Walker Lake bulletin. (Hawthorne, Nev.) 1883-1926, 1893-03-29
SERPENT WORSHIP
the Archaeological Significance of the ssr-
pent Mounds Of Ohio.

From Prof. T. W Putnam's article
n the Century on The Serpent Mound
Jf Ohio we quote the following: That
mch work. 50 carefully designed,
and constructed under such difficulties
along this narrow ridge terminating in
the high rough elf. was planned and
built under some powerful influence,
sc can but believe. And what other
han a religious motive can be con-
.eiyed2 Have we not here the eyi-
ience Of the former existence Of that
ancient faith. which. rising probably in
The East, ages before historic time. held
millions Of people under its terrible
sway: and spreading over Asia. Africa,
and Europe has not yet been wholly
.upplanted. in India and Africa, By
later faiths?
That the serpent was prominent in
the religious faiths of the Americans Is
beyond question. and that, to a Ger
tain extent IN com biDation with phallic
and solar worship, it extended from
Central America to Peru and Mexico,
cannot be doubted. whatever its origin.
Its existence in Yucatan is shown. as
in Cambodia, By sculptures designated
as temples. We know from history
and art that this form of worship
existed in Mexico down to the time Of
the Spanish invasion and conquest. and
that it still survives in the rites of the
Lunis and Moquis, and probably other
of the Pueblo tribes.
To this southwestern region, with
its many Asiatic features of art and
faith. we are constantly forced by our
Investigations as we look for the
source of the builders of the older works
OF the Ohio Valley. With these consid-
eratioDs in mind, and with the knowl-
edge that structures similar to this
in Ohio existed in the Old World. where
the serpent and other early faiths had
their greatest development. will it be
forcing the facts to argue-unless all
religious symbolism is merely coinci-
dent. vague. and meaningless, which
seems an absurd position to hold-that
in the oval embankment, with its CEN
trail pile of burnt stones, in conlbina-
ton with the serpent, we have the
three symbols everywhere regarded in
the Old Word as emblems of those
primitive faiths? Here we find the
inga-in-yoni of India, or the reciprocal
principles of nature guarded by the
serpent; of life, power, knowledge, and
eternity. Moreover. its position. east
and west, indicates the nourishing
source of fertility-the great sun-god
whose first rays fall upon the altar of
stones in the center of the oval. So
that here we have associated the several
symbols which in Asia would be ac-
cepted without question as showing the
place to be phallo-solar shrine com
bined with the serpent faith. Its very
position on the high cliff terminating
in the rough overhanging rocks,
washed by the spring torrents. aud
near the three forks of the river, is to
be considered when comparisons are
made. This combination of natural
features probably could not be found
again in any part of the great route
along which the people must have
journeyed from the Mexican Gulf. Is
this all to be taken as mere coincidence
in the development of faith in
America and the Old World? There
seems to be too much here to admit of
such theory; and when other facts, in
other lines, point in the same direction,
it is playing false with our reason to be
too skeptical. Agreements. nay,
Identities, would then mean nothing in
science, and comparative studies would
be useless. Ferguson, in his Tree
and Serpent Worship mentions the
ex stence of serpent worship on some
Of the Pacific islands, and refers to its
possible transmission across the Pacific
to America, and says if it is proved
that this worship is indigenous in the
New World we are thrown back on the
doctrine that human nature is alike
everywhere. and that man in like cir
cumstances and with like degree of
civilization does always the same things,
and Celebrates the same beliefs. 1t
may be so, but | confess it appears to
ne that at present the evidence pre-
ponderates the other way. When this
careful author thus expressed his views,
he was not acquainted with the details
now pointed out in the combinations
of the Ohio serpent shrine"