Series of Supreme Deities Struggle with Several Slippery Snakes

(Note about the page numbers for Armstrong: I have a Kindle version of the textbook, so my page numbers may be slightly different than those in the printed version) 

One interesting motif mentioned in both of the readings is the association of serpents and dragons with death, chaos, the unknown, and the unformed (Armstrong 1996, 33-4; Eliade 1957, 47-8). The arrival of a serpent in a mythology or religion often indicates the imminence of a catastrophic event. According to Egyptian mythology, Ra battles Apophis (also known as Apep) every night to prevent him from eating the sun and plunging the world into eternal darkness and disorder. In Revelation, the arrival of the red dragon and his beastly companions signals a time of great suffering for Christians as the end of the world draws near (Rev 12-13, NRSV). Though these creatures are powerful, they are always defeated by a supreme deity, and order prevails as a result (Eliade 1957, 48; Rev 20:7-10, NRSV). 

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Sea serpents in particular are vivid embodiments of these themes, since they are symbols of primordial chaos and formlessness that dwell in the ocean, the ancient world’s ultimate symbol of the boundless unknown (Armstrong 1996, 34). In many ancient creation myths, sea serpents reign over a chaotic world, and they must be killed by a supreme deity before the gods can bring order to the world. Ancient Western Asia has many examples of this motif. Marduk, Baal, and Yahweh all vanquish a sea serpent (Tiamat, Lotan, and Leviathan, respectively) before each deity brings order and creation to a formless world (Armstrong 1996, 34; Eliade 1957, 48; Gen 1, NRSV; Job 41, NRSV). 

Armstrong states that these myths illustrate the ever-present fear of extinction and destruction that haunted people in the ancient world (Armstrong 1996, 34). Because Ancient Western Asia is home to a hostile environment, early inhabitants of the region constantly feared for their survival, terrified of being swallowed up by the nothingness that originally made up the world (Armstrong 1996, 34). 

Eliade articulates how this fear has translated into the modern day. He states that, when people create a sacred space, such as a home or a religious building, they are reenacting the original act of creation undergone by the gods (Eliade 1957, 45). Therefore, Eliade explains, any attack upon this sacred space is interpreted (whether consciously or subconsciously) as a recreation of the primordial serpent’s attack on the gods (Eliade 1957, 47-8). Those who attack the sacred space are equated with the evil serpent who attempted to thwart the gods (Eliade 1957, 48). Eliade articulates how ancient peoples’ fear of extinction and nothingness has persisted into society today, albeit in a more abstract form.