The Worship of Creative Energy as Symbolized by the Serpent
by Charles Edward Herring
1901

Abury, England. Stanton temple. Westmoreland. American serpent temples. Temple of Karnac in Brittany, Druidical worship, Stonehenge. Scotland and the snakes. The snakes of Ireland. Mexico, Tezcatlepoca and Unzilopoehtli, Hietorogram of Egypt. Persia. Greece. Rome and China. Serpent in the zodiac. pp. 18-24, Chapter V THE SERPENT AND THE EGG Primitive chaos represented by the egg. Cneph, Egyptian creator. p. 25, Chapter VI THE SERPENT AND THE RIVER Why is the serpent the symbol of creative power? Two theories. First - The serpent itself suggested the symbol. Serpent mysterious, therefore representing the mysterious things of lite. Difficulty with the theory. Second - Theory of Keary, River, the original serpent. Oceanus, the earth encircling river. The serpent of the Midgard Sea. Apollo and the Python. Birth of the Python. Rivers and serpents confounded. Tree and serpcntworbhip in Egypt. Relation of the serpent to the Nile. Babylonian Tiamat. The Hebrews and the sea. Babylonian Ea. Jinns. pp. 26-30. Chapter VII THE SERPENT AND THE TORRENT The Russian Norka, Colossac and the archangel Michael, The fountain at Delphi. The Lernean Hydra. The Hebrew Tannin. The Indian Lake Serpent. pp. 31-32. Chapter VIII THE SERPENT AND THE CLOUD Ahi and Vritra, clouds, originally rivers. Celestial serpent of Persia. Eclipse of Chinese. Rainbow of Persia. Serpent or dragon as the giver of rain in China, India and America. Meaning of India and Vritra. Visit of Gautama to a naga king. Moki Indians and the rain. Snake dance a prayer for rain.