MYTH AND CREATED UNIVERSE deals with the convergences and divergences that are seen both in India and Australia. It also focuses on the common myths that prevail among people about snakes in both the cultures.
When compared, there are both similarities and differences in Australian and Indian stories, myths and symbols that are based on snakes. Strangely, Indians consider snakes to be the representations of both birth and death, creation and destruction, reconciling the contradictions within themselves. People started worshipping snakes as deities out of fear or death. They believed that since a snake is fearful, it could be pleased by treating it with respect. O.C.Handa believes that the ancient tribal people were scared of their lives. Since they were bitten by venomous snakes in their lands where the people survived, they all became the victims of the dangerous bites.
This led them to take immediate precautions like killing the people who dug the land. They thought that whoever dug the land offended the Lord and so had to be sacrificed to God. Handa says: That gave rise to an impulsive suggestion that whenever the land was dug, the ‘lord of the underworld’ was offended , and in retribution, killed the digger. He, therefore, thought of keeping him in good humour by occasionally offering human sacrifice so that he could continue with his agrarian course fearlessly. (81)
This is how the sacrificial rituals to God started to prevent people from further harm. Such was their belief to save their lives. Thus they started worshipping snakes as deities out of fear, of fierce death and considered them to represent certain symbols. Further, its capacity to change or shed its skin, which implies immortality and its gaze that can stiffen or mesmerize an animal or a bird or even a person with fear, have made people worship it as a deity. The ability to kill people alone made Indians , to place it in a high position as a deity, which is more than the human world.
But Australian Aboriginals preffered to treat all creatures of God equally. They had a great respect for their land where they lived. And hence, they started considering every creation of God to be equal in its own way. Since they were nomads rhey had to survive in all kinds of lands and hence wanted to safeguard themselves. This could possibly have made them treat snakes as their totem ancestor of “The Dreamtime”.
When comparing the similarities, snakes symbolise fertility both in India and Australia. It is believed in India that taking part in special poojas done for snakes either in front of ant-hills ora temple would result in women attaining fertility. Australian Aborigines believe that the Rainbow Serpent is a symbol of fertility. And hence it is also considered as the protector of women. Since it saves the womenfolk from being harmed by men through the warerhole in which it lives. This waterhole resembles a womb, and hence it is considered as a guardian of women. So, women were free to choose their own life partners. The Rainbow Serpent played the role of a father and symbolised fertility.
Indian Nagas are believed to be nature spirits, who protect springs, wells and rivers. They are the cause of rain, being associated with water that is found as lakes, rivers, seas and so on, by having control over it. Indian Encyclopedia points out that the serpents are in various manifestations in which significance of water is the important one. It says, “The belief that serpents live in guard, and control water-lakes, springs and rivers, is a belief common to many races ( 6520 ).” It has to be noted that Vritra, the evil serpent was killed for not providing water to the world. In the same way, the Australian Rainbow Serpent is also believed to be the guardian of water in the form of ponds, rivers and lakes.
If he finds anyone misusing water or the creatures that are in water, he takes no time in destroying them. Most of the stories retold by A.W.Reed emphasises the point that the Rainbow Serpents live in waterholes. In one of the stories he says, “…….in a river that flowed into the Gulf of Carpentria, live the Rainbow Snake and his wife. Rainbow snake is the guardian of the river (380 )”. Jonathan says, “Snakes are also associated with the wind and rain in many religions. In Hinduism Vritra who is represented by a snake, hides away the clouds, but is killed by Indra the giver of rain (66 )”. Both Nagas and the Rainbow Serpent are seen creating floods and storms to destroy the evil natured people.
Further, Indian snakes play the role of a guardian in protecting treasures and also as the guardian of people who follow their roles. The Australian Rainbow Serpent plays a similar role in protecting the people from harm. He guards both men and women and even the other living beings found in the land. Both the Indian snakes and the Rainbow Serpent use their powers to save people from hazards and at the same time destroy the lawbreakers.
The Rainbow Serpent is usually seen as a totemic ancestor who was responsible for the creations in the universe. He ordered the first created beings to follow certain rules for a better life. As an ancestor, he protects every creation when there is a necessity. Likewise, Indian Nagas considered as ancestors, safeguarded their family members from harm. Johnathen .W.Stanley in his paper “Snakes: Objects of Religion, Fear and Myth” (2008) points out, “Snakes are often viewed as reincarnated ancestors or the origin of humankind. This is particularly true among the people of Africa as well India where Hindus may refuse to kill snakes since they may be recarnations (65)”. Handa says, “there has been a belief among the peasantry that if a person encounters a snake in his house, it is considered that an ancestor has made himself manifest in the guise of a snake(288)”.
Indian Encyclopedia explains how two men experienced a snake ancestor visiting his house. The hosters who had returned back from somewhere saw the two guests trying to beat it. And she told them that it was her father-in-law. It had saved the family from several troubles. She said that it has once bitten the neighbour who fought with the snake’s son. She said : “Let him go, let him go: he is our Poorwuj Dec; he used to get into my mother –in- head , and set her a trembling, and then he would mention the name of my father-in-law, who died sometime ago… he also said that his soul had been wrapped up in his property, on which account he had become a snake, and was going to live in the house.” (6514)
The spirit of an ancestor takes a form of a snake to safeguard his own family members from harms. In that way, each house is guarded by an ancestor serpent. David Mowaljari says in The Oxford companion to Aboriginal Art and Culture (2000) that there was a Rainbow Serpent named Wunggur who helped the Banman people to compost the best music. He is the source of all our lives and stores its eggs in the belly of the composer which would “breed and grow inside the composer’s body…..sometimes a male and female Wurngurr will mate inside the body of the Banman and breed inside in order to give him power (347 )”.Wurnggar is a blind snake but when it opens its eyes inside the body, it would give a clear vision and will make the person capable “to look into the spirit realm (348 )”. This belief is similar to the Indian Godess Kundalini and Lord Shiva whose union is considered as a divine marriage. The awakening of Kundalini with a proper guidance helps a person attain a spiritual awakening . Thus both the countries beliefs are similar.
These are the similarities that are found in comparison between Australian and Indian mythological snakes. There are also several differences between the two countries that are to be dicussed and analysed further. The first difference is that the Indians worship snakes in contrast to Aborigines who considered it as sacred and as an ancestor but not worship it. They consider it as one among their livehood. The next main difference lies in the way these stories are told. Indians call it as mythological stories whereas Australian Aborigines call it as dreamtime stories. Jonathan.W.Stanley says, “some have considered the snake as sacred while others have given a divine status worthy of worship. (62)”.
Australians consider their culture itself to be in the shape of a snake. Wherever a period ends, from there continues the next period continuing in a zig- zag position exactly in a snake form.
The Nagas and the Rainbow Serpent are equal in their size but do vary in their hoods. Most of the Indian snakes have more than two heads. Sheshag has thousand heads and Kaliya has five hoods and so on. But the case is different with the Rainbow Serpent. No matter how long he is yet he does not possess more than a single hood. Jonathan points out that, “the legends of the Nagas found in both Hinduism and Buddhism refers to heavenly snakes, often with numerous heads (64). Even their appearances differ. Nagas are given human form. They are half human and half serpent creations but the Rainbow Serpent is not given a human form, rather it is a snake even in its appearance and sometimes has a fox’s head, crocodile’s tail, tentacles, etc.
There are many festivals conducted as a mark of respect to the snakes in India. Occasions like Nagapanchami, Nagamandala, Adi Velli, etc are celebrated in different states. There are a number of festivals found in the serpent worship of India. Australian Aborigines celebrate only one such festival which is named after the Rainbow Snake as the Rainbow Serpent Festival in a more grandeur manner. Indian snakes are seen as semi-divine beings and the Rainbow Snake is sacred and a savior.
Many countries including India are of the opinion that that the shedding of its skin symbolises immortality. The snake’s ability to shed off its old skin and to grow a new one indicates birth and death as a cycle for every creation. It also stands for immortality of the soul or a spirit. But such a concept is not seen in the Australian Aborigine life.
Indian legends narrate that certain Nagas are the incarnations of Lord Vishnu. They even serve as canopies to Gods. When Lord Krishna, the incarnation of Lord Vishnu was born, He was taken to Gokulam in a basket while it was raining. At that time Ananta, the canopy of Lord Vishnu, served as an umbrella till Krishna reached the place safely. The snakes are believed to be the incarnations of Gods and are hence treated equally to God. But such kind of beliefs is not seen with the Australian Aboriginal people who look at the Rainbow Serpent only as the ancestor and as their mother of creation. They do not give it a divine form. These are the differences that are analysed among the countries. Thus, the stories of India are more mythological whereas the stories of Dreamtime are more legendary in their approach.
When it comes to myths that prevail among people, there is a commonality that all Aboriginals and Indians believe in certain fake stories or myths that can be called as ‘superstitions’. Both countries seem to hold the same position in believing fallacies but not the facts. The first belief is about snakes drinking milk. People till now, in this belief serve snake with milk. But science has proved that they have an aversion towards milk. They would lick water when they feel thirsty but not milk. This might be because as O.C.Handa said, the people sacrificed human beings whoever dug the ground. Later, they were all scared of their own safety of lives and decided to compensate such a sacrifice with offering milk. Milk was chosen since Indians consider cow to be the most sacred animal since it gives out a part of its blood as milk. Australian Aborigines were at times afraid of the Rainbow Serpent in spite of the swallowing to be considered as a ritual. Hence they might have tried to develop a relationship with him by offering whatever they had.
Nagas and Rainbow Serpents are said to be the guardians of treasures and if anyone tries to steal the treasures or try to touch them without the knowledge of these guardians, the person will get into serious trouble. This myth prevails throughout India. The snakes, when threatened usually try to hold and defend their space. They first try to threaten the offender and if it does not work out, they start fighting rather than threatening. Handa shares his experience about his encounter of deadly cobras while they were conducting an exploration in Haryana, 1998. He says, “To our surprise wherever we removed buried bricks, we encountered more of the deadly cobras from the burrows than the old relics. Assuming that the ‘ancient treasures are buried deep in the ruins, vigilantly guarded by the cobras and Kher Pir, about which the villagers were very sure, we abondened further exploration.” (108)
But the author has never pointed out if anyone had found out the treasures which are a mystery. Hence the myth has been created. Some people believe that a snake is connected with deceit, just because they have forked tongues. In India there is a story where Nagas cut their tongues while licking the spilt elixir. Further, they believe that tongue is a mode of speech and loyalty, contradictory to human beings’ tongues; snakes have two ends which signify deceit.
The truth is that a snake has a forked tongue which acts as a sensory organ which could sense the presence of its prey through the radiation of heat from the prey. This enables the snake to catch it’s prey easily, though it does not have eternal ears but the snake charmers make people it through their capability in making snakes move for their music. Theodre says that a snake moves through the vibrations of the music played by snakecharmers. For this reason, some musicians oppose to play a raga named “punnakaravaalli”( 950) which creates heavy vibrations.
Serpents are further connected with vengeances and vindictiveness. People believe that if snakes are caught, they have to be killed. Otherwise, it would escape and later bite the person who tried killing them out of vengeance. Actually a snake is not vengeful. A snake’s tendency is to bite. It does not know that it is venomous. Jonathan says, it is often believed that snakes always travel in pairs. Further, if one snake is killed, the other will seek out vengeance. This story is likely the result of more assumptions based on a few observations of more than one snake in a general area. However, snakes do not travel in pairs and certainly do not care about avenging the death of another snake. (72 )
It has venom which is the only mode of attacking its prey. The venom’s actual purpose is to kill the prey. Hence snakes do not know that even if they bite other creatures, would lead to their death. It first tries to threaten the attacker through its speed or “camouflage” which means the protective colour and shape that protects it from its predators. If all these do not work out, then they bite.
Snakes scare people by being revengeful. This revenge comes not only comes when it is attacked. It tries to kill people who have killed its pair. This is one of the most prevalent myths. The partner would trace the person who killed its pair. Science says that no snakes are paired and they do pair or mate only in the breeding season. Other than that they do not have mate at all. Theodre Baskaran for a Tamil magazine ‘Uyirmai‘ says, “there prevails a myth that snake is vengeful and strikes the person who either killed its pair or tortured it. It climbs a tree top and also looks at the funeral rites done to that person which is ridiculous (50)”.
Unlike cobras that have very sharp eyes, other snaks cannot remember anyone after sometime. Though cobras have good powerful sight they do not take revenge on other living beings. Even if the person, who attacked it earlier, stands before it, it would not mind, because it does not remember or recognise that person. Snakes are known for their loss of memory. They do not have enough memory power like certain other animals to recognize anyone one other than the ones that are grown as pets.
After a few seconds it would forget a particular person and would slowly go away by crossing him. A snake can bite anyone mistaking them for its prey. If anyone move’s one’s legs or hands, it seems like a prey to a snake’s eye. It is so because snakes do have a blurred vision. So it tries to catgh its prey and bites the hands of a person. Other than mistaking hands or something movable to be a prey, it can bite a person when threatened. It is not a bite and specialists call it a “nip ‘ or a “dry bite” says Theodre Baskaran. He further says that its intension is not exactly to bite, but to threaten the offender. These are the two types of bites.
Being confused by people out of fear. Australian herpetologist, Brian Bush says that ear is the reason for saying things that a snake was about to bite anyone. This is often considered as revenge and vengeance. No snake is really vengeful.
Mythology has stories that portray certain snakes to be vengeful which is only to teach that beig so would lead to bad circumstances. Other than that , there are no records given by any scientists or snake specialists that they have these qualities. Brian Bush criticises certain specialists who portray Australian snakes to be deadly venomous and the most dangerous. In his article, “Australia’s venomous Snakes: The Modern Myth or Are You a Man or a Mouse”(2007) wonders what would be the reason for such a myth. He questions , “Could it be that many of the researchers involved are government’s funded. They would have a vested interest in obtaining results that would most suit a favourable decision on continued funding (3)”.
Indians believe that a cobra can spit rubies that are formed from its venom without biting either its prey or others for several years. This ruby dazzles at night and through this light it can even search for its prey. It is believed that the ruby’s twinkling can be controlled only by spreading cow dung. When the cobra comes to know of its ruby being stolen, it traces the thieves and would kill them to get it back. Other than these , there are some other myths where , even when the word “snake” whispered at nights , it would be heard by them to visit the house. This is purely out of fear, but there is no logic in creating such myths. Theodre Baskaran says that this is also a common myth that can be hardly believed.
Many people, in India especially are too loyal to these myths. It has been believed for a long time that a person with the name of a snake like “Nagaraj, “Nagaranip” “Nagendran” and so on are not supposed to kill a cobra which would lead to severe troubles for them. The editor of 3 snakes earlier. Young men who have been educated at English schools, however, have no such great reserve, and a Maratha Brahman so educated, informed the editor that he had killed three of them.(6511)”.
Further, it is believed that a snake’s curse would lead to “leprocy, itch bareness in women, deaths of children, frequent appearance of snakes in house and garden and other diseases and calamities (6519)”. As told in Indian Enclopedia which would be brought about by poison. Indian Enclopedia also tells a tale that happened around AD 1830. It says that a Brahman purchased premises in the town of Dholka where he found a great deal of property guarded by a snake. It came in his dream and ordered him not to harm it. “…a large snake appeared to the Brahman by night in a dream, and said to him, ‘this property is mine, and I live here for its protection; therefore you must not injure the chamber, nor covet the treasure which it contains. If you do so, I will cut off your posterity’. (6514)
But he acted greedily and killed the snake and had owned the treasure for himself. As a result he never had a son and whoever received a part from his property was childless. “with the treasure he had thus obtain he erected splendid buildings: but never had a son, and his daughter remind childless, and whoever received a part from his property, or became his servent, or acted as his agent or his priest, was childless too. (6514)’. Hence, as a mark of respect and to calm them down as they may be the ancestors, most people have snake shrines in front their houses.
Australians and Indians do believe in a myth that snakes swallow their young ones to protect them from any danger. Usually, snakes are cannibals, eating their own species. They eat other snakes, especially Cobras and Anacondas feed on other snakes. A dead snake when dissected would contain many young ones. As observed by Eric Worrell, a snake specialist in Dangerous Snakes of Australia, “Snakes often swallow other snakes for food, and newly killed snakes when opened or frequently found to contain number of living young, but these are Oviparous snakes, which produce their young fully formed.(66)”. Snakes eating other snakes or oviparous and produce eggs and hence they do not swallow their young ones to protect them.
A dying snake would disgorge a live snake due to indigestion. This is because at times, the venom injected will not be more effective to react immediately and hence a swallowed snake would be regurgitated which would kill preys with powerful juices. Hence what snake that disgorges is not its young ones. Eric Worrell stresses on this point by saying : A dying snake has been seen to disgorge a live snake, but the explanation of this is that although snakes are cannibals, their venom does not always have an immediate effect on other snakes, and therefore if a snake is disgorged before it reaches the stomach, where it would be killed by powerful gastric juices, it will be alive when disgorged. (62).
This act of disgorging can be compared with the Rainbow Serpent who swallows and often disgorges people which are also considered as a ritual.
The most important and the most effective myth is that two snakes, a male and a female will entwine and dance in a union by rising about a foot or two. And throwing a cloth on them at this time would bring more luck on earth. In reality, if two snakes are entwined, no one would dare to throw a cloth and touch it again for the fear of death – not by a single bite or many. It is partially true that two snakes entwine but not a union of male and female. It is a mortal combat between two males to win a female during breeding season.
The famous cartoonist Madhan has written a famous book Manidhanukkulle Oru Mirugam in which he has argued that the entwinement of snakes is not considered a union rather, two male snakes fight for female to mate with. The same idea is put forth by David Fleay in Talking of Animals who has witnessed a fight between two large black snakes. He says, “the mating season extends over October and November and on suitable warm days these bitter struggles occur between males over the favour of Comecoy, glistening – scaled lady, or over trespass upon one another’s territory (11 )”.
The entwining in several countries is considered as a symbol of medicine. But in these two countries they are considered as a symbol of human union, sexuality. Hence such stories have to be prevented from the further development of other stories , creating a bad impression on snakes.
One thing has to be noted and wondered. After learning the legendary stories from the ancestors and the elders, people have started creating their own stories. Though they could not get into the actual facts, they are capable only to come out with such stories that would end up in laughter. Hence the efforts and imagination can be appreciated. People alone are not responsible for such myths, the main cause of it has been the movies taken. The part played by Bollywood and Kollywood abut creating several stories like a snake’s vengeance, revenge, spitting rubies and so on have a great impact on the public. Money making is the only motto of movie makers and this has resulted in having snakes in the bad books of the people.
The tree” Nagalinga” is so called because the flowers are in the shape of Lord Shiva’s Lingam and hence they are the favourite of snakes who are the garlands of Lord Shiva. So, the cobras often visit these trees to worship their Lord. The myth is half true about the snake’s visit. The reason is that the flower has a unique and a pleasant smell which attracts them very much. People misunderstand this for some other reason. Snakes even like the smell of the Ketaki but no one considers it to be a sacred one other than offering them to god as garlands.
Hence, the myth kindles the fear in everyone’s heart. Rosemary van den Berg points out in her Aboriginal Storytelling and Writing , “all these stories referred to the Aborigines environment or the practices of their everyday life (1)”. And the Indian mythological stories are to refine man’s way of living one’s life. When a person understands the Dreamtime, the mythological stories and the habitat of snakes completely, myths have no values at all.
Even the dreams of snakes are represented with certain interpretations among many countries. Dreams about snakes have both good and bad signs that are sometimes strange to correlate with the meaning or the interpretation. Being threatened on seeing a long snake in a dream implies that an enemy is working against the person who dreamt it. Being chased by a snake implies that bad luck and problems will chase the person making them frightened about them. Such are the interpretations and there are many more interpretations given by many people.
To understand the dreams and their interpretations, a person has to understand its symbols first. Some symbols have fine notions by elders and a Sigmund Freud has also believed it in order to know the mind and psychology of a person. Hence, dreams cannot be filed under the category of myths or fallacies. But the dreamtime stories of the Aboriginal people are different that are logical than the ordinary dreams.
Though the symbols in dream are psychic and concerned about the individual, the symbols of myths are concerned about a community, a nation that has a great impact on people and also on other countries. Thus, this chapter has dealt with the convergences and divergences between the two countries and how their misconceptions have led several common myths. It has also focused on various interpretations of snakes in dreams and how these dreams differ from cultural beliefs.