The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1909-01-10
.SERPENT'S POSITION
IN FICTIONS REALM
Snake SuperStitiOnS Have Al
ways Been Current.
DATES BACK TO TINE OF EDEN
Certain Tales that show How Writ
ers Have Wnxed JOcuIar on Their
FavOrite Theme-ZuIuS and other
Primitive Peoples Regard Snakes
rs Ghosts Of Their Ancestors.

From the beginning Of time when he
first made his bow to the public in the
Garden OF Eden. the serpent has ever
played a spectacular role in that curious
vaudeville OF the imagination that We call
popular superstition, SAYS the Los An
geies Times.
BY no means. however. has he always
taken the wicked fairy parton occasions
even the devil a saint may be-and some
OF the most interesting folklore presents
him as a benevolent being
Particularly true is this of the house
snakes. guardians of home and fireside.
( These the old Teutons believed had spe-
ciaI affection for lonely little children
were quite chummy with the youngsters.
/ In fact. going so far DIS 20 drink milk
with them. While in some mysterious
WAY the life Of child and reptile were so
bound up together that II the snake WAS
killed the little one would pine away.
House snakes m ancient Prussia were
even more revered- For the most part
+ they were coddled in coy comfort under
! the stoves. but at sacrifcial seasons were
/ coaxed 20 crawl up on carefully laid
table covered with q spau6y. SuHday-go-
connecting cloth and byguiIed into tast-
( ing certain dishes prepared for them.
such condescension being looked upon
as a good omen for the future. which
would be black indeed r. the snakes
turned pOuJinE away.
Closely connected with this reverence
I for The snakes comes the Woodworking
snake stones. VERY ancient are some or
/ these found in India. and % this day the
I inhabitant of a village would not dare 10
point 20 one of the snakes carved upon
the stones. knowing that such profanity
would be- instantly punished by his I'm
geT rottiug and falling Of Yet d lonely
/ hearted woman. bold in her excess Of
longing. viii draw near and lay|an offer
ing OF flowers before a stone. or even
touch the head Of a carved snake with
red paint. with the trembling hope that
she may be blessed with children
Charm stones OF Scotland.
Far afeid from India. but akin 20 these
snake stones. are certain charm stones
I OF Scotland. with rude patterns scratched
on their surfac- and each stone pierced
with TWO holes. According 10 tradition.
these stones were made by seven vipers.
who shaped them with their teeth. while
the king Of the vipers carried them 70
their destination on his tail
Another marvellous stone connected
with folklore OF serperts is a beautiful
and very brilliant one that the Cherokee
Indians conjured with. This they will
tell YOU once adorned the head Of A
monStrOUS snake. its glitter attracting
The red mans attention 10 the reptile.
But 50 well protected by guard OF
other snakes was this renarkabl- crea-
ture that for a long time Il was impos-
sible 20 attack f. Finally "a bold con
jurer. incasing himself in leather "im-
Psnetrabl- 10 a serpents bite" succeeded
in surprising and killing IT, The glitter
ing stone torn from its head ne hid for
many wears IN q place unknown save 20
two wonderland the modern skeptic
claims that even one may not he trusted
10 keep Secret.-bUt later il came into
the possession OF the tribe
But head and shoulders above the com
mon herd % serpents is the snake of the
following legend
A poor Greek youth. his rags redeemed
by the tender heart that beat beneath
put a stop 20 the killing 81 a snake 10y
some cruel gamin OF the street. IN graft
tuds the snake coaxed his father 20 be
stow upon his resCuer q certain magic
ring. evidently a kind Of family heir
loom. and upon its presentation the old
snake thus addressed the lad IF thou
are ever IN need o. anything lick the
seal and black man viii appear Com
mand him TO do whatever thou viii and
he viii perform it."
As soon as the lad reached home with
the ring he began al the lowest rung OF
the ladder OF desire by filling the empty
shelves OF the cupboard. gradually work
ing Up TO the 1Opmost ambition Of his
heart the hand Of a fair princess. her
stern papa's consent won by the instan-
taneOUs appearance OF a castle. followed
by paving a path with gold from the
castle 10 the kings palace.
Ghosts Of Ancestors.
The Zulus and other primitive peoples
regard snakes as ancestral ghosts. the
notion arising partly from the uncanny
nature OF the serpent. partly from its
fondnesS Of living near graves and then
crawling into houses. as though il might
be revising IN old home
According 10 certain tribes in Madagas-
I car. al death mobiles pass into snakes.
middle classes into crocOdiles. and the
( lower classes into eels II must not be
supposed. however, that each noble had
a snake 10 himself One reptile was con-
sidered quite roomy enough 20 hold a
number Of men. women. and children
As for the snake itself. various are the
beliefs concerning its Immortality. There
is an old Spanish superstition that the
snake. feeling deaths approach. quietly
draws himself out OF the skin. grows. de-
velOps, takes on scales, sprouts wings,
7 L
fuil-fiedged dragon. when by good for
tune he diScreetly withdraws into the
wilderness. In Japan a snake spends a
( thousand years in the mountains. an
other thousand in the water. and then
+ evolves into dragon Even more re
markable is the following old cobra ira
d!tiOn. 4 thousand years being this crea-
lures allotted time. in middle life its
body begins 10 shrink until it is only three
I feet long. one foot, a fingers length.
when-skidOO twenty-three,-Up It pops
/ into the air. dies. tumbles down. evsp-
/ crates. disappears a serpent stone alone
} 70 mark the place.
( An amusing superstition Of old Mon
mouthshire is that snake has four legs
I all Of which will duly come out if after
thoroughly killing him you hold his body
/ over a not flame.
IN the HeOrldeS an attempt IS made to
I hatter the snake into a good humor by
/ speaking Of it as "the nymph" And you
may be sure of immunity from snake
bites for a year. IL every St Brides Day
you repeat: "On St. Brides Day the
nymph comes cut Of the hole: let me
not touch the nymph and let not the
/ nynph touch me-"
Snakes Conducive 10 Health.
According TO the belief OF some, the
carrying Of a snake coiled warm upon
ones breast is conducive 10 health. while
others solemnly claim that the skin of a
snake viii cure consumption. But the
most amusing item Of reptilian thera-
peutics is TO take q cured serpent's head