What is the origin of the Caduceus? – The myth of curled snakes

According to the myth, Mercury/Hermes Hermes intervened in front of two fighting snakes. Then the two snakes coiled around his cane.

For the Greeks it is related to the god Hermes, which transmits celestial messages to humans, being revealing, sometimes crypticly, other worlds from beyond

On the left, a variant of myth narrated by Hesíoso. This mith is related to Tiresias. Tiresias ran into Mount Cyllene with a couple of snakes copulating, which he hit with his cane. Hera, disgusted, punished Tiresias transforming him into a woman. After seven years as a woman, Tiresias met snakes again, and let them be trampled, according to different versions. As a result, Tiresias was released from his punishment and was a male again. Tiresias had the gift of prophecy, and connects with the figure of Hermes by the fact that, according to various authors, such as Sustratus of Phanagoria, it is a mediating figure between humanity and the gods, masculine and feminine, blind and seer, present and future, this world and the underworld.

What is the difference between the caduceus or rod of Hermes, and the rod of Asclepio/Esculapio?

Sometimes the caduceus is confused with the rod of Asclepio.

The main difference is this: Caduceus consists of two curled snakes, while Asclepio’s rod consists of one snake.

The symbol of medicine is Asclepio’s rod, since Asclepio was the god of medicine and healing for the Greeks.

On the other hand, the caduceus or rod of Hermes, is related precisely to the god Hermes, who was the one who transmitted the celestial messages. It is used, among others, as a symbol of trade.

Thus, the true symbol of medicine is Asclepio’s rod

What meant Caduceus for the Romans?

The Romans used the caduceus as a symbol of moral balance and good behavior. According to this interpretation, the cane expresses power; The two snakes, wisdom; The wings, the diligence. Highly had a helmet that was associated with high thoughts.

in ancient Rome, we can see the caduceus represented for example in coins:

The Caduceus and the origin of the figure in Mesopotamia

Heinrich Zimmer locates the oldest origin of the caduceus in Mesopotamia, in the cup of King Goudea of Lagah, 2,600 years before Christ. In Mesopotamia the symbol of two intertwined snakes would already be given as a symbol of the god who heals diseases. This meaning passed to Greece and finally to our days.

We also find this symbol in India, under some figures engraved on stone tablets called nágakals. The nagakals were placed under sacred trees. These figurines functioned as ex-votos to promote fertility.

What do the two intertwined serpents mean in the East?

The interpretation of the caduceus in the East is linked to the balance of opposites: the two snakes that coil around an axis would symbolize the currents of energy present in the cosmos. In that sense, it would be the equivalent in the East of the yin-yang symbols.

Intertwined snakes and kundalini yoga – the awakening of the serpent

The interpretation of the two coiled snakes as a balance of opposites is developed in great depth by Tantra. For Tantra, coiled snakes would be related to the kundalini force. The kundalini is an energy that remains dormant and coiled on itself at the base of the spine, which would be the caduceus rod itself.

Kundalin means coiled and circular, and comes from kundal, “curl of hair.” By adding the i, we make it the word kundalini, and it becomes a feminine noun meaning snake. According to Tantra, this serpent is asleep at the base of the spine.

The aim in practicing yoga would be to awaken this serpent, and make it ascend along the spine. Two other pathways wind around this central pathway: the white channel (Ida) that ascends from the left testicle to the right nostril, associated with the moon and cold; and another red channel (Pingala), which ascends from the left testicle to the left nostril, associated with the sun and the burning.

The goal of the yoga practitioner is to unify these two paths, and bring them to the central channel as the snake ascends.

Fuentes Relacionadas con los símbolos en general

Inspirado libro del poeta Juan Eduardo Cirlot sobre los símbolos

Ensayos acompañados de unas 800 imágenes de diversos símbolos. La editorial Taschen es siempre garantía calidad de edición.