In the modern age, the “big three” cryptozoologically dominate: Sasquatch, lake monsters and the Chupacabra. The arch-enemy of Ma'at (the goddess of truth mentioned in the previous slide), Apep was a giant mythological snake that stretched for 50 feet from head to tail (oddly enough, we now have fossil evidence that some real-life snakes, like the allusively named Titanoboa of South America, actually attained these gigantic sizes). Two other species of cobra occur in the country.
Apart from being guardians and impressive decoration, they also served an architectural function, bearing some of the weight of the arch above them. We seek to retell the story of our beginnings. They reported having passed early yesterday morning a formidable looking creature that was going at a high speed in pursuit of a school of young whales. Like many of the sightings already described, the commotion created by the report spurred locals to form a posse to eliminate the terrifying threat. Harry N. Abrams, Inc., Publishers
Once again from the Everglades, it was described as bearing a head shaped like a puff adder’s, possessing a dark, bluish body that was estimated by the witness as being up to thirty-five feet in length and boasting not two, but four wings—the arrangement of which was left unstated. These were, ostensibly, not merely for dramatic graphic illustration. This place, where the backbones lay scattered, is where a narrow mountain pass opens into a great plain, which adjoins the plain of Aigyptos (Egypt). At the same time, another winged creature was made to keep watch at the throne room entrance. Other statues of the mythical beasts belong to cities like ancient Dur Sharrukin (current Khorsabad, Iraq). She also had close ties with woven material and personified linen. They were believed to be very powerful creatures, and served both as a clear reminder of the king’s ultimate authority and as symbols of protection for all people. Dictionary of Ancient Egypt, The
She corresponds with the Greek goddess Artemis. Coalescing the most ominous features of two of the most traditionally feared critters—the snake and the bat, the idea of the existence of winged snakes was, historically, a nineteenth century hullabaloo just waiting to happen. The Philippines were ruled by Western powers - first the Spanish and later the United States, for some 350 years.The Bizarre Tales of Four Lesser Known English Mermaidshttp://www.ancient-origins.net/opinion-guest-authors/looking-evidence-gr...The motif of Lamassu is still very popular in culture. On my arrival I saw the back-bones and ribs of serpents in such numbers as it is impossible to describe; of the ribs there were a multitude of heaps, some great, some small, some middle-sized. Today, the idea is zoologically implausible, but one must ask why such a conjecture was even needed if there were no documented sightings of such organisms.1 A slightly larger and more alarming specimen was observed over St. Charles, Missouri, not far from the Mississippi River in 1911. Other names for Lamassu are Lumasi, Alad, and Shedu. Lamassu are human-headed, eagle-winged, bulls or lions that once protected cities in Mesopotamia. If one were to design the simplest animal that would generate the greatest commotion among the public at large, the winged snake might be the ideal conception. One of the poisonous snakes the Egyptians feared most was the horned viper (Cerastes cornutus and Cerastes cerastes, also known as the sand viper).
In African mythology, an ancient god created the sun, moon and thereafter the earth, which he fashioned from a lump of clay. Tour Egypt aims to offer the ultimate Egyptian adventure and intimate knowledge about the country. Wadjet, known to the Greek world as Uto or Buto among other names including Wedjat, Uadjet, and Udjo, was originally the ancient local goddess of the city of Dep. The god
One is the uncommon Spitting Cobra, characterized by its black neck and unusual method of delivering venom. A central character in the
You guessed it: silver. The story goes, that the spring the snakes come flying from Arabia towards Egypt, but are met in this gorge by the birds called ibises, who forbid their entrance and destroy them all. The idea of a serpent that can fly is by no means a contemporary concept. It is so large, in fact, that it was said to have been wielded by a giant. The classic Chinese dragons, though wingless, were built upon this notion. The labeling of a winged snake’s head as being similar to a puff adder’s was echoed less than a month later by a subsequent sighting hundreds of miles down the Atlantic coast. The grand palace of Assurnasirpal (Ashurnasirpal) II was one of the most incredible sites of ancient Assyria. A local newspaper account noted that: The ancient origins of the legendary griffin about Astounding Ancient Assyria: The Grand Palace of AssurnasirpalThe most famous colossal statues of Lamassu have been excavated at the sites of the Assyrian capitals established by King Assurnasirpal II (reigned 883 – 859 BC) and King Sargon II (reigned 721 – 705 BC). Along that line of thought, a couple important sightings of large winged water snakes were documented in the media. Tomb of Amenhotep III. Sometimes a Lamassu is portrayed as a female deity, but usually it is presented with a more masculine head. Would not wings be a serious detriment to the burrow-dwelling nature of a terrestrial snake?