Campbell Ritchie wrote:And following the link I gave you earlier told me that the medicaal mark isn't a caduceus, but an Aesculapius' staff; that only has one snake on.
Often the most important part of the news is what they didn't tell.
gong tji wrote:
Could someone mention name and meaning of this symbol ?
Thanks
code is emotional
Often the most important part of the news is what they didn't tell.
Tim Holloway wrote:The two different snake rods are symbolic of 2 different Greek gods.
The κηρύκειον (caduceus) is the often-winged double-snake staff held in the left hand of Hermes (it's not uncommon for trickster gods to be wrong-handed). It's actually supposed to indicate that the bearer is a herald (of the gods in particular). Hermes (Mercury) is the messenger and herald of the gods when he/she's not up to no good (Hermes is, and gives name to "hermaphrodite"). The wings are symbolic of Hermes' ability to travel at the speed of thought, as are the winged hat and sandals often portrayed.
The Rod of Asclepius (Ασκληπιού) is symbolic of the Greek god of healing and medicine and never has wings. The snake was originally part of healing rituals, and in fact, the Greek word "pharmakon" (φάρμᾰκον) means both medicinal drug and poison, indicating that even back then it was well known that the usage and dosage made the difference. Ivermectin is a famous modern example. Not because it can kill a virus, but because it can poison parasites.
Any attempt to specifically tie any of this back to Indian medicinal/spiritual concepts is probably pushing things, but there is evidence that some of the concepts and possibly god-prototypes may have come from Mesopotamia. Where they got it from one can only speculate.
code is emotional
Often the most important part of the news is what they didn't tell.
Tim Holloway wrote:I think what you call the "grand mother" is what English calls the Great Mother. Or more frequently, its Latin version: Magna Mater. A concept that comes again from Mesopotamia and sweeps through Greece into Europe and counts the Catholic Cult of the Virgin as one of its modern descendants. An apparent legacy of more matriarchal times.
Ishtar provides a spin-off, hence to the Egyptian goddess Isis, although I don't believe that She ever reigned supreme there. Then again, the Egyptians re-worked their pantheons multiple times over history and not uncommonly for political purposes.
The Kundalini Serpent is internal, and not directly related to Asclepius, as the Geeks were using very concrete serpents and their venom externally. Hermes' serpents are more abstract, but likewise viewed as external. But serpents in general are often closely related to religion and magic. They have perpetually wise/evil (often viewed as the same thing) expressions on their faces, they move without legs, and they assassinate via poisons, often without apparent warning. In some American Indian cultures there are stories which may be only told in Winter, "when the snakes are asleep". It is commonly held that the snakes would steal the stories otherwise.
code is emotional
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