The snake takes a preeminent place in the world of symbolism and is especially popular in tattoo art. It holds fundamental associations with life and rejuvenation from the shedding of its skin, as well as death, since it is sometimes able to kill with a venomous bite. Dwelling underground, the snake symbolized the Underworld for many cultures, such as those in Egypt, Central America, and North America. In Norse mythology, a giant snake is wrapped around the EARTH, symbolizing the sea. In the CHINESE ZODIAC , people born in the Year of the Snake are considered quiet and wise, if vain. The biblical serpent of Genesis was the embodiment of Satan but was later put upon a pole by Moses to save his people, and finally interpreted as Christ himself, lifted upon a different kind of pole to save the world. Of particular importance is the snake biting its own tail (OUROBOROS), which stands for the cycle of eternal return, or for eternity in general. The snake is ever present in tattoo art as menacing predator,coiled around the DAGGER in a position to strike, or languidly undulating across the skin, sometimes assuming a phallic symbolism or perhaps one of temptation. The great weight of the history of its symbolism draws tattoo wearers to it, and its use in a myriad of tattoo designs eventually reflects all of its symbolic variety.
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