The ouroboros is a symbol that can be found in the enigmatic book of the netherworld. The following is a 1478 drawing by theodoros pelecanos, of an alchemical tract attributed to synesius. But this image of ouroboros suggests a way to perceive it as an enfolding where the past the tail appears to disappear but really moves into an inner domain or reality, vanishing from view but perhaps still existing in some kind of virtual sense. Ouroboros or uroboros ancient greek alchemical symbol of a serpent eating his tail. This book was a funerary text that was found in the tomb of the young king tut in the 14th century bc. This page was last edited on 7 january 2019, at 06. Detail of ouroboros from enigmatic book of the netherworld discovered in the tomb of king tut. In an illustration from this text, two serpents, holding their tails in their mouths, coil around the head and feet of an.
The ouroboros is an ancient symbol depicting a serpent or dragon eating its own tail. The original ouroborus was made by the alchemist, cleopatra not the same as the pharaoh, found in her book known as chrysopoeia meaning gold making. I work in tech, but when i was 19 i had a spontaneous spiritual awakening and multiple out of body experiences with visions that lasted a year. What does the ouroboros mean, and where does it come from. It is a serpent, more often a dragon, biting its own tale basing on the phenomenon that occurs in the wild. Ouroboros ancient symbol of eternal return psy minds. The cosmic cycles come full circle i was so excited to find a new book by drunvalo, especially at this point in time, the beginning of december 2012, and bought it immediately. The symbol first appeared in the tomb of tutankhamun as part of the book of the netherworld in the 14 century. The first known appearance of the ouroboros motif is in the enigmatic book of the. In the ouroboros, we find this divine archetype combined with the snake, the symbol of wisdom, creative life force and transformation. In the second part of the composition referred to as section b, we find three registers that each contain three scenes. Ouroboros the serpent ouroboros surrounding a circle with lettering in latin and hebrew, pen and watercolour drawing from clavis inferni sive magia alba et nigra approbata metratona late 18th century. See more ideas about ouroboros tattoo, symbols and ancient symbols.
Doyle said that a drawing of a snake eating its own tail was discovered in the enigmatic book of the netherworld, the ancient egyptian funerary text discovered in the tomb of tutankhamun king tut, which dates to the 14th century b. The book of the netherworld, and egyptian text held the ouroboros as a representation which led to its popularity post the amarna period. The fox going around a sphere on the firefox browser logo might have been inspired by the occult symbol of a snake swallowing its own tail. Open book with letter o with ouroboros image of fantastic animal ouroboros with a body of a snake and two heads of a lion and a bird. The ouroboros entered the popular imagination of the twentieth century through its use in mass media, such as in the titles of e. Ouroboros definition and meaning collins english dictionary. The snake encircles the two symbols of the extremes of created life the child and the deathsymbol of the skull. The book describes the protracted war between the domineering king gorice of witchland and the lords of demonland in an imaginary world that appears.
Yes, you read that right, historical sciencefiction mystery. In this edition of symbols and symbolism, we look at a reading on the ouroboros, that serpent devouring its tail as a representation of eternity and the passage of time. The book mainly describes ra and his partnership with osiris in the underworld. The name ouroboros is greek in origin but it dates back to ancient egyptian times. No matter what youre looking for or where you are in the world, our global marketplace of sellers can help you find unique and affordable options. An intriguing display of the ouroboros serpent on the. It is a symbol for death and rebirth, renewal of life, and also a symbol for the cosmos or endless cycles in the universe. Heres a list of similar words from our thesaurus that you can use instead. Mythical creation ouroboros a demon snake biting itself by the tail on a bright red ouroboros. The ouroboros is one of the worlds most ancient mystical symbols, having appeared in egypt as early as 1600 bc. Files are available under licenses specified on their description page.
The ouroboros, or uroboros, is a symbol of a dragon, serpent or snake devouring its own tail. The black book, a sourcebook for spells in the black arts, was the textbook of the black school at wittenburg, germany, purportedly where witches and. Falksen is by far the best book ive read in a while. The oldest ouroboros depiction ouroboros, or the serpent which bites or swallows its own tail, is a well known symbol in esoteric doctrines. Its use triggers very specific meanings for those utilizing it as part of their overall allegorical narrative. Etsy is the home to thousands of handmade, vintage, and oneofakind products and gifts related to your search. It comes from the greek words oura meaning tail and b. Symbols and meanings ancient egyptian, norse, pagan. The current gracecoroman period presented the book of the dead with atum, the sun god. The term enigmatic here refers to it being written in cryptographic code, a new kingdom practice also known from the tombs of ramesses ix and ramesses v. The symbol is depicted as a snake eating its own tail. The first known appearance of the ouroboros motif is in the enigmatic book of the netherworld, an ancient egyptian funerary text in kv62, the tomb.
The enigmatic netherworld books of the solar osirian unity. The first book carried the title the worm ouroboros7. This symbol, while existing in a mainstream context, is little known outside of most esoteric and occult circles. Dictionary grammar blog school scrabble thesaurus translator quiz more resources more from collins. It was adopted by the phoenicians and later the greeks, who gave it its name. Ouroborus images have been found in ancient egypt, india, greece, japan, native americans, europe, and even in china. Ouroboros is an ancient infinity symbol that has been used widely in many different cultures throughout the world during the course of history. The mystical work the chrysopoeia of kleopatra has a drawing of the serpent ouroboros eating his tail, with the text one is all. The ouroboros symbol frequently used in alchemical illustrations as symbols of natures circularity. Section a of the enigmatic book of the netherworld. Ouroboros cosmic serpent and the selfdevourer universal, powerful symbol of great antiquity. High level occult secrets and esoteric symbolism robert sepehr. Like many words that have ancient etymology, most symbols have their roots in antiquity. In an illustration from this text, two serpents, holding their tails.
From there it moved to the phoenicians and then to the greeks, who called it the ouroboros, which means devouring its tail. The first known appearance of the ouroboros motif is in the enigmatic book of the netherworld, an ancient egyptian funerary text in kv62, the tomb of tutankhamun, in the 14th century bc. Ouroboros tattoo designs the serpent biting its own tail, is first seen as early as 1600 years bc in egypt. Dedicated to symbols in different cultures throughout the world, this part of our site will feature detailed articles about ancient egyptian symbols. The mysterious origin of the ouroboros and secrets of mehen. It can be perceived as enveloping itself, where the past the tail appears to disappear but really moves into an inner domain or reality, vanishing from view but still existing. The trilogy enjoyed a cult resurgence in the mid 1960s though the early 1970s. All structured data from the file and property namespaces is available under the creative commons cc0 license. A snake eating its own tail, the symbol of the ouroboros.
Ouroboros symbol meaning, history, and design closet of. This symbol is also called, ouroboros, but its meaning is deeper. It is a symbol for death and rebirth, renewal of life, and also a symbol for the. This snake, sometimes called the ouroboros, is a symbol of time, from which alone wisdom springs. The text concerns the actions of the god ra and his union with osiris in the underworld. Ouroboros symbols and symbolism freemason information. The ouroboros, the serpent who swallows its tail, is one of the oldest symbols of the cycles of nature known to human history. Ouroboros, or the serpent which bites or swallows its own tail, is a well known symbol in esoteric doctrines. This idea of the life cycle devouring its own tail can seem like a futile process where all that is achieved is ultimately destroyed. An enigmatic book of the netherworld from a shrine of. Here, re is represented by means of sun disks in each scene, and even to each figure within the scenes, for the disks are usually connected to the figures by rays of light. The worm ouroboros is a heroic high fantasy novel by english writer e. Another emblem illustrates the symbols of gold, silver, and mercury enclosed in two concentric circles with the text one is the serpent which has its poison according to two. The first known appearance of the ouroboros motif is in the enigmatic book of the netherworld depicted on the second gilded shrine of tutankhamun.
It is contained in the egyptian book of the netherworld. The section including the ouroboros symbol involves a pair of them. In gnosticism, this serpent symbolized eternity and the soul of the world. This page is about the meaning, origin and characteristic of the symbol, emblem, seal, sign, logo or flag.
The themes are difficult to follow, but involve the possibility that the same events recur, possibly taking place on different planes of reality. An enigmatic book of the netherworld from a shrine of tutankhamun. Scholars have dubbed the book the enigmatic book of the netherworld as it speaks of the journey of the sun through the underworld and the creation of a sun disc. Although likely a much older symbol, the first evidence of the ouroboros comes from egypt in 1400 bc in the enigmatic book of the netherworld, a funerary text discovered in the tomb of the young pharoah. During this dangerous trek of ra, mehen is shown wrapping himself around ra as ultimate protector of him. The first reference to the ouroboros in text is traced to this time too. A picture of the ouroboros is in the egyptian book of the netherworld. The ouroboros or uroboros is an ancient symbol depicting a serpent or dragon eating its own. The term ouroboros is derived from two words in ancient greek language. The ouroboros was also associated with the yin yang symbol because half of its body was depicted as dark while the other half was light. Affordable and search from millions of royalty free images, photos and vectors. Although likely a much older symbol, the first evidence of the ouroboros comes from egypt in 1400 bc in the enigmatic book of the netherworld.
The ouroboros or uroborus is an ancient symbol depicting a serpent or dragon eating its own tail. Like the infinity symbol, the ouroboros symbol is featured in freemasonry, finding a home next to other symbols of life, death and rebirth, and can be seen on the centenary jewel of the ugle. Cryptographic compositions in the tombs of tutankhamun, ramesses vi, and ramesses ix. The enigmatic book of the netherworld is a twopart ancient egyptian funerary text inscribed on the second shrine of the sarcophagus. Like the infinity symbol, the ouroboros symbol is featured in freemasonry, along with other symbols of life, death and rebirth and more. Over the centuries it has been subject to several interpretations by different cultures. One such symbol is the ouroboros which dates back at least to. Net was created to serve as a symbolism dictionary describing the historical transformation and different uses of various symbols since the early ages.
It has all the elements of a finely tuned historical sciencefiction mystery. Section a of the enigmatic book of the netherworld in the second part of the composition referred to as section b, we find three registers that each contain three scenes. This text was where the first appearance of the ouroboros was found, and that which describes the journey of ra. Ouroboros the ouroborus is an ancient egyptian symbol that has been assimilated into several cultures and beliefs. Its first known appearance was in ancient egypt, where it appears in the enigmatic book of the netherworld, a twopart funerary text uncovered in the tomb of tutankhamun. The ouroboros is a greek word meaning tail devourer, and is one of the oldest mystical symbols in the world. Eddisons 1922 fantasyadventure story the worm ouroboros shepard 1232 and episodes of the sciencefiction television series red dwarf and gene roddenberrys andromeda.