The Good and Evil Serpent (132 page)

The
is a species of spitting cobra.
⁵⁵
It etymologically derives its name from the habit of spitting since
means “to spit.”

This is a kind of snake whose venomous bite causes putrefaction since
means fundamentally “decay” and “putrefaction.”
⁵⁶

This snake derives its name from two possible meanings. The name may have arisen because the snake, when it bites a human, causes a putrid sore (from
) [or
(N.B. the Future:
) which means “to be rotten” or “to be putrid”]).
⁵⁷
It is less likely that the name was given to the snake because it arouses intense thirst (from
, which means “thirst”).
⁵⁸

This noun signifies a serpent that is like a round stick,
⁵⁹
since fundamentally
denotes a “baton,” “staff,” or “stick.”
⁶⁰

Since
specifies someone who is “blind,” the name was probably given to a snake that seemed blind (some small snakes are blind). The compilers of LSJM suggest that
denotes a “blind snake” and perhaps
Pseudopus pallasi.
⁶¹