Irish Druids and Old Irish Religions

Serpc7it Faith. 185
came the eternal foe of the would-be dcstro}-er. Jupiter
himself became a dragon to deceive Proserpine. Minerva
carried a serpent on her breast. Medusa bore snakes for
curls on her head.
What is the meaning of it all ?
Betham mentions the fact that the Celtic word for a
serpent is expressive of its wisdom. The same meaning is
in other languages, and the legends are of various nations.
A knowing man, one versed in the mysteries, was called a
serpent. Was it the silence which distinguished it in the
animal creation that brought this reputation, and made it
a fitting emblem of the esoteric system ?
It was the symbol of productive energy, and was ever
associated with the ^'g'g^ symbol of the progressive elements
of nature. The male was the Great Father ; the female,
the Great Mother.
O'Brien, and others, see a close connection between Solar,
Phallic, and Serpent worship, the author of The Round
Towe7'S of Ireland, saying, " If all these be identical, where
is the occasion of a surprise at our meeting the sun, phallus,
and serpent, the constituent symbols of each, occurring in
combination, embossed upon the same table, and grouped
"
under the same architrave }
The connection of the serpent with the starry host has
been observed. Its scales resemble revolving stars. Like
them, it moves swiftly, but noiselessly. The zodiacal girdle
appeared like a serpent devouring its own tail, and it was
always deemed of a fiery nature.
Some have supposed the stories of monstrous reptiles
—the object of dread and conflict—to have originated
from traditional records of gigantic and fearful-looking
Saurians or serpents that once lived on earth, and
some lingering specimens of which might have been
seen by early tribes of mankind. The Atlanto-Saiirus