Is it a symbol of the eternal return?
A man was filming a snake and said, “The stupid snake is actually eating itself.” Despite his clear confusion, the man joked, “It’s like a snake neckless. Actually, it’s a sneck-less. If he stays clamped on like that, I’m going to wear him as a sneck-less.”
Click to Gallery
A copy of a 1478 drawing by Theodoros Pelecanos, of an alchemical tract attributed to Synesius. (Photo via Wikipedia)
He then picks up the snake and wraps it around his neck as if it is a piece of jewellery, shouting to his lady-friend in another room “He’s stayed clamped on, I’ve got a neckless.”
This clip was filmed in the UK on October 18, 2017. Some neitizens said it just like the Ouroboros, an ancient symbol depicting a snake or dragon eating its own tail.
Originating in Ancient Egyptian iconography, the Ouroboros entered western tradition via Greek magical tradition and was adopted as a symbol in Gnosticism and Hermeticism, and most notably in alchemy. Via medieval alchemical tradition, the symbol entered Renaissance magic and modern symbolism, often taken to symbolize introspection, the eternal return or cyclicality, especially in the sense of something constantly re-creating itself. It also represents the infinite cycle of nature's endless creation and destruction, life and death.
A copy of a 1478 drawing by Theodoros Pelecanos, of an alchemical tract attributed to Synesius. (Photo via Wikipedia)
Neitizen Akrudibum Rum explaind this phenomenon from a scientific point of view. He wrote, “When snakes become too hot, they will get confused and disoriented. Their ramped-up metabolism will also lead to a false sense of hunger, thus desiring to eat the thing at their first glance.
Generally speaking, captive snakes live alone and there is no enough food offered to them in such situation. As a result, they have to attack themselves by eating their tail. In addition, it will happen when they are shedding and have diminished eyesight, because they mistake their tail for prey.
In the case of their self-cannibalizing, if you can reduce the temperature by turning off heat lamps and spritzing the snake with cool water, it can be much helpful in cutting down the stress of the snake that might let go; sometimes the veterinarian’s intervention is necessary in this respect.
These fatal episodes can take place constantly, because snakes have evolved to trap food and guide it in. When they begin with eating something, it will be very hard for them to let it go.
So next time when you see such scene, you will be fully aware of what is happening. If you want to keep your pet snake in a good condition, feed them with enough food and maintain the proper room temperature for them so as to avoid the fatal episode.”
