Summary

• The Ouroboros is one of the oldest symbols in ancient Egyptian history, representing concepts such as rebirth, immortality, and cyclicality. It is depicted as a serpent or dragon biting its own tail.
• The name Ouroboros translates to “Devouring its Own Tail” or “All is One,” symbolizing the cyclic nature of time, the universe, and the idea that creation emerges from destruction and life from death.
• Originating in ancient Egypt around 1600 BC, the Ouroboros symbol was later adopted by various cultures and beliefs, including Greek and Roman societies, and has been associated with magical talismans, Gnosticism, and alchemy.
• The symbol first appeared in the Enigmatic Book of the Netherworld from Tutankhamun’s tomb, depicting the cyclical union of the gods Ra and Osiris in the underworld. It was also used in Roman times as a symbol of the year’s cyclical nature and in alchemy to represent the philosopher’s stone and the concept of unity.
• Today, the Ouroboros remains a powerful symbol in various fields, including fantasy art, literature, and religious studies. It is often associated with infinity, primordial unity, and the balance between creation and destruction.

The Ouroboros symbol is one of the oldest ancient Egyptian symbols in history. The symbol was assimilated into several beliefs and cultures. It was in the shape of a serpent or often a dragon biting its own tail. It represented the ideas of rebirth, perpetuity, immortality, repetition, and cycles.

The name Ouroboros means “Devouring its Own Tail” or “All is One” since 1600 BC. It is symbolic of the cyclic nature of time & the universe when creation begins after destruction and life from death. The symbol was originally made in ancient Egypt and entered the Western world via some Greek Magical Papyri.

The Ouroboros Symbol Origin

The ancient Egyptians sought to understand the meaning behind every single natural phenomenon, like the snake that changes its skin, which the ancient Egyptians explained as the beginning and end of time, depicting eternal cyclic renewal and the cycle of life, death, and rebirth. Ouroboros Symbol first appeared as one the oldest known motifs that appeared in the Enigmatic Book of the Netherworld, which stands as a funerary text from the 14th century BC Tutankhamun’s tomb that showcases the union between Ra and Osiris in the Underworld. It symbolizes the cyclical union of Ra and Osiris in the underworld, with two serpents representing the deity Mehen.

The ancient Egyptians are able to represent formless disorder in the middle of the world’s periodic renewal. In Roman times, in the 4th century AD, the symbol was used as a magical talisman that signified the cyclical nature of the year. The religious text Gnosticism was a twelve-part dragon that symbolizes eternity and the soul of the world. In the field of Alchemy, the 3rd century Chrysopoeia of Cleopatra features an ouroboros with the inscription “The All is One” possibly representing a Gnostic duality akin to the Taoist yin and yang plus it was linked with the philosopher’s stone.

The Ouroboros Symbol History

The symbol first appeared in the tomb of Tutankhamun as part of the Book of the Netherworld in the 14 century BC. In the Book of the Dead, there are images of a serpent related to the creator god Atum, who rose from the waters of creation. The snake is believed to renew itself every morning.

The ouroboros symbol is depicted holding its tails in its mouth, one encircling the head and upper chest while the other surrounding the feet of a large figure, which may represent the unified Ra-Osiris. The double loop of the snake eating its tail depiction became common in fantasy art & literature.

The Ouroboros Symbol Meaning

The ouroboros has several meanings as the lower part of the symbol showcases the destructive force of nature, night, earth & even Yin, while the upper half represents the generation and creative force, day, heaven & yang. The Ouroboros symbol was featured a lot in the field of Alchemy, like Cleopatra the Alchemist, who was the first to feature the symbol for the first time in the 10th century, which became linked to the Alchemist’s Opus, the philosopher’s stone.

The symbol was very popular during the Roman times as it appeared on magical talismans & emblems. The ouroboros acts as the mathematical equivalent for infinity and a representation of the idea of primordial unity related to something existing or preexisting before any beginning by any sort of force. The symbol is featured in religion & mythology and can be associated with Gnosticism and hermeticism.