Caduceus

A caduceus (kə-dū'sē-əs, -shəs, -dyū'-; kerykeion in Greek; Unicode U+2624 (☤) on the Miscellaneous Symbols table) is a winged staff with two snakes wrapped around it. It was an ancient astrological symbol of commerce and is associated with the Greek god Hermes, the messenger for the gods, conductor of the dead and protector of merchants and thieves. It was originally a herald's staff, sometimes with wings, with two white ribbons attached. The ribbons eventually evolved into snakes in the figure-eight or analemma shape. In mathematics, the analemma represents infinity. In astronomy, the analemma represents the sun's declination. The number eight is important to the practitioners of judicial astrology.

In some cases, depictions of the Greek kerykeion can be radically different from that of the traditional caduceus (as in the picture at right). These representations will feature the two snakes atop the wand (rod), crossed to create a circle with the heads of the snakes resembling "horns." In this form, it looks remarkably similar to the symbol for the planet Mercury - while Mercury the god is the Roman name for Hermes, who carries the kerykeion, or caduceus. The Greek messenger goddess Iris also carried the caduceus.

In the seventh century, the caduceus came to be associated with a precursor of medicine, based on the Hermetic astrological principles of using the planets and stars to heal the sick. As a symbol for medicine, the caduceus is often used interchangeably with the Rod of Asclepius (single snake, no wings), although learned opinion prefers the Rod of Asclepius, reserving the caduceus for representing commerce.^* Historically, the two astrological symbols had distinct meanings in alchemical and astrological principles.

Some medical organizations join the serpents of the caduceus with rungs to suggest a DNA double-helix. It has also been suggested that the caduceus derives from the treatment for Guinea Worm disease, which requires sufferers to pull the worms out of their legs by slowly, over a period of many days, winding the worm around a stick which is twisted a little more each day to draw the worm out. It is also said that doctors would wrap the extruding larva around a stick over the course of weeks or months, and the result was "worn" as an indicator of the doctor's competence. ^*

The symbol's origins are thought to date to as early as 2600 BC in Mesopotamia, and there are several references to a caduceus-like symbol in the Bible, namely in Numbers 21:4–9, and 2 Kings 18:4. During the Exodus, Moses was instructed by God to fashion a pole upon which he was to position a serpent made of bronze; when looked upon, this Nehushtan, as it was called in Hebrew, would spare the lives of the Israelites stricken by venomous snake bites. The intent was that people would look upward and be reminded to pray to God, but eventually the meaning was forgotten and this symbol was apparently worshiped by the Hebrew people until the reign of Hezekiah as described in 2 Kings 18:4.

Walter Burkert has two figures in his book which show a rod with two intertwined snakes winding around a central axis from Mesopotamia in 2200 BC, and a similar image from Crete in 700 BC.

It was used by the astrologer priests in the Eleusinian Mysteries of ancient Greece, and has been associated with the Gnostic Corpus Hermeticum and Kundalini Yoga, where it is thought to be a symbolic representation of the "subtle" nerve channels the "ida", "pingala", and "sushumna" described in yogic kundalini physiology.

Caduceus in popular culture

The comic book character Promethea, created by Alan Moore, wields a caduceus and invokes the magical traits associated with the symbol. In Issue #11, Promethea uses the lingustic powers of the caduceus to reprogram a living computer virus. The two snakes can speak (when spoken to) and represent the duality of magic. They're named Mack, short for "macro" and representing "yes," and Mike, short for "micro" and representing "no." Their speech balloons are differentiated by red or green outlines, but they constantly switch personae. They are featured prominently in Issue #12 where they explain magic and the Tarot entirely in rhyme.
"Caduceus" is the name of a crucial international health organisation in the video game Under the Knife, which was known as 'Chou Shittou Caduceus' in Japan.
In the Matrix series, the Caduceus is mentioned as one of the hoverships in the Zion fleet.
In the video game Starcraft, the Caduceus Reactor is an upgrade available to Terran Medics.
Liquid Snake has a tattoo of the Caduceus Simbol, but with a sword replacing the rod.
In the video game Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of The Cursed King, Jessica can learn Caduceus when she reaches the requisite level of skill with magical staves. The ability heals health points to an ally.
The game Barbarian for the ZX Spectrum had 2 snakes entangled on a sword, bearing a striking resemblance to the caduceus.
In a Simpsons episode, Lisa uses a computer program that depicts two snakes on a microphone as its opening animation.
Maynard James Keenan's (the lead singer of the band Tool) winery is called Caduceus Cellars, and is located in Arizona.
The teaser poster for Snakes on a Plane depicts two snakes winding around an airliner in the same style as a Caduceus.
In the online sci-fi fantasy game Phantasy Star Online, the Caduceus is a light-themed weapon useable by the magic using Force classes. It is capable of casting fire as a special attack and lends a slight boost to the holy spell Grants. It has the appearance of a golden staff with feathered wings atop it. When swung, the Caduceus leaves a trail of goose feathers in its wake.
In the television show LOST, the caduceus is part of the symbol for the medical hatch, otherwise known as the Staff.
In Fullmetal Alchemist, a rendition of the flamel and caduceus is seen on Edward Elric's jacket, Alphonse Elric's armor, and Izumi Curtis' chest.

Notes

Burkert, pp.31-32

References

Walter Burkert, Structure and History in Greek Mythology and Ritual, Translation, University of California, 1979.
Blayney, Keith. The Caduceus vs the Staff of Asclepius. Revised October 2005. URL accessed 2006-05-26.
Social Design Notes Eradicating Guinea Worm Disease: Caduceus Caption. Dated July 2003. URL accessed 2006-06-27.

External links

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Caduceus in popular culture

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