Ouroboros

When we were talking about the Ouroboros the other day in class, I couldn't help but think of one of my all time favorite book series, The Wheel of Time. This series references more myths and draws upon the mythological more than any other book series I know of. The motifs about the Bible, Hinduism, and even Ovid are countless. The symbol that represents this book series is a wheel that has a snake intertwined within it biting its own tail. The Ouroboros is mentioned countless times and is the symbol of one of the most important and wise groups within the series. The women who make up this group wear a ring that is a serpent that is biting its own tail to remind them that there is no beginning and no end. These women are supposed to symbolize the wisdom and agelessness of their group. Within in this series, people are constantly reincarnated due to everything being bound to a wheel and tapestry that depicts and decides everything that happens. The Ouroboros also represents recreation which is another reason why it is so prominent within this series. The great snake is what allows the world to survive and is what keeps time still flowing. It is probably one of the most important entities in this series. Snakes are one of the most important creatures in literature and are used as allusions to different myths throughout the world. It interests me to see the affect Ovid has had on writers. After I have read the metamorphoses, I now am very aware of the constant motifs towards Ovid's works.