Greek mythology says that when Perseus killed and cut off the head of Medusa , and when he resumed his journey on the back of Pegasus he passed through the Libyan desert, where a few drops of blood fell from the head of Medusa that gave rise to malevolent creatures of the desert, including a two-headed snake that has a very particular name that we now reveal to you, in addition to all its history and if they really exist.
What is the two-headed serpent called and what is its meaning?
Anfisbena , this is the name given to the two-headed serpent that, as we have narrated, arises from Greek mythology but that seems to exist entirely in real life, although not as we can imagine them.
In reality, the amphisbena is a snake that does exist and although it is described as an animal that has a head at each end of its body, in reality it corresponds to a species of snake that has the ability to move with the same ease both for front and back . Hence the belief that two-headed snakes exist.
How is the amphisbena?
We are talking about an animal half a meter in length that usually digs underground galleries to ensure its survival. It is not too foreign to our habitat, although in fact the only existing species of amphisbene in Europe is found precisely in the Iberian Peninsula and is called Blanus Cinereus.
What is the myth of the two-headed serpent?
As we have already mentioned, the two-headed serpent is part of Greek mythology in which it also has a meaning related to fertility . The Romans also related it to this meaning, thus being the reason why women wore bracelets in the shape of amphisbena.
This association between amphysbena and fertility has to do with the fact that it is a snake that lives underground and also knew well the underground cavities (uterus of the earth) . Amphisbene was considered the most poisonous of all snakes as it could bite simultaneously on two parts of the body. It was so aggressive that on many occasions one head attacked the other, which is why it also symbolizes the beginning and the end.
An animal also present in the beliefs of Mesoamerican civilizations . For the Nahuas it was called xiuhcoatl and for the Mayans it was the Itzam-Cab. For these civilizations it was a celestial serpent that when dawn came devoured the rising sun and as it engulfed it, transported it through the heavens, until it reached the west and from there, vomited it through the other head so that it would descend to the underground kingdom.
