The Good and Evil Serpent (127 page)

Conceivably, the “Persian horn viper” derives its name from its association with water, since
means “to thirst.” Among many possible etymological meanings of the Persian horn viper is the concept of the one who causes intense thirst.
¹⁷
In antiquity, the serpent often symbolized “water” or was the guardian par excellence. In Palestine in the Middle Bronze Age, many ceramic water jugs were “decorated” with serpents whose heads were close to the top of the vessel. They most likely were added to the vessel to protect the contents, which could have been water, milk, wine, or other commodities.

This noun does not appear in LSJM,
¹⁸
Lampe, or Preisigke’s
Wörterbuch der griechischen Papyrusurkunden
,
¹⁹
but the author of the Egyptian and Greek book on poison, highlighted by the work of Leitz, made a distinction between SpaKca and SpaKtov.
²⁰
The etymology of this Greek noun may be explained by the following entry.

The “dragon” or “snake” was often conceived to be a god worthy of worship (cf. Aristides,
Apologia
12).
²¹
This is the second word in our list that appears in the New Testament. The noun
may develop from
, which means “to see clearly” and was used to denote the fire that can flash from one’s eyes (as in the
Odyssey
19.446);
²²
the derivation is supported by a study of ophidian iconography, which often stresses the eye of the serpent. Often interchangeable with
,
²³
as in Revelation 12:9,
sometimes was synonymous with the mythical serpent-monster of chaos, Rahab. Some Christians identified the “dragon” with Satan (cf. Rev 12:7–9).
²⁴
The dragon appears on shields and military banners since
, a Latin loanword (
draconarius
), denotes a “bearer of the serpent standard.”
²⁵
The word SpaKtov can also denote serpent jewelry, notably the silver and gold bracelets, rings, and earrings that were so popular in the Greek and Roman world. It also signified the constellation called Draco (cf. Aratus, 46).

This Greek noun does not appear in Lampe or Preisigke, but it is listed in the Egyptian and Greek book on poison. The compilers of LSJM, p. 450, suggest the snake is one who lives in hollow oaks. This may be taking etymology too literally; it is true that
means “oak,” but it also denotes various types of trees. Perhaps the ancient Greeks thought of this viper as one who would be found near or under a tree. While iconographically the snake is associated with a tree, as in the Hes-perides and the Garden of Eden, it seems there is no textual evidence for seeing a mythological meaning for
.