Hieroglyphica: Yılanla Anlatılan Sonsuzluk ve Kâinat

The Egyptians call this serpent the Oubaios, which in the Greek language is the Basilisk. They fashion it out of gold and place it around the statues of the gods. The Egyptians say that Eternity is represented by this animal because, among the three known kinds of serpents, the others are mortal, but this one alone is immortal. Furthermore, it can destroy any other living creature simply by breathing upon it, even without delivering a bite. For this reason, since it appears to hold power over both life and death, they place it upon the heads of the gods. When they wish to represent the Universe, they draw a serpent biting its own tail, marked with multicolored scales. By these scales, they hint at the stars in the heavens. This animal is very heavy, just as the earth is, and very smooth, like water. Furthermore, every year it sheds its old age by stripping off its skin; in the same way, the annual passage of time in the world undergoes a change and becomes young again. The fact that it uses its own body for food signifies that all things produced in the world through Divine Providence will eventually experience a lessening and be drawn back into the world once more.