Why Do Snakes Slither?

“What story would you like to hear tonight, son?”

“I'm not sure. I love the story about why llamas spit, but also love the one about the wolf who cried boy.”

“How about a new story?”

“Oh yes, please! Did you buy a new book? Can I see it?”

“This story hasn't been written down. It has been passed down the generations from your great-grandmother to your grandmother to me. “

“What is the story about?”

"A snake. A very sneaky and clever snake who was betrayed."

The snake was not always resigned to a life of slithering and sliding to get from one place to another. A long time ago, or so the stories tell it, the snake was a tall and proud being with a short but nimble pair of athletic arms and legs, appearing more like other reptiles but with a brain and voice like you and me.

The oldest living snake, the one through which all other snakes originated, once held a prominent position in the King's court. He was regularly invited into the King's chamber, where no ordinary servant was allowed, and the King would seek advice with his royal duties. While this did give the snake a favoured position, it made him many enemies who were jealous and envious of his bond and trusted position with the King. The snake had the King's ear, after all.

While the Snake was trustworthy, many did not see him that way and felt he was only looking out for his own best interests. Even if he wasn't, they decided to use that against him and started to mount a case against him. They implicated him in a treasonous plot to overthrow the King and take his throne. Unfortunately, the Snake was unaware of this plot until it was far too late.

Conspirators sowed seeds of doubt to the King and his wretched son, who was desperate to prove his worth (and, in reality, take the throne), helped to spread the rumours and incite distrust in the Snake. They passed around rumours Snake’s saliva was deadly poison and that the King should not trust him.

There was lots of misinformation and whispers passed around the courtyard and outer boundaries of the castle. Although the King felt he was a good judge of character and Snake had never steered him wrong, he couldn’t help pondering the allegations and rumours.

The men then hatched a plan with the King's son, Tobias. They were going to make it look like the snake killed Tobias. In reality, or as Tobias thought, they would give him a special Henbane plant extract. This would put him into a state of unconsciousness.

Then a doctor would pronounce him dead and would discover bite marks on his neck that looked like Snake's teeth made them.

However, the King’s men were career-minded and didn’t really like Tobias. They just wanted him to believe they were working together. Once he was given the sleep-inducing extract, they inserted deadly poison into the piercings in his neck that killed him. With Tobias out of the way and all the evidence pointing to Snake, the King was sure to have Snake executed.

Upon seeing his beloved son, the King wept bitterly and, when they noted the teeth marks, in a grief-filled rage, demanded Snake be brought to him at once. He was ready to execute Snake there and then when the King’s men reasoned death was too honourable for such an inhuman monster that would kill the King’s only son. They suggested his limbs be cut off and that he be imprisoned for the rest of his miserable life.

It was not a pretty sight the day Snake’s beautiful, silky smooth skin-covered arms and legs were cut off with the King’s men’s swords. His screams of pain could be heard far beyond the castle's walls to the closest village. Snake was screaming as much at his torturous pain as he was at losing his friend’s trust and the injustice being served to him so swiftly.

His wounds were roughly wrapped in old, very dirty cloths, and he was left in the dungeon to ponder his cruel treatment.

He often wondered if the King would ever come to see him. Day in, day out, he waited for his old friend to come. But, alas, he did not.

Until one day, a hooded and chained man was thrown into the cell next to his own. Snake was shocked to see it was the King. His men had betrayed him and took the throne. He was powerless.

Snake was angry but knew the King thought he was exacting revenge for the death of his son. The King asked Snake if there was anything he could do to make amends. Snake had one simple request. That the King convinced his men, the new rulers of the land, to sacrifice Snake as a show of strength and power to the people of the land, who would revolt once they discovered the truth.

The King asked one of the guards to send one of the men in charge to see them in the dungeon. They jumped at the chance when he suggested sacrificing Snake in a public event.

A few days later, the stage was set for Snake to be executed – he would be hung, drawn, quartered, and then served at the banquet for the greedy men who called themselves rulers.

Remember, though, Snake was one of the smartest beings in all the land – that was why he had the King’s ears for all those years. The expert strategist had one last trick. He was locked in a cage in front of the crowd, consisting mainly of people who had known and loved Snake from the neighbouring village close to the castle and the mean rulers and their families. There was a lot of pomp to this ceremony, which gave Snake enough time to enact his plan.

You see, while he had spent those weeks locked in the dungeon, his wounds had healed, and while he was still limbless, the rest of his body was stronger than ever. While his captors enjoyed all the attention and made fools of themselves in front of the villagers, Snake used his body to wriggle free from the shackles holding him upright. First, his bottom half, then his head. He wriggled through the bars and slithered over to the men as they jovially danced like idiots and bit them on the neck, in the same place they had stabbed Tobias when framing him.

Snake learned to live a limbless life, and a visitor came to the castle – another limbless snake who had been since she was born. The two fell in love, and, well, you know the rest.

*

Thanks for reading!

Author's Note: I really wanted to flip the narrative on snakes being seen as untrustworthy and evil. Calling someone a snake is never seen as a compliment. I love snakes and think they are beautiful, misunderstood creatures. I know people have genuine fears, but like so many animals and creatures, if you stay out of their way, they will keep out of yours!

Interestingly, Henbane, is an old herbal extract that was used as an anaesthetic before modern medicine. I wanted to give some elements of the story a touch of reality because, for a fabled origin story to sound realistic, it has to be grounded in some kind of reality.

I also felt there was a lot of realism to how the King gave in to rumours rather than trusting his own experience and feelings of the Snake. But, as is the case in the real world, people throw away strong bonds and friendships because they listen readily to rumours.

Sources: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1127089/#:~:text=intended%20for%20use.-,Henbane,naturally%20in%20the%20British%20Isles.