Amphisbaena

2025-06-16T17:37:09Z

65.88.88.74: /* Bibliography */ Added bibliographical reference to Coxon's Fragments of Parmenides.

{{Short description|Mythological serpent}}
{{about|the mythological creature|the suborder|Amphisbaenia|the genus|Amphisbaena (lizard)}}
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{{more citations needed|date=January 2015}}
{{more footnotes|date=January 2013}}
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[[File:Амфисбена. Миниатюра из Абердинского бестиария.png|thumb|Amphisbaena in an illustration from the [[Aberdeen Bestiary]] (c. 1200)]]
[[Image:Uroboros.png|thumb|right|200px|A medieval amphisbaena]]
The '''amphisbaena''' ({{IPAc-en|ˌ|æ|m|f|ɪ|s|ˈ|b|ɛ|ɪ|n|ə}}, {{IPAc-en|ˌ|æ|m|f|ɪ|s|ˈ|b|aɪ|n|ə}}, or {{IPAc-en|ˌ|æ|m|f|ɪ|s|ˈ|b|iː|n|ə}}, plural: '''amphisbaenae'''; {{langx|grc|ἀμφίσβαινα}}) is a [[mythological]], [[ant]]-eating [[Serpent (symbolism)|serpent]] with a head at each end. The name of the creature is alternatively written '''amphisbaina''', '''amphisbene''', '''amphisboena''', '''amphisbona''', '''amphista''', '''amfivena''', '''amphivena''', or '''anphivena''', and is also known as the "Mother of Ants".{{citation needed lead|date=January 2014}} Its name comes from the [[Greek language|Greek]] words ''{{Transliteration|el|amphis}}'', meaning "both ways", and ''{{Transliteration|el|bainein}}'', meaning "to go".{{citation needed lead|date=January 2014}}

==Mythology==
According to [[Lucan]], the amphisbaena was spawned from the blood that dripped from the [[Gorgon]] [[Medusa]]'s head as [[Perseus]] flew over the [[Libyan Desert]] with her head in his hand: in ''[[Pharsalia]]'' (IX, 719), the Roman poet names it along with other serpents that [[Cato the Younger|Cato]]'s army encountered in Libya.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://cuwomensresourcecenter.wordpress.com/2013/07/08/monstrous-mondays-the-amphisbaena-serpent/ |title=When Cato the Younger's army marched through Libya |access-date=2014-11-30 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141222105828/https://cuwomensresourcecenter.wordpress.com/2013/07/08/monstrous-mondays-the-amphisbaena-serpent/ |archive-date=2014-12-22 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Amphisbaena fed on the corpses left behind. Although it is a legendary creature, it has been referred to by various Greek and Latin authors, scientists as well as poets: [[Nicander]], Lucan, [[Pliny the Elder]], [[Isidore of Seville]] and later [[Thomas Browne]], the last of whom debunked its existence ({{cite book| url=https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/39961| title=Pseudodoxia Epidemica}} book three chapter XV). Modern poets are [[John Milton]], [[Alexander Pope]], [[Percy Bysshe Shelley]], [[Alfred Tennyson]], [[Aimé Césaire]], [[A. E. Housman]] and [[Allen Mandelbaum]].

== Appearance ==
[[Image:EdlesboroughS02.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|A 15th-century amphisbaena (a two-headed beast) on a [[misericord]] in Buckinghamshire]]

{{blockquote|The amphisbaena has a twin head, that is one at the tail end as well, as though it were not enough for poison to be poured out of one mouth.|[[Pliny the Elder]]|''[[Naturalis Historia]]'', VIII, 85}}
{{blockquote|The Amphisbaena however is a snake with two heads, one at the top and one in the direction of the tail. When it advances, as need for a forward movement impels it, it leaves one end behind to serve as tail, while the other it uses as a head. Then again if it wants to move backwards, it uses the two heads in exactly the opposite manner from what it did before.|[[Claudius Aelianus]]|''Characteristics of Animals''<ref>{{cite web| url = https://topostext.org/work/560#9.23| title = Aelian, Characteristics of Animals, 9.23}}</ref>}}
{{blockquote|The amphisbaena grows twin heads, one in the proper place, and the other where the tail should be. For this reason the snake glides in a circular shape, as the heads, contrary to what is right, strain from both ends.|[[Gaius Julius Solinus|Solinus]]|''Polyhistor''<ref>{{cite web| url = https://topostext.org/work/747#27.29| title = Solinus, ''Polyhistor'', 27.29}}</ref>}}

These early descriptions of the amphisbaena depict a venomous, dual-headed snakelike creature. However, [[medieval]] and later drawings often show it with two or more scaled feet, particularly chicken feet, and feathered wings.{{citation needed|date=January 2015}} Some{{Who|date=January 2015}} even depict it as a horned, dragon-like creature with a serpent-headed tail and small, round ears, while others have both "necks" of equal size so that it cannot be determined which is the rear head.{{citation needed|date=January 2015}} Many descriptions{{by whom|date=October 2016}} of the amphisbaena say its eyes glow like candles or lightning, but the poet Nicander, the first to speak about it, described it as "always dull of eye". He also wrote: "From either end protrudes a blunt chin; each is far from each other." Nicander's account seems to be referring to a group of real lizards what is today called the [[Amphisbaenia]], after the legendary creature, because their tail truncates in a manner that vaguely resembles the head.{{citation needed|date=January 2015}}

== Habitat ==
[[Image:POL gmina Zapolice COA.svg|thumb|Amphisbaena devouring a bird on the [[coat of arms]] of [[Gmina Zapolice]] in Poland]]
The amphisbaena is said to make its home in the [[desert]].{{citation needed|date=January 2015}}

== Folk medicine ==
In ancient times, the supposedly dangerous amphisbaena had many uses in the art of [[folk medicine]] and other magical remedies. Pliny notes that expecting women wearing a live amphisbaena around their necks would have safe pregnancies (''Naturalis historia'' XXX, 128); however, if one's goal was to cure ailments such as [[arthritis]] or the [[common cold]], one should wear only its skin (''Naturalis historia'' XXX, 85): [[lumberjacks]] suffering from cold weather on the job could nail its carcass or skin to a tree to keep warm, while in the process allowing the tree to be felled more easily.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Ritual significance of personal ornament in Roman Britain|last=Puttock|first=Sonia|publisher=Archaeopress|year=2002|location=Oxford|pages=93}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://allaboutdragons.com/dragons/Amphisbaena|title=Amphisbaena - All About Dragons|website=allaboutdragons.com|access-date=2019-02-19}}</ref>

By eating the meat of the amphisbaena, one could supposedly attract many lovers of the opposite sex, and slaying one during the [[full moon]] could give power to one who is pure of heart and mind. <sup>[primary reference needed]</sup><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.mythical-creatures-and-beasts.com/amphisbaena.html|title=Amphisbaena|website=Mythical-Creatures-and-Beasts.com|access-date=2019-02-19}}</ref>

== Origins ==
[[File:Codice Casanatense Snakes of India.jpg|thumb|Illustration of the flora and fauna of India, c. 1540, including a pair of conjoined snakes resembling an amphisbaena]]
In ''The Book of Beasts'', [[T.H. White]] suggests that the creature derives from sightings of the worm lizards of the same name.<ref>{{cite web| url = http://digicoll.library.wisc.edu/HistSciTech/subcollections/BestiaryAbout.html| title = The Book of Beasts}}</ref> But it is the other way around. These creatures are found in the Mediterranean countries where many of these legends originated.

The [[Códice Casanatense]] ({{Circa|1540}}), a Portuguese book describing the areas the Portuguese had visited, includes an illustration of the flora and fauna of [[India]]. One of the animals shown is a two-headed snake (conjoined twin snakes), with one head on each end, much like an amphisbaena. The image is captioned, "''two headed snakes of India are harmless''".<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Mason |first=Peter |date=2012-01-01 |title="Cobras da Índia de duas cabeças não fazem mal". Codex Casanatense 1889, fl. 91 |url=https://www.academia.edu/49136354 |journal=Anais de História de Além-Mar}}</ref> It is possible a sighting of an animal like this was the origin of the amphisbaena, or that the Greek mythological creature is used, as well as others, to literarily embellish the description of an exotic country.

== In literature and other media ==
In [[Parmenides]]'s poem there seems to be an allusion to the amphisbaena. Mortals are said to "stray two-headed, for perplexity in their own breasts directs their mind astray".<ref>Coxon (2009), p. 300.</ref>

In [[Dante Alighieri|Dante]]'s ''[[Inferno (Dante)|Inferno]]'', the amphisbaena is listed as one of the types of reptiles that torment thieves in the [[Malebolge#Seventh Bolgia (Thieves)|seventh bolgia]].

In [[John Milton]]'s ''[[Paradise Lost]]'', after the Fall and the return of Satan to Hell, some of the fallen angelic host are transformed into the amphisbaena, to represent the animal by which the Fall was caused, i.e. a snake.<ref>Paradise Lost, 10.524</ref>

Amphisbaena appears in some editions of the tabletop roleplaying game ''[[Dungeons & Dragons]]''.

Amphisbaena has appeared in several video games as an enemy or boss monster, including ''[[La-Mulana]]'' and ''[[Bravely Second: End Layer]]''. A creature called Amphisbaena appears in the games ''[[Castlevania: Symphony of the Night]]'' and ''[[Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin|Portrait of Ruin]]'' but bears little resemblance to other renditions of the creature, appearing as an eyeless 4-legged reptile with the upper body of a human woman sprouting from its long tail instead of a double-headed serpent.

In the 1984 animated film ''[[Gallavants]]'', an amphisbaena (called a "Vanterviper" in the film) appears as a minor antagonist. The two heads, a red one named Edil and a blue one called Fice, frequently disagree and argue, and sing a song about their miserable plight.

The amphisbaena is mentioned in ''[[The Last Wish (book)|The Last Wish]]'', from ''[[The Witcher]]'' series by [[Andrzej Sapkowski]], while protagonist [[Geralt of Rivia]] recalls past events. The amphisbaena was endangering the region of Kovir until the beast was slain by Geralt's hand.

Amphisbaena is referenced in ''[[RWBY]]'', an animated web series created by [[Monty Oum]], in the form of an evil creature called Grimm. Of the different Grimm, the amphisbaena appears to be the King Taijitu, a two-headed snake or serpent. The king's name references the [[taijitu]], a symbol or diagram in Chinese philosophy representing ''[[Taiji (philosophy)|Taiji]]'' in both its monist and dualist aspects. The Grimm's coloration visually symbolizes the taijitu, with one head and body section black and the opposite side white.

The amphisbaena appears in the ''[[Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles]]'' episode "Battle Nexus: New York". This version is one of the known champions of the Battle Nexus. Big Mama had [[Michelangelo (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles)|Michelangelo]] and Meat Sweats compete to feed each of its heads in order to satisfy the amphisbaena. They managed to work together to pull it off.

[[Brandon Sanderson]]'s novel ''[[Skyward (novel)|Skyward]]'' has a character whose name is Arturo Mendez. His call sign is amphisbaena.

''[[Beyblade (manga)|Beyblade]]'' has a character named Enrique whose bit beast (ancient spirits contained within spinning tops) is named Amphilyon. It takes the form of a medieval amphisbaena with bat wings.

The primary antagonist of ''[[Elden Ring#Shadow of the Erdtree|Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree]]'', Messmer the Impaler, is conjoined with a winged amphisbaena.

== Use as a Proverb ==
The amphisbaena appears also in the saying "to the amphisbaena, Perseus is good"{{citation needed|date=July 2024}} which can have various meanings depending in the connotation in which it is used. However, one main meaning lies in the connection between Perseus and the creation of the amphisbaena. Though created out of the violent murder of Medusa by Perseus, it shows that the creation will always see the creator in a positive light.

== See also ==
* [[Amphisbaenia]]
* [[Polycephaly]]
* [[Ouroboros]]
* [[Double-headed serpent]]
* [[List of Doctor Dolittle characters#Pushmi-Pullyu|Pushmi-Pullyu]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

== Bibliography ==
* Coxon, A. H. (2009), ''The Fragments of Parmenides: A Critical Text With Introduction and Translation, the Ancient Testimonia and a Commentary''. Las Vegas, Parmenides Publishing (new edition of Coxon 1986), {{ISBN|978-1-930972-67-4}}
* Hunt, Jonathan (1998). ''Bestiary: An Illuminated Alphabet of Medieval Beasts'' (1st ed.). Hong Kong: Simon & Schuster. {{ISBN|0-689-81246-9}}.
* Levy, Sidney J. (1996). "Stalking the Amphisbaena", ''Journal of Consumer Research'', 23 (3), Dec. 1996, pp. 163–176.

== External links ==
{{Commons category|Amphisbaena in art}}
* {{cite EB9 |wstitle = Amphisbæna |volume= I | page=774 |short=1}}
* [http://www.theoi.com/Thaumasios/Amphisbainai.html Theoi Greek Mythology : Amphisbaena]

[[Category:Monsters in Greek mythology]]
[[Category:Legendary serpents]]
[[Category:Mythical many-headed creatures]]
[[Category:Medusa]]

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Amphisbaena