Buzz
Explore the symbolism of this timeless icon in philosophy and popular culture
Have you ever come across a snake eating its own tail and wondered about its significance? Known as the ouroboros, this ancient emblem has appeared in cultures across the globe for thousands of years. Though its meanings have evolved over time, it is now widely recognized as a symbol of renewal and cyclical rebirth. Dive deeper into the origins and symbolic layers of this captivating figure.
Ouroboros Symbolism Explained
The ouroboros is a timeworn symbol often representing the eternal cycle of birth, death, and rebirth. Though its use dates as far back as the Neolithic period, scholars have yet to determine its earliest intended meaning.
How to Understand It
Ouroboros: Meaning and Symbolism
The ouroboros depicts a serpent consuming its own tail. The term “ouroboros” comes from the Ancient Greek words meaning “tail-devourer”—with οὐρά (oura) signifying 'tail' and -βορός (-boros) meaning '-eating'. Usually shaped into a circle, the creature—either a snake or dragon—is sometimes shown in a figure-eight, reminiscent of the infinity symbol.
The ouroboros typically represents the life-death-rebirth cycle. However, interpretations vary widely—it can also signify duality, wholeness, endlessness, balance, and renewal. Scholars remain unsure of its original intent, as no definitive explanations have surfaced.
- The symbol has also been linked to the concept of time and the forces of nature.
Historical Roots of the Ouroboros
An early ouroboros was discovered in King Tutankhamun’s tomb. It appears in The Enigmatic Book of the Netherworld, inscribed on a gilded shrine. The ouroboros encircles the head and feet of what is thought to be Ra-Osiris.
- Some interpret it as a symbol of Ra, the Egyptian sun deity, and his passage across the sky. Others connect it to the sky goddess Nut.
- It was also seen as representing chaos encircling the structured world.
- An even older version was found on Neolithic pottery made by the Yangshao culture along China’s Yellow River, where it may have symbolized unity.
Ouroboros in World Mythology and Religion
Numerous mythologies and religions reference a serpent consuming its own tail. Often believed to encircle the world and separate it from what lies beyond, this powerful symbol appears in temples, artifacts, and artwork from regions including China, Greece, Scandinavia, India, and the Amazon basin.
- Greece Plato viewed the ouroboros as a symbol of self-sufficiency. Some link it to the myth of Sisyphus, endlessly pushing a boulder uphill only for it to roll back down again.
- Rome In Roman tradition, the ouroboros was linked to Saturn, representing the cyclical nature of time as December turns into January. It symbolized eternity.
- Scandinavia Jörmungandr, or the Midgard Serpent, encircled the Earth with its tail in its mouth. During Ragnarök, it would let go to take part in the world-ending battle. This represented transformation and rebirth.
- South America Indigenous groups in the lowlands believe in a disc-shaped Earth encircled by a snake, sometimes biting its tail, symbolizing death and rebirth cycles.
- China Some theorize that the ouroboros evolved from the Yin-Yang, introduced to Alexandria through Chinese alchemical texts. Yin-Yang represents dual forces and creation.
- India In Hindu mythology, the Earth rests on four elephants standing on a turtle, which is sometimes depicted atop a snake biting its tail. The ouroboros also appears in the Aitareya Brahmana and Yoga-kundalini Upanishad as a symbol of eternity.
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Iberia Expressions like Uma pescadinha de rabo na boca
and La pescadilla que se muerde la cola describe endless loops or circular logic.
- North America Folklore in the U.S. includes tales of hoop snakes, creatures that bite their tails and roll like wheels, often armed with a venomous tail. No specific symbolism is clearly defined.
The Ouroboros in Gnostic Tradition
In Gnosticism, the ouroboros symbolized divine unity. Gnostic Christians and Jewish thinkers saw it as representing the soul's connection to God—with the serpent’s head representing God and the tail symbolizing humanity.
- Leviathan in the Christian Bible was sometimes portrayed as an ouroboros, embodying the spiritual journey toward enlightenment.
Ouroboros and Scientific Thought
In alchemical tradition, the ouroboros stood for transformation and the pursuit of ultimate knowledge. Alchemy, the precursor to modern chemistry, sought to unlock the secrets of turning base elements into gold and achieving eternal life.
- Cleopatra the Alchemist included the ouroboros in her scroll Cleopatra's Chrysopoeia, believed by some to contain the mystery of metal transmutation.
- Psychiatrist Carl Jung saw the alchemical ouroboros as a symbol of completeness and the infinite.
The ouroboros continues to inspire modern science. This timeless emblem has been adopted to explain and visualize concepts across disciplines.
- German chemist August Kekule von Stradonitz reportedly dreamed of an ouroboros, which led him to discover benzene's ring structure—laying the groundwork for organic chemistry's structural theory.
- Astrophysicist Martin Rees used the ouroboros to show the link between atomic structures and the universe.
- In cybernetics, the symbol represents self-referencing systems and feedback loops.
The Ouroboros in Modern Pop Culture
Ouroboros has become a powerful icon in popular culture. Artists, authors, game designers, and filmmakers frequently use it to represent endless cycles, time, and connections between worlds. The symbol appears in literature, films, television, video games, and even professional wrestling.
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Literature
- The Ouroboros: Time Cures All Ills by Woody Clark
- The Worm Ouroboros by E.R. Eddison
- The Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan
- A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness
- A Court of Thorns & Roses by Sarah J. Maas
- Lock Every Door by Riley Sager
- Aurora by Kim Stanley Robinson
- Battle Angel Alita by Yukito Kishiro
- “All You Zombies” by Robert Heinlein
- “Never Again,” The X-Files
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Film
- The Neverending Story
- Annihilation
- Ouroboros
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Television
- Millennium
- “Ouroboros,” Red Dwarf
- Altered Carbon
- The Sinner
- “Ouroboros,” Loki
- “Ouroboros,” Fear the Walking Dead
- Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood
- Gods' Games We Play
- Ninjago, Ninjago: Rise of the Snakes, & Ninjago: Shadow of Ronin
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Gaming
- Splatoon 3
- Xenoblade Chronicles 3
- Inscryption
- Honkai: Star Rail
- Ace Combat 3: Electrosphere
- Broken Sword 5: The Serpent's Curse
- Pro Wrestling
Symbolism of Ouroboros Tattoos
Ouroboros tattoos often represent cycles of rebirth and transformation. For many, tattoos are deeply personal—serving as tools for self-expression or reclaiming ownership of the body. The ouroboros, when inked on skin, can embody renewal akin to a phoenix rising anew. When styled in a figure-eight, it frequently conveys infinity or timelessness.
- Some people choose the design purely for its aesthetic appeal, regardless of its deeper meaning.
Ouroboros in the Natural World
Snakes have been known to bite themselves when under extreme stress. In captivity, distressed snakes have occasionally been observed biting their own tails—mistaking their own bodies during moments of intense pain.
- Such behavior is extremely rare among snakes in their natural habitats.
The African Armadillo-Girdled Lizard curls into a defensive ball by biting its own tail. Named Ouroborus cataphractus, this lizard earned its scientific title because it mimics the ouroboros when it loops into a ring-like posture to ward off threats.
