent represents its human nature or ability to creep on the ground among other animals of the Earth, a dualism very common in Mesoamerican deities. The god is respected and feared as having contributed to the creation of mankind into the world.
Also identified as a dragon, is the serpent-like Quetzalcoatl.
Another Snake Myth
Long, long ago in the land around Jackson Hole, Wyoming, a giant serpent was lying asleep on a mountain, when a storm arose. The slow moving serpent was angered by lightning that disturbed its rest. Its anger swelled more and more with the thunder and crashing lightning. Not finding solace by glaring at the clouds or lightning, it lashed out at the mountain.
The serpent coiled around the base of the mountain and squeezed. It squeezed and squeezed, until the pressure built up. The pressure caused the rocks to crumble, stones to melt, and fire to shoot out of the cracks. Liquid rock soon flowed from the fissures. The heat from the molten rock was so intense that it killed the slow moving reptile and destroyed its lair, leaving only a trail of its bones in the lava caves.
The spirit of the snake, though, slithered in the mud, creating a river channel that would soon fill with water and began to flow from a stream to a river. The flowing spirit made bends in the river as it descended from the heights and winded its way all the way to the ocean, digging out a channel as it advanced. It disappeared in the depths of the sea.
Snake Coincidences?
As seen in the clear night sky without ambient light, Asteroids and Shooting Stars appear to snake across the sky. Were there terrestrial snakes that crashed into Earth and brought on the demise of a millenia of life on this planet? Writer Graham Hancock asks these questions and travels the world to find cultural similaries in the native anthropologies and myths. [3] What does your research show?
References:
[1] Thunder Destroys Horned Snake: According to legend, the horned snake was a trouble maker. One title worth noting is: “The Horned Serpent Runs Away with a Young Wife who is Rescued by the Thunderer.” In the latter, Djodi’kwado’ appears as a helpful being, although his help is less than useful. In some legends, Hé-no attacks the Iriquois and may have killed Djodi’kwado’.
[2] https://henryehooper.blog/second-spirit-stories-the-mountain-and-the-serpent/
Henry E. Hooper 