Ouroboros Meaning, Origins, & Symbolism

Have you ever seen an image of a snake biting its own tail and wondered what it meant? This ancient symbol is called an ouroboros and has been used for millennia by cultures around the world. While it has many different meanings throughout the ages, it’s most commonly used in modern times to symbolize rebirth and renewal. Read on to learn more about the history and interpretations of this enduring symbol.

Meaning of the Ouroboros

The ouroboros is an ancient symbol most commonly associated with the cycle of life, death, and rebirth. However, the symbol was used as early as the Neolithic era, and its original meaning has not yet been discovered.

Section 1 of 8:

Meanings & Symbolism of Ouroboros

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The word “ouroboros” derives from Ancient Greek words for “devouring its tail.” Oὐρά (oura) means 'tail' and -βορός (-boros) means '-eating'. ^{[1]
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Research source} The snake – or sometimes a dragon – is most often curled into a circle, but is sometimes shown in a figure 8, like an infinity symbol .
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Ouroboros generally symbolizes the cycle of death and rebirth. However, others have interpreted it as symbolizing duality, unity, eternity, completion, and regeneration. ^{[2]
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Research source} Academics are not certain what it originally symbolized because no explanations have yet been discovered. ^{[3]
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- The ouroboros has also been associated with the nature of time or the natural world.

Section 2 of 8:

Origins of Ouroboros

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One of the oldest-known ouroboroses was found in King Tut’s tomb. The symbol was a part of The Enigmatic Book of the Netherworld , which is a funerary text that appears on one of King Tutankhamun’s gilded burial shrines. The ouroboros appears around the head and feet of what is thought to be Ra-Osiris. ^{[4]
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- Some believe the ouroboros symbolized Ra, the Egyptian sun god, and his daily journey across the sky. Other theories connect the ouroboros to the sky goddess Nut.
- It also represented the chaos that surrounds the orderly world. ^{[5]
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- An ouroboros that predates the Egyptian symbol has been found on pottery created by the Neolithic Yangshao People who lived in what is now eastern China along the Yellow River. It’s believed to have symbolized the idea of unity. ^{[6]
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Section 3 of 8:

Ouroboros in Mythology & Religion

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Many mythologies and religions reference a serpent biting its tail. Several of these serpents are believed to surround the world and divide it from what lies beyond. The symbol has been found in temples, artifacts, and artworks from China, Greece, Scandinavia, India, and the Amazon basin. ^{[7]
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- Greece Plato interpreted the ouroboros as symbolizing self reliance. Some historians connect it to the myth of Sisyphus, doomed to roll a boulder up a hill only to have it roll back down again as soon as he reaches the top. ^{[8]
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- Rome In ancient Rome, the ouroboros was associated with the god Saturn, who connected December to January to begin the year anew. It symbolized infinity. ^{[9]
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- Scandinavia Jörmungandr (also known as the Midgard Serpent or the World Snake) was an immense snake who was said to encircle the world by holding his tail in his mouth. During Ragnarök, he would release his tail to join the battle against the gods that would bring the end of the world. It symbolised transformation and rejuvenation. ^{[10]
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- South America Indigenous people in the South American lowlands believe that the world is a disc shape with a snake circling it. The snake is sometimes depicted as biting its tail. It symbolizes the cycles of death and rebirth. ^{[11]
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- China Some historians believe the Chinese Yin-Yang was transformed into the ouroboros when scholars in ancient Alexandria were exposed to Chinese alchemy. The Chinese believed that Yin-Yang was dual-natured and responsible for creation. ^{[12]
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- India In one Hindu myth, the world is supported on the backs of 4 elephants that stand on the back of a turtle. ^{[13]
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 Research source} In some depictions, the turtle stands on the back of a snake biting its own tail. The idea of a snake biting its own tail is also used in the Vedic text Aitareya Brahmana and the Yoga-kundalini Upanishad . It represents infinity or eternity.
- Iberia Uma pescadinha de rabo na boca (trans. "tail-in mouth little hake") and La pescadilla que se muerde la cola (trans. "the hake that bites its tail") are expressions in Portuguese and Spanish that refer to circular reasoning and being caught in a vicious circle. ^{[14]
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- North America In the United States, there are widespread tales about a large snake that bites its own tail and then rolls around like a hoop or wheel. The hoop snake has a stinger in its tail that it can use to poison a predator. There doesn’t appear to be a specific interpretation for these creatures. ^{[15]
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