Talk:Ouroboros

Merge

Ijust wanted to point out that there is a different page for the spelling "Ourobouros".

Thanks --- that text is now merged here with minor changes, and redirects. I'm a bit dubious about the Christian interpretation of the symbol. And I suspect the business about autofellatio can be dropped --- never knew of anyone who attached a great deal of cultural weight to the practice, although now I know the true payoffs for gymnastics and yoga. -- IHCOYC 01:19, 25 Aug 2003 (UTC)

---

Ourobouros had a talk page, I've moved the info here:

COPYVIO: http://www.ldolphin.org/ouro.html

Does anybody has better (or more clear) explaination for Ourobouros?

- Pradyot Rai

Autofellatio

Removed absurd notion of self---------, just an old man's fantasy which has nothing to do with this ancient symbol.Norwikian 15:01, 11 Nov 2003 (UTC)

• Note for posterity, it was a reference to autofellatio. --Dante Alighieri | Talk 21:57, 8 Mar 2004 (UTC)

Program link

Hmmmm, is it cool that someone did the linakge to that program and put their email address in the article and such? Just asking if that is in general permissible activity.

--Ouroboros 08:08, 26 Feb 2004 (UTC)

The link to the program is fine, it's a legitimate external link. That mail link needs to go, which I'm doing right now. --Dante Alighieri | Talk 21:57, 8 Mar 2004 (UTC)

Another reference to Ouroboros

In the Silent Hill game, there is yet another reference to mysticism and the occult and demonology. In order to open the final door before confronting the demon Samael, you have to place the Disk of Ouroboros in the door, along with the Crest of Mercury, Dagger of Melchior, Ankh, and the Amulet of Solomon. I just thought it was funny how many religious and occult references there were in this game. By the way, it was quite a good game.

Milky way

Interesting thought inspired by the reference to the Oroborus being inspired by the Milky Way. Has anyone noticed how ancient symbols often have counterparts in science? The carbon atom is a round circle like the Oroborus and the Double Helix of DNA corresponds to the double snake on the staff of Hermes.

Well I thought it was interesting.

Seems like coincidence to me. And it's a bit of nonsense to describe carbon atoms in terms of shapes, given current theories of quantum mechanics. Citizen Premier 06:09, 17 January 2006 (UTC)

"...believed to have been inspired by the Milky Way, as some ancient texts refer to a serpent of light residing in the heavens." Sounds like northern lights to me. Jakob

http://www.crystalinks.com/ouroboros.html

The overview if a Ouroboros on Wiki and the link I posted have extremely similar statements.

Infringement?

Not unless there are direct sentences copied out of it--although it is also possible that they copied us. I'm a bit too lazy to look see if there are any sentences repeated, but at the front it doesn't look like it. Citizen Premier 20:26, 5 February 2006 (UTC)

A lot of the information given is really general and could have come from anywhere. The article just needs a lot of work to give it an identity of its own. --DanielCD 21:20, 14 March 2006 (UTC)

Listing

Much of the listing here needs to be rethought. It might even be better to make an article specifically got that, as it really take over the article. It's just messy and makes the subject confusing. Not sure at this point what needs to be done though. --DanielCD 21:20, 14 March 2006 (UTC)

Q. Are we trying to make a complete list of every time it is used? A. I don't think so!

Can this be changed to give a sample of uses? Are there any academic references to way the symbol is used in modern culture and why? --FloNight ^talk 03:53, 16 March 2006 (UTC)

I'm going to remove examples that just involve the word and no further significance that helps in understanding the concept. This won't stop the additions that continually trickle in, but then nothin will do that. --DanielCD 12:14, 16 March 2006 (UTC)

Caduceus

Is it worth mentioning that symbolicaly ouroboros is the exact oposite of the Caduceus which stands for fixed points, beginging and end --82.45.120.125 02:34, 23 March 2006 (UTC)

Yes, if that's so. I'll try to find it. Have a reference? --DanielCD 14:26, 23 March 2006 (UTC)

Its mentioned in the anime Full Metal Alchemist, i will search for something more solid. --82.42.191.189 18:59, 12 April 2006 (UTC)

Mentioned in passing as linked symbols The two symbols used together in meditation This one seems a bit more solid mentioing their duel uses in Alchemy None of these links (Grabbed from a quick google search) Back up the two symbols being polar oposites however there were numerous mentions of being used in alchemy together. The only direct link that supports anon ips question is this wikipedia entry on a full metal alchemist charecter so im gonna say dont put it in, the polar oposites thing looks like two symbols that look similar and are both used in alchemy were grabbed in this anime by the makers just for a plot point and there is no genuine real world link.--Seth Turner 18:37, 13 April 2006 (UTC)

Psych(e)

Added the "e" to "psych"...I'm pretty sure "psyche" was the intended word. --Stationwagontodd 18:52, 24 March 2006 (UTC)

yes, it was. --DanielCD 19:14, 24 March 2006 (UTC)

Examples

I will continue to prune the less-relevant examples from the article as they trickle in, as this is not meant to be a collection of every mention of the term or concept. It should be mentioned if it gives some light on the definition of what the Ouroboros is, not just because it uses the name or symbol. --DanielCD 02:00, 16 April 2006 (UTC)

Not vitally important, but the Red Dwarf reference needs fixing. It states (at the moment) that "he was found in a box under a pool table with "O rob or us" (phonetically) written on the side." What was believed to be on the box was actually (phonetically) "Our Rob or Ross", as in, the people who left it there couldn't work out the name of the baby...or spell. 203.33.166.37 06:59, 17 February 2007 (UTC)hvg3, 6:00, 17 feb 2007 (SYD)

Christian thing

Can we be 100% sure on the Christian thing, cause I can't find any other sites that say that this is a Christian symbol. --Slash's snakepit 03:55, 12 June 2006 (UTC)

I don't know of it being a Christian symbol. If the article says it is, and doesn't provide a reference, I'd take it out. --DanielCD 05:50, 5 July 2006 (UTC)

A Christian here, and I have never seen it being anythign symbolic for us. So I would suggest removing it :) --hvg3 203.33.166.37 07:00, 17 February 2007 (UTC)

Missing in literature reference.`

There is an interesting dialog about the origin or rebirth of the universe and mention of a snake eating it's tail(as well as an illustration of it) in Kurt Vonnegut's novel "Breakfast of Champions".

Also there are American folk stories of hoop snakes that are not mentioned in this article, although not necessarily related symbolically may be worth a side note or at least a link to the wiki article on hoop snake.

Hope this helps, Norman Andersen

Please limit the examples to relevant material

I will continue to prune the less-relevant examples from the article as they trickle in, as this is not meant to be a collection of every mention of the term or concept. It should be mentioned if it gives some light on the definition of what the Ouroboros is, not just because it uses the name or symbol.

We need a separate article for the examples as they have taken the article over and make it really confusing. --DanielCD 19:32, 27 August 2006 (UTC)

Serpent Cult in Conan the Barbarian movie

The Ouroboros is one of the symbols used by Thulsa Doom. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 67.68.210.96 (talk • contribs)

I don't think that's related enough. Similar maybe, but not the same. --DanielCD 15:24, 22 October 2006 (UTC)

Oroboro

Google shows this to be another spelling variant! Ludvikus 00:27, 24 November 2006 (UTC)

Which way?

On the page snake at the bottom it says that the ouroboros symbol is clockwise from the head to the tail. What does this mean? And there are various pictures on the ouroboros article of snakes, and there is an equal number of snakes facing one way as there is facing the other. Which is it? Mooski Magnus 01:53, 13 April 2007 (UTC)

Popular culture?

Just thought it might be useful for a section on the uses of the Ouroboros in popular culture - there are a few mentioned but I think they deserve their own section. And the Homunculi's Ouroboros tatoos in Fullmetal Alchemist need to be added to that ;) Renkinjutsu1921 16:06, 3 May 2007 (UTC)

If I'm not mistaken there was originally an entire article for the FMA Ouroboros, but it seems to have been removed some time ago. Shame, it was a good article..:Stirb Nicht Vor Mir:. 02:56, 23 May 2007 (UTC)

Four elephants on the back of a turtle

The article says that "in some Hindu folk-myths, [the ouroboros is present] as the dragon circling the tortoise that supports the four elephants which support the world on their backs". Is that really Hindu myth? Not many pages on the internet supporting this are of much credit. It seems to be in fact a reference to a joke by Stephen Hawking in his book A Brief History of Time, or Terry Pratchett's Discworld series which contains itself lots of jokes on Stephen Hawking's books (See Turtles all the way down).