Eternal Sin

Daphne Guinness by Markus Klinkoo. The woman with the snake is a popular icon for sin and seduction.

Good Old Snake Myth

This photo "les dompteuses" in numero 23 may 2001 by the fashion photographer Mert Alas is another new interpretation of the old snake seductress myth

Women with Snake

Women with a Snake by the Belarusian photographer Eugene Buzuk. Sure that neither Eve nor Lilith are mentioned here, but the biblical context on woman, sin, snake etc is obvious.

Snake Girls

The British actresses Rachel Weisz and Rhona Mitra with snakes. Despite it looks quite fashionable it’s not least a modern interpretation of the old biblical myths od Eva, Lilith the Snake Goddess and the female evil. But probably that’s what it makes so interesting today.

Furthermore it should be noticed that the postures are entirely copied from 19th century paintings.

Snake Goddess

Probably the most inconsistent and multifaceted icon of all bible women is the women with the snake. In her person are blending various myths and characters. At first there is Eve the first woman, the wife of Adam and the primordial mother of all mankind.

But Eve is already much more than this, she also seduces Adam and becomes therefore an ally of the serpent. So frequently she is painted with an apple as the symbol of temptation and the snake as the symbol of the devil. But in many cases these symbols are convertible. For example the apple alone is mostly already a symbol for Eve or the devil, as the snake can be a symbol for Eve and the seduction.

Probably this was from the beginning like this. Because the snake is made of various older mother and fertility goddesses like Ishtar or Astarte. The snake was a very old an powerful symbol of fertility and life, but also wisdom and medicine. The monotheistic and Jewish religion transformed these older female gods into lesser demons like Lilith, the legendary first wife of Adam.

Women with snakes are always seductive and at least a little evil. Maybe they are more orientated at Eve the mother, Eve the seductress or Lilith the demon.

Interesting is also that many modern interpretations, which pretend to be non or even anti Christian, are also depicting the snake women as demons. And because of that they reveal a much greater influence of the Old Testament than of that older oriental cults they pretend to renew. The ancient Snake Goddesses weren’t demons at all but chthonic, helpful deities.

Modern Jezebel

Jezebel is probably the most villainous women in the Bible, she worshipped false gods, manipulated the people of Israel and was above all famous for her promiscuity.

So it may be a little surprising to find a modern lifestyle magazine using the ancient myth of the seductive and evil Jezebel as a kind of brand. But I like especially Paris Hilton on the cover as a modern cheap edition of old Jezabel.