Serpents are frequent features of myth and folklore, but real world snakes can be just as strange - even in their choice of homes. Check out...
- The Coastal Snake Temple of Bali
- The Celebrated Snakes of Cocullo
- The Shrine to Lucky Albino Snakes
- The Deadly Snake Island of Brazil
- The Vodun Temple of Pythons
- The Cave of the Hanging Serpents
 |
| Tanah Lot looks like it sprung from the pages of a novel... (kolibri5) |
The Coastal Snake Temple of BaliSitting off the coast of Bali, Tanah Lot Temple is built on a large coral rock that juts from the sea. It's actually part of a chain of temples, built around the coast of Bali like a spiritual fortification. At low tide one can walk across to the temple... but if you do, you should watch out for the snakes said to guard the site.
Erosion has left the island with a large number of caves, with at least one housing holy snakes. One legend has it that the founder of the temple Dang Hyang Nirartha created the snakes to act as guardians by transforming his his black-and-white shawl... while another legend claims that the founder fought a giant serpent for the island, but let it live on the condition it acted as a guardian.
Either way, visitors can encounter the holy serpents under the watchful eye of a snake charmer. Given that the snakes are Malayan krait (Bungarus candidus) and possess painless but neurotoxic and often fatal bites, you might want to stay hands-off!
The Celebrated Snakes of Cocullo
On the first day of May, the village of Cocullo in Italy holds a ceremony called Festa dei Serpari or Festival of the Snake-Catchers. The origins of the ceremony seem rooted in both Catholic and Roman religion. From the Catholic perspective the ceremony is held in honour of San Domenico, who supposedly cleared poisonous snakes from the farms and fields. Historians suspect it drew heavily from the worship of the Roman goddess Angitia, a deity associated with healing and snakes.Whatever the origins may be, the festival is something to see. A procession carries an effigy of San Domenico through the town... with the statue draped in live (but harmless) snakes. These are provided by serpari (snake charmers) who catch local snakes in the weeks before the festival and return them home afterwards!
The Shrine to Lucky Albino Snakes
Ancient Japanese culture considered white creatures touched by the divine, which explains the Shirohebi (White Snake) Shrine. The city of Iwakuni played host to a population of these sacred snakes, who helped keep the storehouses free of mice. Because of this, the animals were considered servants of Benzaiten, a Hindu deity adopted into Shinto and credited with bringing luck and prosperity.Beside the temple is the Imazu White Snake Observation Facility, where a population of the rare white snakes (who have been declared a living national treasure) are raised in monitored conditions. The celebrity serpents are an albino offshoot of the Japanese rat snake. Though they can reach nearly two meters in length, the snakes are non-venomous and good natured..
 |
| The Python Temple of Benin is (unsurprisingly) filled with pythons. (Frantisek_Krejci) |
The Deadly Snake Island of BrazilQueimada Grande sits off the coast of Brazil but has no human inhabitants - in fact, the Brazilian navy enforces a cordon of the island. This isn't a part of some sinister military plot; despite being smaller than half a square kilometer "snake island" is home to a population of between 2,000-4,000 dangerous serpents.
The island became cut-off from the mainland as sea levels rose 11,000 years ago, at the end of the last ice age. This trapped the precursors of the golden lancehead vipers that now infest the island.
Food scarcity seems to have influenced the vipers - they prey on migratory birds that rest in the forested sections of the island, alongside unfortunate arthropods and reptiles. Researchers believe that the fast acting and powerful venom of the golden lancehead comes from a need to kill avian prey before it can fly away. Humans are a bit tougher than a seabird and the venom is more effective against non-mammal physiology... but it can still prove lethal in humans. Poachers looking for the snakes to supply the black market run the risk of kidney failure, internal bleeding and tissue death if they receive a bite!
The Vodun Temple of Pythons
Benin has a murky history. It featured heavily in the slave trade (the Dahomey kingdom fell within this region) but also has strong links to Vodun, the religion at the root of voodoo. Testament to this is the Python Temple sitting opposite the Catholic Basilica of Ouidah.... and suffice to say, Indiana Jones would not be a fan.The temple entrance features a 600 year old sacred tree known as "Iroko." This serves as a focal point for worship (including animal sacrifice) but the real stars are the pythons living in and around the temple.
The resident snakes can reach 10m in length, but they don't attack humans. They are allowed to slither off to hunt vermin or explore (including inside nearby houses) once a week when the temple is left open!
The Cave of the Hanging Serpents
Do you like the dark? How about bats and snakes? If you don't, the Kantemó caves of the Yucatán peninsula may not be for you.The caves are pretty isolated, with the only nearby human presence being a small Mayan community. The locals traditionally avoided the cave thanks to legends of evil spirits, but an adventurous biologist eventually dared the depths. While the explorer missed the snakes on his first trip, a night-time visit revealed an almost blind population of snakes hanging from dens in the ceiling. The reptiles were seen snatching bats that got too close, suffocating them before gulping them down.
Though the idea of cave-dwelling serpents lashing down from the darkness to grab passers by is alarming, these yellow-red rat snakes are pretty harmless - and they don't seem bothered by human spectators watching them dine!
Thanks for reading - you might also like...