the temple of Bel, or Belus; and the name Bel itself is thought by some writers to
be an abbreviation of Ob-el, “the Serpent-God.” In the Apocryphal book of Bel
and the Dragon, we read: “In that same place there was a great Dragon, which
they of Babylon worshipped. And the king said unto Daniel: Wilt thou say that
this is of brass? lo, he eateth and drinketh: thou canst not say he is no living god:
therefore worship him.”
Speaking of the earlier stage of the Persian religion, Eusebius remarks that all
the Persians worshipped the First Principles under the form of Serpents, having
dedicated to them temples in which they performed sacrifices, and held festivals
and orgies, esteeming them the greatest of Gods, and governors of the Universe.
These first principles were the principles of Good and Evil, or Ormuzd and
Ahriman, whose terrible struggle for the supremacy of the universe was
symbolised in Persian mythology by two serpents contending for the mundane
egg. They are represented as standing upon their tails, and each of them has
fastened its teeth upon the disputed prize. But, more generally, the Evil Principle
alone was represented by the serpent, and a fable in the Zendavesta recalls to our
recollection the opening of the Book of Genesis; for it says that Ahriman
assumed a serpent’s form in order to destroy the first of the human race, whom
he accordingly poisoned.
In the Saddu, or Suddu, it is said: “When you kill serpents, you shall repeat the
Zendavesta, whereby you will obtain great merit; for it is the same as if you had
killed so many devils.”
Mithras, the Persian sun-god, was represented encircled by a serpent; and in his
rites a custom was observed similar to that practised in the mysteries of
Sebazius: a serpent was cast into the bosom of the neophyte, and taken out at the
lower part of his garments.[45]
The hierogram of the winged circle and serpent is a remarkable and significant
emblem of Ophiolatreia, and is found in almost every country where Serpent-
worship prevailed. It is to be traced in the Egyptian, the Persian, and even the
Aztec hieroglyphics; and on the monuments of China, Greece, Italy, Asia Minor,
and India. Enthusiasts allege that it has been discovered in Britain. It seems to
have been a general symbol of consecration, and as such mention is made of it
by the poet Persius:
“Pinge duos angues; pueri sacer est locus.”
Satir. i. 113.