By
Obododimma Oha
Let us start by claiming that anything made to crawl around on its belly while some other luckier creatures walk or run and even fly would not be happy with self and with others. There are several myths in various traditions explaining why the snake or serpent crawls on its belly. While not proving any of these scientifically right, one wishes to state that, from a non-professional psychological perspective, such crawlers would not be happy being greatly hindered in movement and asked to enjoy the discomfort of having to move around on the belly. The (false) legs may be hidden somewhere but we know that this only amounts to indirect use of things. So the perpertual serpent crawler is not happy and can very easily transfer aggression.
An Igbo proverb puts it better: Ihe agwọ mụrụ anaghi agha ịdị ogologo (The offspring of the snake will always be very long). Let us not squander our time arguing whether the snake and the serpent are the same. Snake or serpent: both are synonymous in this essay. What matters is that there is a suggestion of the negative: the snake, alias “serpent” is so much liked in this proverb, in this “wise” saying, that length is one terrible gift it brings to the world.
Length and serpenthood are companions! Moreover, the lengthy is the disturbing sign of the presence of the serpent. Lengthy! That is long, longer than usual. And so the Igbo proverb is concerned about the naturalization of evil. The evil is the shocking presence of that slithering thing with forked tongue.
Also important is the fact that evil is reproduced – the “offspring” of the serpent. The offspring turns out to be the iconic presence of the serpent.
But the serpent and its offspring are one.The offfspring of a serpent is a serpent, too. My father often cited an elderly man in our village as once asking: Ajọ nwunye na ajọ nwa, kedụ nke ka mma?(A bad wife and a bad offspring which is better?). The answer accepted as correct was the one that said “bad wife.” The reason given to justify the answer was that, at some point, the bad wife might leave and go her way, but the bad offspring remains in the family to plague it further. This was a patriarchal society, so one could understand the “bad wife”narrative and the idea of the justified husband. Anyway, important thing is the reproduction and continuity of evil.
But one is also curious about the interest of the proverb in length: the serpent is represented as something long. But the serpent also has other important features. For instance, this serpent as a crawler goes on its belly. We have noted that being made to go on its belly looks unfair and the creature must be angry at this inconvenience. It can crawl around toswallowmillions and for help (for instance, for loans, and angrier for not getting such). It can crawl around for medical assistance. It can crawl around to bite people, especially those it does not like! So, watch out for such crawlers and watch your legs if in the dark.
We can see that the focus of the proverb is the offspring, not the serpent as such, even though to understand this offspring,we have to remember the antecedent or the mother who is also a crawling serpent. This may be because the continuity of serpenthood is worrisome. The offspring that is this continuity is the headache. Terrible and frightening: the lengthy nature of the offspring of the serpent!
Obododimma Oha
Let us start by claiming that anything made to crawl around on its belly while some other luckier creatures walk or run and even fly would not be happy with self and with others. There are several myths in various traditions explaining why the snake or serpent crawls on its belly. While not proving any of these scientifically right, one wishes to state that, from a non-professional psychological perspective, such crawlers would not be happy being greatly hindered in movement and asked to enjoy the discomfort of having to move around on the belly. The (false) legs may be hidden somewhere but we know that this only amounts to indirect use of things. So the perpertual serpent crawler is not happy and can very easily transfer aggression.
An Igbo proverb puts it better: Ihe agwọ mụrụ anaghi agha ịdị ogologo (The offspring of the snake will always be very long). Let us not squander our time arguing whether the snake and the serpent are the same. Snake or serpent: both are synonymous in this essay. What matters is that there is a suggestion of the negative: the snake, alias “serpent” is so much liked in this proverb, in this “wise” saying, that length is one terrible gift it brings to the world.
Length and serpenthood are companions! Moreover, the lengthy is the disturbing sign of the presence of the serpent. Lengthy! That is long, longer than usual. And so the Igbo proverb is concerned about the naturalization of evil. The evil is the shocking presence of that slithering thing with forked tongue.
Also important is the fact that evil is reproduced – the “offspring” of the serpent. The offspring turns out to be the iconic presence of the serpent.
But the serpent and its offspring are one.The offfspring of a serpent is a serpent, too. My father often cited an elderly man in our village as once asking: Ajọ nwunye na ajọ nwa, kedụ nke ka mma?(A bad wife and a bad offspring which is better?). The answer accepted as correct was the one that said “bad wife.” The reason given to justify the answer was that, at some point, the bad wife might leave and go her way, but the bad offspring remains in the family to plague it further. This was a patriarchal society, so one could understand the “bad wife”narrative and the idea of the justified husband. Anyway, important thing is the reproduction and continuity of evil.
But one is also curious about the interest of the proverb in length: the serpent is represented as something long. But the serpent also has other important features. For instance, this serpent as a crawler goes on its belly. We have noted that being made to go on its belly looks unfair and the creature must be angry at this inconvenience. It can crawl around toswallowmillions and for help (for instance, for loans, and angrier for not getting such). It can crawl around for medical assistance. It can crawl around to bite people, especially those it does not like! So, watch out for such crawlers and watch your legs if in the dark.
We can see that the focus of the proverb is the offspring, not the serpent as such, even though to understand this offspring,we have to remember the antecedent or the mother who is also a crawling serpent. This may be because the continuity of serpenthood is worrisome. The offspring that is this continuity is the headache. Terrible and frightening: the lengthy nature of the offspring of the serpent!
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