Amphisbaena
Amphisbaena (plural: amphisbaenae) also called the Mother of Ants, is a mythological, ant-eating serpent with a head at each end.
Etymology
Amphisbaena' is a Greek word, from amfis, meaning bothways, and bainein, meaning to go.
Also called Amphisbaina, Amphisbene, Amphisboena, Amphisbona, Amphista, Amphivena, or Anphivena (the last two being feminine).
History, Origins, and Beliefs
According to Greek mythology, the mythological amphisbaena was spawned from the blood that dripped from Medusa the Gorgon's head as Perseus flew over the Libyan Desert with it in his hand.
Cato's army then encountered it along with other serpents on the march. Amphisbaenae fed off of the corpses left behind.
Powers
- regenerative abilities - if the amphisbaena is cut in half, the two parts can rejoin
- venomous fangs - the amphisbaena is venomous, as Pliny the Elder indicates: "The amphisbaena has a twin head, that is one at the tail end as well, as though it were not enough for poison to be poured out of one mouth."
- efficient duplicity - the amphisbaena's heads can handle more than one task at once.
- speed - according to some accounts, the amphisbaena can slither (or run) very quickly, and, in the case of the limbless amphisbaena, it can slither in either direction, as Isidore of Seville indicates: "It can move in the direction of either head with a circular motion." The poet Nicander, however, describes the amphisbaena as "slow in motion".
- rolling - by locking the jaws of its two heads or holding the neck of one in the mouth of the other, the amphisbaena can roll like a hoop, as depicted by medieval artists
- warmbloodedness - unlike most serpents, the amphisbaena was apparently unperturbed by the cold, as Isidore of Seville indicates: "Alone among snakes, the amphisbaena goes out in the cold.
Uses
- pregnancy - pregnant women wearing an amphisbaena around their necks would supposedly have safe pregnancies; in accord with this, women in power would wear bracelets in the shape of amphisbaenae
- arthritis - wearing a dead amphisbaena or its skin would cure arthritis
- chilblains - wearing the skin of an amphisbaena will reduce this swelling of the hands caused by cold
- cold - wearing a dead amphisbaena or its skin is a cure for a cold
- woodcutting - nailing the skin of an amphisbeana to a tree before cutting it down will make it easier to fell the tree and keep the lumberjack warm
Quotes
Heraldry
As well as a legendary creature referenced by ancient historians and a monster from Greek mythology, the amphisbaena is a heraldic creature.
Amphibanes, or Amphibenes is a heraldic term indicating the crest: "on a Saltire or, interlaced by two Amphisbaenae azure langued gules a rose of the last barbed and seeded purpure". This was the crest of Gwilt.
In plain English, this means a rose with purple thorns and seeds interlaced by two blue, red-tongued amphisbaenae, with a yellow X in the background.
Theories
There are 158 different species of worm lizards in the zoological suborder Amphisbaenia. One of these species is probably the origin of this legend. An excellent herpetological resource is the EMBL Reptile Database, which has all of the different species listed and pictures. [1]
Stories, Art, and Popular Culture
The amphisbaena has been referred to by the poets, such as Nicander, John Milton, Alexander Pope, and Lord Tennyson and the amphisbaena as a mythological and legendary creature has been referenced by Lucan, Pliny the Elder, Isidore of Seville, Sir Thomas Browne, the last of which debunked its existence.
- Amphisbaena is Monster in My Pocket #75.
- Amphisbaena appears in the Square Enix RPG Xenogears under a slightly altered name. Amphysvena is the name given to the omnigear used by Ramsus during his final battle with the party.
References, Sources, and Bibliography
- Hunt, Jonathan (1998). Bestiary: An Illuminated Alphabet of Medieval Beasts (1st ed.). Hong Kong: Simon & Schuster. ISBN 0-689-81246-9.
- Dave. Amphisbaena. Dave's Mythical Creatures and Places. Available: URL http://www.eaudrey.com/myth/amphisbaena.htm
See Also
Origin - Europe - Greece - Greek Mythology -
Tags - Fabulous Beasts - Dragons -