An ancient Egyptian legend
A condensed version of an ancient Egyptian legend goes something like this: "The clever sailor told his master how he survived the shipwreck and ascended to a mysterious island." There he encounters a large talking snake, which calls himself king of Ponte. All the good stuff was on the island, and the sailor talked to the snake until the ship was summoned before he returned to Egypt. ”
This Tale of shipwrecked sailors is a legend that dates back to the Middle Kingdom of Egypt (2040-1782 BC). Although this is a legendary story, some rumor fragments have led to some interesting thinking.
First of all, the size of this mysterious reptile is the first to be shocking. The surviving sailor recounts his misfortune this way:
"The trees are cracking and the ground is shaking. As soon as I opened my mouth, I saw a snake coming toward me. The door opening is thirty cubits long. His beard is more than two cubits long. His scales were golden, his eyebrows were lapis lazuli, and his body was curved upwards. ”
The snake in this myth is quite fascinating. There are indications that he has a thick beard and eyebrows, much like the dragon in Chinese mythology. In Egypt, however, small beards were also occasionally depicted on holy serpents. Ancient Egyptian and East Asian traditions of giant reptiles seem to have originated from the same source.
The second unusual thing is that a star is mentioned in the legend, which caused the entire death of the snake family. A snake said to the sailor:
"Since you survived this accident, I will tell you a story of the disaster that happened to me." I used to live on the island with my family – 75 snakes in all, not including an orphan girl who was brought to me by chance, and she was my sweetheart. One night a star fell from the sky and they all burned. It happened when I wasn't there – I wasn't among them. Only I survived. Lo and behold, I'm here alone right now. ”
What kind of star can burn seventy-five giant creatures at the same time? Let's recall the size of the snake, how accurate and effective a blow was, how powerful a blow could lead to such an outcome.
Huge snake
In the story, the surviving sailor describes a wave of eight cubits, and he estimates the length of the snake to be thirty cubits. These are key pieces of information that you can use to estimate size:
"Now the wind is getting stronger, and the waves are eight cubits high. Then the mast fell into the waves, the boat was lost, and no one survived but me. ”
Based on this narrative, snakes are at least three times larger than waves. But with the rapid blow of a certain "star", this huge "snake pit" composed of seventy-five giant snakes was all eradicated. It was clear that an explosion produced enormous amounts of energy.
What attacked the clever snake? Could it be the result of a "crazy" asteroid hitting Earth?
There is no doubt that as ancient sources of myths and legends, there are usually many fictitious elements. However, giant snakes or dragons have appeared in many different cultures. As one of the most popular mythological creatures, it can live in the air, at sea or on land. Mythologists believe it originated from dinosaur skeletons discovered by the ancients. Today, we see many variants of this animal in literature, but the fascination with this giant reptile began a long time ago.
The giant snake of ancient legend
The oldest recorded is probably Mušḫuššu, dating back to 2100 BC. "Mušḫuššu" is translated in Chinese as "angry snake". The Mesopotamians described these creatures as scaly animals with eagle hind legs, lion forelimbs, slender bodies, horned heads, and snake-like tongues. They are the children of Tiamat, the primordial goddess of water, and Enki, the god of chaos.
Mušḫuššu is associated with the gods of grass and wood and The god of hades, Ningji Zeda, who killed them. They are also sacred animals of Maduk, the patron saint of the city of Babylon. The power of Mušḫuššu includes bringing good luck and divine protection against evil. Today, the carvings of Mušḫuššu still exist in the reconstructed Ishtar Gate of Babylon, which was used to protect the city.
Another ancient Egyptian myth showed a giant serpent. Legend has it that the terrible eyes of the god Ra, Sekhmet, cut off the head of a giant serpent, Apep. Considered Ra's greatest enemy, Appeppe was given the title of Enemy of Ra, as well as "King of Chaos".
Also known as Apophis in Greek, the serpent was actually the Egyptian god of chaos, an adversary of light and order. It is said to be 15 meters long and its head is made of flint. Myths usually interpret Apip as the result of Russ's birth, rather than a primitive existence, being pulled by the umbilical cord formation.
According to mythology, every night, Ra and Apepp meet and fight on the sun god's journey through the sky. The sun rose the next morning to represent Ra's victory, but the arrival of the next night showed that Apep could not be killed.
In Greek mythology and legend there is a giant python, which is the child of Titan Gaia. Gaia lives in the center of the earth and protects the oracle of Delfinić. It is said that this creature was born in the mud left behind after the original Great Flood. Hera sent the python to pursue another of Zeus's countless objects of affection, Artemis and Apollo's mother.
In retaliation for the python torturing his mother, Apollo killed the python with a hundred arrows and obtained the Oracle of Delfinić. In order to purify himself of his sins, Apollo founded the Game of Pease in Delphi. Named after the slain python, the Olympics are the second Panhellenic Games after the Games.
The Liviatan or Leviathan is a primitive fire-breathing sea snake in Jewish mythology. The creature is described as a multi-headed snake killed by archangels and given to the Hebrews who starved in the wilderness. The Hebrews also associated Liviatan with Israel's enemies. Its brothers are the Earth giant Bicht and the aerial monster Ziz.
When Christianity inherited the Old Testament, The name of Liviatan was changed to Leviathan. At the same time, this creature also became a symbol of the devil and general evil. In Catholicism, Leviathan is the name of the sin of jealousy. Over time, Leviathan became a snake-like demon instead of a powerful heavenly spirit.
Arguably, giant snakes or dragons may be the oldest animals ever made. Their physical characteristics, strength, and history have changed over the centuries, but the enthusiasm of humans to tell these stories has not diminished.
Did this animal ever exist? If so, what is the reason for extinction? Was it the result of an asteroid impact?