Silver Serpent Ring

The serpent or snake, is one of the oldest mythological symbols.  Some cultures use snakes as fertility symbols and believed that "The snake dance is a prayer to the spirits of the clouds, the thunder and the lightning, that the rain may fall on the growing crops." Its life cycle of shedding skin has earned its place in worship as guardians of mysteries of birth and symbols of regeneration, rebirth, transformation, immortality, and healing. Ancient stories have even involved snakes symbolizing the umbilical cord that join all humans to Mother Earth. One of the most well known symbols of the ancients is the Ouroboros which is a depiction of a snake biting its own tail representing eternity and continual renewal of life. Serpents have also been used as guardians of temples and other sacred spaces with their tendency to threaten and attack to stand their ground instead of fleeing and retreating. The venom of a snake is associated with the power to either heal, poison or provide expanded c