Picture shows Indus valley seal
Seals with Scorpion images are discovered in Indus Valley, Dilmun (Bahrain), Middle East (Iran, Iraq) and a few other places. Scorpion God was worshipped in Egypt. Even today Scorpion goddess is worshipped in two places in India. Scorpio is one of the twelve zodiac signs. Scorpion is a symbol for sex. Scorpion is used as people’s names in Sanskrit (Vrischikan) and heaven is called ‘scorpion world’ (puth Thel Ulaku) in Tamil. Of the Tamil dances one of them is a dance by goddess on stilts to escape from scorpion demons. In spite of all these references, still the mystery about scorpion seals continues.
Why did ancient cultures use scorpion on seals? What is the meaning of those seals? Is it like snake goddess? We have lots of references about snake gods and goddesses. All Hindu Gods and goddesses have snake with them. But scorpion is a rare creature in the scriptures.
Vrischika/Scorpion in the Vedas
Scorpion appears in Rig Veda and Atharva Veda. Its poison was feared like that of serpents. It is described as lying torpid in the earth during winter (RV I.191.16; AV xii.1-46).
Urvasi Island in Assam
Urvasi Island also known as Peacock Island is in the middle of Brahmaputra river in Guwahati. In the Shiva temple known as Umananda Temple, Devi is represented by an emblem of scorpion. People worship the emblem.
Picture Egyptian king Scorpion
Playing with scorpions
Kandakoor village near Gulbarga in Karnataka has a strange goddess. The villagers celebrate Nagapanchami as Chelina Jatre (festival of scorpion). The villages worship an idol of scorpion goddess Kondammai and play with live scorpions as well. Children put the scorpions all over their bodies and the scorpions never harm them. The villagers queue up to climb the nearby hill where scorpions are found in plenty. Even the university zoology department is surprised at the behaviour of scorpions. Though they won’t sting unless provoked, they don’t even sting anyone when they are playing with them.
Khajuraho in Madya Pradesh has beautiful temples with lot of erotic sculptures. A voluptuous beauty is sculpted with a scorpion on her thigh. No one knows why.
Madhavi, famous danseuse in the Tamil epic Silappadikaram did 11 types of dances. One of them is Marakkal (wooden legs) where goddess danced with stilts to avoid snakes and scorpions sent by the demons.
Khajuraho beauty with a scorpion crawling on her thigh.
(Please read my Article in this blog Matavi’s 11 Types of Classical dances, மாதவியின் 11 வகை நடனங்கள்)
Scorpion goddess Ishara
In Babylonia , two seals representing ritual marriage that takes place during the new year time show scorpions. The scorpion may symbolise goddess Ishara, the goddess of love.
Scorpion men are found in many Akkadian language myths including the Enuma Elish and the Babylonian version of Epic of Gilgamesh. They were known as Aqrabuamelu and Girtablilu. They stand as guards in the temple of Shamash.
Kudurru stones in Sumerian culture have divine symbols including scorpion. These are documents that record land donations to loyal servants by kings. Though we hear about them from 3000 BC, the Kudurrus we have now are from Kassite kings from 1500 BC. Hindus have lots of similarities with Kassite kings.
Scorpion king of Egypt
In Egypt Selket is the name of the old scorpion goddess who was depicted as a woman wearing on her head a scorpion, the animal sacred to her. She was also at times a scorpion with a woman’s head. She was the guardian of Conjugal union.
A king of ancient Egypt, ruling before Menes united the country and formed the first dynasty , was named Scorpion/ Selek (3000 BC) and the feminine form of the word selket named the patroness of magical healers.
The Egyptian mother goddess Isis/ Eset fleeing from Seth/ Sutech, the slayer of Osiris , took seven scorpions with her.
The scorpion had a powerful appeal to the ivory carvers of Hierakonpolis. We see scorpion symbol on large number of ivory artefacts. Thousand years later it appeared in the design of the Gulf seals.
Kannada word in Egypt!
Kannada word Chelina and Egyptian word Selek are similar in sounds, both mean scorpions. Both saw scorpion in the goddess form.
One of the Yoga poses is called Vrischika Asana (scorpion posture).
Continued in part 2………….
