The Pharoes are frequently represented with this snake on their crown. Cobras are well known for their ability to expand their upper neck into a disc shape by spreading its ribs. The cobra, then, symbolized immortality and was regarded as a protected deity, being frequently illustrated on ancient Egyptian monuments. In Christian lore, the good snake is seen in iconography as rising from the chalice of Saint John. The serpent is depicted as wound around a cross and is sometimes portrayed with the icon of a woman's head to symbolize lust and temptation.
Snake worship is still widespread in Asia and Africa.
Today, in America, there is new evidence of snake worship in the Kentucky and Tennessee hill country - adding to the collection of known sites throughout the North American continent. An interesting observation is that, as pointed out by naturalists, several species of snake, including young cobras, will play dead when threatened. Other species can be temporarily paralyzed by pinching the snake on the neck or merely turning it on its back. Many snakes and crocodiles are cannibalistic and, if sufficiently hungry, will eat their own species. Thus, if Aaron's rod were actually a paralyzed snake or crocodile this phenomenon could have some possibility.