Cretan Snake Goddess Statue

This image is an exact restored replica of the original Snake Goddess image found in Knossos, Crete, by Arthur Evans around the turn of the last century. The original was made of faience around 15 inches tall. There was a second figure, also of a snake goddess or perhaps a priestess, found together in an area of the excavation that Evans called the Triple Shrine. These images date from around 1500 BCE-just prior to the explosion of the volcano Thera and the subsequent earthquakes that wrecked the temple at Knossos. Also found with the image was a collection of small faience animals. Originally this image was erroneously reconstructed with one of the animals, a cat, perched on her hat.

The Sacred Serpent was honored originally for its practical function as a rodent killer in graineries and beehives. Rather than the personifacation of evil, these sensuous creatures were seen in both positive and negative aspects: as healers, guardians, and messengers of the Gods on one hand; or as the bringer of retribution to the wrongdoer, on the other. The snakes she holds appear to be the poisonous Asp Viper (Vipera aspis).

She is cast in durable waterproof polyresin, hand painted and then slightly aged to restore this piece to how she might have looked when she was sitting on an altar in the Triple Shine of the ancient Temple at Knossos in 1500 BCE.  She is 10 1/2 inches tall.