Tattoos

Snake and dagger tattoos are a traditional design, often tattooed on the forearm or bicep. They often have a banner around displaying the name of a parent or loved one. The snake is one of the most widely interpreted symbols around the world, so the meaning behind the tattoo can hugely vary. The dagger signifies violence and stealth. A small weapon, easier to wield than a sword, the dagger is a prime choice for anyone wanting to harm or kill without drawing attention to themselves, such as assassins. This, paired with the snake symbolising stealth and sneakiness could be interpreted as a violent tattoo, but this also largely depends on how the snake is drawn ie with wide open mouth and sharp fangs.
Sometimes the snake is shown not wrapped around the dagger but being stabbed, often through the head.

This could symbolise a hatred of sneakiness or people that go behind others backs. The person could also have been betrayed,and as the snake is since as treacherous due to the Bible, this could be a way of showing that chapter of life.

Jörmungandr

Going from Greek Mythology to Norse mythology we have Jörmungandr, also known as the World serpent.Jörmungandr was cast into the sea, along with his 2 siblings. However, Jörmungandr grew larger and larger, eventually becoming so large he could stretch around the entire World and take it's own tail in it's mouth.
It is believed that when he relinquishes grip of his tail, the world will end.


"Jörmungandr or the Midgard Serpent as it is mostly known was the second of the three children Loki had with the giantess Angrboda. The three children were discovered by the gods and Odin sent some of the gods out to get them. The serpent was immediately thrown into the sea by Odin. In the sea, the serpent grew until it was so big it surrounded the land, biting its own tail." - weirdspace.dk, 2004


In this context, the snake symbolises eternity again, with it's tail in it's mouth. It is also a life force, and something to depend on due to the fate of the world being in it's hands. However due to the creatures heritage it can not be trusted and must be watched so it does not destroy the world. it has an enormous sense of power and is essential for all living things.

Caduceus

The Caduceus is a globally recognised symbol of medical help and health care. It features two snakes wrapped around a winged staff. It is first thought the symbol came into use for this purpose in 1902 by the American Medical Corps when they used it as a symbol to recognize physicians in the military.


"This usage is erroneous, popularised largely as a result of the adoption of the caduceus as its insignia by the US Army medical corps in 1902 at the insistence of a single officer (though there are conflicting claims as to whether this was Capt. Frederick P. Reynolds or Col. John R. van Hoff)" - Wikipedia, 2012

 However the rod of Caduceus dates back to the times of the Greeks. In Greek mythology, the rod belonged to the protector of commerce and the Gods messenger Hermes.


"His attributes included the herald's wand orkerykeion (Latin caduceus), winged boots, and sometimes a winged travellers cap and chlamys cloak." - theoi.com, 2000


Hermes however was also responsible for seeing the dead souls along to the afterlife, meaning the rod is a symbol of death.


"Hermes was also credited with having some less than noble attributes as well and was looked to as the patron god of thieves and liars as well. Hermes must have been viewed as a very energetic and busy god by the ancient Greeks because his work didn't end when a person died as it was another task of Hermes to escort the souls of the dead down to the underworld to be handed over to Hades." - http://am9905d.hubpages.com, 2012


However, it is considered that Hermes rod evolved on from the rod of Asclepius.

Asclepius was the Greek God for medicine and health. It is thought the connection was made due to Hermes being tied to the art of alchemy in the 17th century, due to his links in Greek mythology to magic. The rod of Asclepius is a single snake wrapped around a branch. In this context, the branch represents strength, perhaps due to it coming from a tree which is vast and strong. The snake resembles rebirth, which is due to it's ability to shed it's own skin. Many see it as a symbol of leaving behind a previous self or life and being reborn. Also, the image of the snake eating it's own tail is a symbol of eternity.


Both the rod of Asclepius and Caduceus are symbols used in the modern world as signs of medical care. 

The star of life which is emblazoned on the ambulances in the American Ambulance service have the rod of Asclepius within a six point star.

It is strange to see how the rod has flipped over time from death to the preservation and saving of life.

First Impressions of the Snake

I am first going to look at what the snake symbolises for me based on my previous knowledge and some brief research.
The snake often looks moist, giving me the feeling it would be strange to touch, and so repellent. It's slithering movements and hissing noises are ominous and intimidating.

Youtube, 2010

 Having seen videos of it attacking suddenly and viciously, it is unpredictable, sly and secret.

Youtube, 2011

I am ignorant to which snakes bite and are venomous so I have a fear of all snakes. Snakes swallow their food whole, some whilst it is still alive, and slowly digest it. 


"All snakes are strictly carnivorous , eating small animals including lizards, other snakes, small mammals, birds, eggs, fish, snails or insects. Because snakes cannot bite or tear their food to pieces, they must swallow prey whole." - Wikipedia, 2012


As well as this grisly way of killing prey, other snakes such as the Boa Constrictor crush and suffocate prey to death before feasting.


"The boa will first strike at the prey, grabbing it with its teeth, it then proceeds to constrict the prey until death before consuming it whole." - Wikipedia, 2012


Snakes venom can effect one area of the body, the brain, the heart or multiple areas at a time. Some snakes also have rear fangs that could cause someone bitten to die of internal bleeding and brain hemorrhage.

"There are four distinct types of venom that act on the body differently.

• Proteolytic venom dismantles the molecular structure of the area surrounding and including the bite.
• Hemotoxic venoms act on the heart and cardiovascular system.
• Neurotoxic venom acts on the nervous system and brain.
• Cytotoxic venom has a localized action at the site of the bite." - Wikipedia, 2012

All of this makes me see the snake as a symbol of danger, unpredictability, suffering and death.  Also, with hundreds of films revolving around snakes as dangerous or villainous, I have been brought up in an environment where the snake has always been regarded as a negative being.

Apple

The apple signifies many things-

• It can be a symbol of health, due to phrases such as "An apple a day keeps the doctor away."
• Nature.
• Swots may give an apple to their teacher in order to show affection, so it can be seen as a symbol of cleverness or sucking up. 
• It may signify getting wet for some people due to the Halloween tradition of apple bobbing.
• A quick search on Google of the word apple will now present searches for the computer giant Apple before the humble fruit..
• It could mean 'The Big Apple', New York City.
• It is frequently used in fairy tales and folklore, such as Snow White, where the apple becomes a symbol of deceit due to it being poisoned by the witch.

But in the Bible it is the ultimate sign of temptation, as Adam and Eve pick it from the forbidden tree.

However the apple can only be a symbol of temptation with a knowledge and understanding of the Bible story itself. Since being raised in the Western world in a predominantly Christian country, we have a clear established connection between the story and the apple, meaning this painting can be easily read, whereas other cultures may view the picture differently, or not understand it at all.
Interestingly enough, the apple is never mentioned in the Bible, instead referred to as a "forbidden fruit." Therefore the fruit could be anything, meaning the apple being a symbol of temptation and downfall may be misplaced.


Now after looking at the apple in this picture, and what it means, let's look at the creature who persuaded them to eat it, the sly, deceitful (in this context) snake.

An Introduction

Definition:
"Semiotics - the study of signs and symbols and their use or interpretation."
-definition taken from oxforddictionaries.com


Semiotics is something that is used by everyone. We build up a knowledge of symbols and signs through upbringing, experience and cultural surroundings. For example, due to my upbringing, red kidney beans signify a sense of wrongdoing and fear.

This is because after hurting a friend at school, I waited at home for my father, who didn't say a word whilst he ate his dinner (consisting partly of kidney beans) until he stood up, asked me to retrieve my favourite video and bin it for my ill behaviour.
As this is a very personal experience, I doubt there are many people who consider this the case:
Signifier - Red Kidney Beans
Signification - Being in trouble, wrongdoing, loss of valued items.


That is semiotics at a very basic level; the item being the signifier and the signification being what is taken from it.
For others red kidney beans may mean-

• Delicious
• Chili 
• Disgusting
• Flatulence

The major signification that can be made is of course between the bean and the human kidney, the bean being named after the human organ due to it's shape. However, this relationship can only be made with an understanding of the human anatomy, only possible through autopsy and medical research. So before we knew what the human kidney looked like, what would the kidney bean have been called? The  medical breakthroughs that  have enabled us to gain knowledge mean now the kidney bean is a signifier of nature, much like a walnut is due to it's likeness to the human brain or how the veins of a leaf mirror our own veins.
Semiotics was the brain child of Ferdinand de Saussure, a Swiss linguist whose work was never published. Instead, notes from his lectures were taken by students, written up and then published. He saw the invention of language as a system, and was interested in how things worked as signs and symbols.