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[[Image:ouroboros.png|thumb|An image drawn in 1478 by one Theodoros Pelecanos in an alchemical tract entitled ''Synosius''.]]
|bgcolor=Crimson|'''<font color="white">[[Girls Aloud]]</font>'''
The '''Ouroboros''', also spelled '''Oroborus''', '''Uroboros''' or '''Uroborus''', is an ancient [[symbol]] depicting a [[snake|serpent]] or [[European dragon|dragon]] swallowing its own [[tail]] and forming a [[circle]]. It has been used to represent many things over the ages, but it most generally symbolizes ideas of [[Social cycle theory|cyclicality]], primordial unity, or the [[Vicious Circle]]. The ouroboros has been important in religious and mythological symbolism, but has also been frequently used in [[Alchemy|alchemical]] illustrations. In the last century, it has been interpreted by psychologists such as [[Carl Jung]] as having an [[Archetype|archetypal]] significance to the human [[Psyche (psychology)|psyche]].
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|style="font-size:90%;"|[[Nadine Coyle]] &middot; [[Cheryl Cole]] &middot; [[Nicola Roberts]] &middot; [[Kimberley Walsh]] &middot; [[Sarah Harding]]
The name ''ouroboros'' (or, in Latinized form, ''uroborus'') is Greek {{Unicode|οὐροβóρος}}, "tail-devourer". The depiction of the serpent is believed to have been inspired by the [[Milky Way]], as some ancient texts refer to a serpent of light residing in the heavens. {{fact}}
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|bgcolor=lightgrey style="font-size:90%;"| '''[[Girls Aloud discography|Discography]]'''
==Overview==
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[[Plato]] described a self-eating, circular being as the first living thing in the universe-- an immortal, perfectly constructed animal.
|style="font-size:90%;"|'''Albums''': ''[[Sound of the Underground]]'' &middot; ''[[What Will the Neighbours Say?]]'' <br> ''[[Chemistry (album)|Chemistry]]'' &middot; ''[[The Sound of Girls Aloud]]''

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:"The living being had no need of eyes when there was nothing remaining outside him to be seen; nor of ears when there was nothing to be heard; and there was no surrounding atmosphere to be breathed; nor would there have been any use of organs by the help of which he might receive his food or get rid of what he had already digested, since there was nothing which went from him or came into him: for there was nothing beside him. Of design he was created thus, his own waste providing his own food, and all that he did or suffered taking place in and by himself. For the Creator conceived that a being which was self-sufficient would be far more excellent than one which lacked anything; and, as he had no need to take anything or defend himself against any one, the Creator did not think it necessary to bestow upon him hands: nor had he any need of feet, nor of the whole apparatus of walking; but the movement suited to his spherical form was assigned to him, being of all the seven that which is most appropriate to mind and intelligence; and he was made to move in the same manner and on the same spot, within his own limits revolving in a circle. All the other six motions were taken away from him, and he was made not to partake of their deviations. And as this circular movement required no feet, the universe was created without legs and without feet."<ref>Plato, [[Timaeus]], 33 [http://www.hermetic.com/texts/plato/timaeus.html]</ref>
|style="font-size:90%;"|'''Singles''': "[[Sound of the Underground (song)|Sound of the Underground]]" &middot; "[[No Good Advice]]" &middot; "[[Life Got Cold (song)|Life Got Cold]]" &middot; "[[Jump (for My Love)|Jump]]" <br> "[[The Show (song)|The Show]]" &middot; "[[Love Machine (Girls Aloud song)|Love Machine]]" &middot; "[[I'll Stand By You]]" &middot; "[[Wake Me Up (song)|Wake Me Up]]" <br> "[[Long Hot Summer (song)|Long Hot Summer]]" &middot; "[[Biology (song)|Biology]]" &middot; "[[See the Day (song)|See the Day]]" &middot; "[[Whole Lotta History]]" <br> "[[Something Kinda Ooooh]]" &middot; "[[I Think We're Alone Now]]"

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In some representations the [[Serpent (symbolism)|serpent]] is shown as half light and half dark, echoing symbols such as the [[Yin Yang]], which illustrates the dual nature of all things, but more importantly, that these opposites are not in conflict. In alchemy, the ouroboros symbolises the circular nature of the alchemist's [[Great Work|opus]], which unites the opposites: the conscious and unconscious mind. It is also often associated with [[Gnosticism]], and [[Hermeticism]].
|bgcolor=lightgrey style="font-size:90%;"|'''Television & DVD'''

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The Ouroboros often represents [[self-reflexivity]] or cyclicality, especially in the sense of something constantly re-creating itself, the [[eternal return]], and other things perceived as cycles that begin anew as soon as they end. It can also represent the idea of primordial unity. The Jungian psychologist [[Erich Neumann (psychologist)|Erich Neumann]] writes of it as a representation of the pre-ego "dawn state", depicting the undifferentiated infancy experience of both mankind and the individual child.<ref>Neumann, Erich. (1995). ''The Origins and History of Conscisousness.'' Bollington series XLII: Princeton University Press. Originally published in German in 1949.</ref>
|style="font-size:90%;"|''[[Popstars|Popstars: The Rivals]]'' &middot; ''[[Girls Aloud: Off the Record]]''

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The Ouroboros could very well be used to symbolize the closed-system model of the [[universe]] of some [[physicist]]s. The [[organic chemistry|organic chemist]] [[Friedrich August Kekulé von Stradonitz|August Kekulé]] claimed that a [[circle|ring]] in the shape of Ouroboros that he saw in a dream inspired him in his discovery of the structure of [[benzene]]. As noted by Carl Jung, this might be an instance of [[cryptomnesia]].
|bgcolor=lightgrey style="font-size:90%;"|'''Related articles'''

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==Historical representations==
|style="font-size:90%;"|[[Fascination Records]] &middot; [[Polydor Records]] &middot; [[Xenomania]]

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The Ouroboros is one of the oldest mystical symbols in the world. The serpent or dragon appears in [[Aztec]], Chinese, and [[Indigenous peoples of the Americas|Native America]]n mythologies, among others.
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===Antiquity===
The serpent or dragon eating its own tail can be traced back to [[Ancient Egypt]], circa [[1600 BC]]. However the [[pig dragon]]s of the [[Hongshan culture]] ([[5th millennium BC|4700]]–[[2200 BC]]) of China are older. From ancient Egypt it passed to [[Phoenicia]] and then to the [[Greek philosophy|Greek philosophers]], who gave it the name Ouroboros ("tail-devourer").

===Norse mythology===
In [[Norse mythology]] it appears as the serpent [[Jörmungandr]], one of the three children of [[Loki]], who grew so large that it could encircle the world and grasp its tail in its [[teeth]]. In the legends of [[Ragnar Lodbrok]], such as ''[[Ragnarssona þáttr]]'', the [[Geatish king]] [[Herraud]] gives a small [[lindorm]] as a gift to his daughter [[Þóra Town-Hart]] after which it grows into a large serpent which encircles the girl's bower and bites itself in the tail. The serpent is slain by Ragnar Lodbrok who marries Þóra. Ragnar later has a son with another woman named [[Kráka]] and this son is born with the image of a white snake in one eye. This snake encircled the iris and bit itself in the tail, and the son was named [[Sigurd Snake-in-the-Eye]].

===Gnosticism===
In [[Gnosticism]], this serpent symbolized eternity and the soul of the world.

===Christianity===
[[Christianity]] adopted the ouroboros as a symbol of the limited confines of the material world (that there is an "outside" being implied by the demarcation of an inside), and the self-consuming transitory nature of a mere "worldly existence" of this world, following in the footsteps of the preacher in [[Ecclesiastes]].{{fact}}

Additionally, the ouroboros has been incorporated into the crests of the [[Hungary|Hungarian]] and [[Romania|Romanian]] [[Unitarian]] churches.

===Hinduism===
It is also present in some [[Hindu]] folk-myths, as the dragon circling the tortoise that supports the four elephants which support the world on their backs.

===Ashanti===
Snakes are sacred animals in many West African religions. The demi-god Aidophedo uses the image of a serpent biting its own tail.

===Aztec religion===
The god [[Quetzalcoatl]] is sometimes portrayed as an ouroboros on Aztec and Toltec ruins.

==Alchemy==
In [[alchemy]], the ouroboros is a purifying [[sigil]]. [[Switzerland|Swiss]] [[psychologist]] Carl Jung saw the ourobouros as an [[archetype]] and the basic [[mandala]] of alchemy. Jung also defined the relationship of the ouroboros to alchemy:

:The alchemists, who in their own way knew more about the nature of the individuation process than we moderns do, expressed this paradox through the symbol of the uroboros, the snake that eats its own tail. ouroboros, has been said to have a meaning of infinity or wholeness. In the age-old image of the uroboros lies the thought of devouring oneself and turning oneself into a circulatory process, for it was clear to the more astute alchemists that the ''prima materia'' of the art was man himself. The uroboros is a dramatic symbol for the integration and assimilation of the opposite, i.e. of the shadow. This 'feed-back' process is at the same time a symbol of immortality, since it is said of the uroboros that he slays himself and brings himself to life, fertilises himself and gives birth to himself. He symbolises the One, who proceeds from the clash of opposites, and he therefore constitutes the secret of the ''prima materia'' which [...] unquestionably stems from man's unconscious.<ref>Carl Jung, ''Collected Works'', Vol. 14 para. 513</ref>

The famous ouroboros drawing from the early alchemical text ''[[The Chrysopoeia of Cleopatra]]'' dating to [[2nd century]] [[Alexandria]] encloses the words ''hen to pan'', "one, the all", i.e. "All is One". Its black-and-white halves represent the [[Gnosticism|Gnostic]] [[duality]] of existence.

As a symbol of the eternal unity of all things, the cycle of birth and death from which the alchemist sought release and liberation, it was familiar to the alchemist/physician Sir [[Thomas Browne]]. In his ''[[A letter to a friend]]'', a medical treatise full of case-histories and witty speculations upon the human condition, he wrote of it:

:"[...] that the first day should make the last, that the Tail of the Snake should return into its Mouth precisely at that time, and they should wind up upon the day of their Nativity, is indeed a remarkable Coincidence,"

It is also alluded to at the conclusion of Browne's ''[[The Garden of Cyrus]]'' (1658) as a symbol of the circular nature and Unity of the two Discourses.

:"All things began in order so shall they end, so shall they begin again according to the Ordainer of Order and the mystical mathematicks of the City of Heaven".

==Ouroboros in modern culture==
===Film and television===
The movie ''[[Adaptation.]]'', directed by [[Spike Jonze]] and written by [[Charlie Kaufman]] also makes some references to Ouroboros. It would be the basic symbol for Donald's movie, ''The 3'', in which a killer, the cop and the victim are all the same person. The fun part is: in ''Adaptation'', Donald is [[Charlie Kaufman]]'s twin brother, actually meaning he is a part of Charlie's real life persona, who dies midway across the movie (i.e.: the snake devours its tail, becoming itself).

The fantasy animation movie The Dark Crystal (1982) written by Jim Henson has strong reference to alchemy and in the artwork of Brian Froud the ouroboros plays a central role.

"Ouroboros" is the title of an episode of ''[[Andromeda (TV series)|Andromeda]]'' which focused on the [[causality]] effects of a time-distortion device.

It is also the title of an episode of ''[[Red Dwarf]]'' in which it is a brand of everlasting batteries and gave the main character, [[Dave Lister]], a clue towards finding out who his parents were.

The Ouroboros is featured prominently in other movies such as ''[[Darkness (2002 film)|Darkness]].'' In the anime [[Noein]], the Ouroboros is the embodiment of the time dimensions that resonate with each other. The Ouroboros' existence makes events happen again and again ''ad infinitum''. There is also a memorable scene in the Beatles' ''[[Yellow Submarine (film)|Yellow Submarine]]'', in which the swallowing act is carried beyond its logical extreme, long after the creature had devoured every animal in the Sea of Monsters.

The "Tattoo of Ouroboros" crest is also seen in the anime ''[[Fullmetal Alchemist]]''. It is seen on different parts of all the [[Homunculi]]. All the Homunculi, named after the [[Seven Deadly Sins]], have the Ouroboros Crest on them on different parts of their bodies. [[Homunculi_of_Fullmetal_Alchemist#Wrath|Wrath]] has one on his eye (manga) or one on his right foot (anime), [[Homunculi_of_Fullmetal_Alchemist#Pride|Pride]] on his left eye (anime and Manga), and seen in volume 7 of the manga [[Homunculi_of_Fullmetal_Alchemist#Lust|Lust]] on her chest (just above her [[Cleavage (breasts)|cleavage]]), [[Homunculi_of_Fullmetal_Alchemist#Greed|Greed]] on his left hand, [[Homunculi_of_Fullmetal_Alchemist#Gluttony|Gluttony]] on his tongue, [[Homunculi_of_Fullmetal_Alchemist#Sloth|Sloth]] above her left breast (anime) or on his (Sloth is a man in the manga) back near his right shoulder (manga), and [[Homunculi_of_Fullmetal_Alchemist#Envy|Envy]] on his left thigh. The alchemical significance applied in this instance is that each of these beings is a construct that consumes themselves (the philosopher's stone each is created around) for their power. In the movie sequel to the series, ''[[Fullmetal Alchemist the Movie: Conqueror of Shamballa|Conqueror of Shamballa]]'', Envy — who had transformed into a massive serpent at the end of the series — was used as a literal Ouroboros to allow the use of Alchemy in our world.

The Ouroboros is integral to the fictional organization known as the [[Millennium Group]] from the [[television program]] ''[[Millennium (TV series)|Millennium]]'' in which they have adopted the symbol to represent them, serving as a sign in their belief of [[Alpha and Omega (Christianity)|the beginning and the end]] and can commonly be seen in things of their dealings. The symbol also serves as a part of the show's logo.

Millennium creator Chris Carter also uses the symbol in his much more popular series, [[The X-Files]]. In the episode "Never Again", [[Dana Scully]] gets a tattoo of the Ouroboros on her lower back. Although the tattoo was removed at the end of the episode, it is still a prominent symbol in the X-Files fanbase, appearing often in [[fanfiction]].

It is also featured in the movie [[The NeverEnding Story (film)|The NeverEnding Story]] based on the book by [[Michael Ende]]. It is depicted as the pendant, "the Auryn," carried throughout the adventures. It is shown as the double serpents biting the other's tail in the Yin Yang fashion.

===Literature===
*[[E. R. Eddison]] wrote a fantasy novel titled ''[[The Worm Ouroboros]],'' referring to the end of the story's return to its opening, and also to the "summoning of the worm" by the evil King of Witchland.

*In [[Robert A. Heinlein]]'s time travel story ''[["—All You Zombies—"]]'' the Bartender wears a ring depicting the Ouroboros which is heavily symbolic to him. His later book ''[[The Cat Who Walks Through Walls]]'', also references the Ouroboros.

*Mark Fabi's ''Wyrm'', features several chapters which revolve directly around the meaning of the Ouroboros. The plot of the storyline also revolves around the Ouroboros and shows itself at the climax of the novel.

* In ''The One Tree'', book 2 of the second trilogy in [[The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, the Unbeliever]], a fantasy series by [[Stephen R. Donaldson]], which also depicts a great Wyrm underground in a way that combines the mythologies of the Ouroboros with that of the [[Níðhöggr]].

*In [[The Neverending Story]] by [[Michael Ende]], a symbol which incorporates the Ourobouros and the Chinese Yin-Yang symbole appears as the Auryn both on the cover of the book, and worn by Atreyu and Bastian as a pendant throughout their travels. The Auryn depicts two snakes, one silver, the other gold, intertwined and biting each other's tails.

*In [[Robert Jordan]]'s ''[[The Wheel of Time]]'' books, a serpent devouring its own tail is frequently used as a symbol of the eternal and cyclic nature of time.

*In the [[Bone]] graphic novels, the great dragon queen Mim holds the balance between life and death, good and evil, and the dreaming would flourish, so long as she encircled the world and held her own tail in her mouth, just like the ouroboros.

*In the novelisation of [[Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith]] Count [[Dooku]] likens the destruction of the Republic to an Ouroboros, devouring its own tail, referring to the fact that the enemy of the Republic was in fact its leader.

* Snake Ouroboros is mentioned few times in [[Andrzej Sapkowski]]'s ''[[Witcher]]'' saga, especially in last, fifth part, ''[[Lady of the Lake (novel)]]''.

* "The ouroboros, the snake with his tail in his mouth, is the prototype of the ''[[vicious circle]]''", say [[Patrick Hughes]] and [[George Brecht]], ''[[Vicious Circles and Infinity]]'', in the caption to their ''Figure 11''; they also quote [[Heraclitus]], "'In the circle the beginning and the end are common': the ouroboros is out to prove him right."

===Music, other===

*[[Ouroboros: Seasons of Life--Women's Passages]] is an [[oratorio]] by [[Kay Gardner (composer)|Kay Gardner]]. It features neo-pagan themes like the death and rebirth of the sun, the cyclical nature of seasons, and the triple Maiden/Mother/Crone aspects of the Goddess. The life cycle of a woman is framed within this context. The word "ouroboros" appears both in the title and in the libretto, written by [[Charlie Hutchins]] and [[Ila Suzanne]].

*Yale University's secret society [[Book and Snake]] is alleged to use the ouroborous as a crest.

*The dragon is taken as the mascot for [[Bruce Hall]], a residential college at the [[Australian National University]], and is frequently portrayed as an Ouroboros. Its yearbook is also known as the Uroboros.

*The ouroboros features prominently in the emblem of [[Phi Alpha Theta]], a history honor society.

== See also ==
* [[Borromean rings]]
* [[Midgard serpent]]
* [[Vrtra]]
* [[Zahhak|Azhi Dahaka]]
* [[Apep]]
* [[Self-reference]]
* [[Noein]]
* [[Serpent (symbolism)]]

==References==
<references/>

==External links==
* [http://altreligion.about.com/library/graphics/bl_ouroboros.htm Ouroboros Images]
* [http://www.ouroborostrust.org The Ouroboros Research and Education Trust]

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[[Category:Symbols]]

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Revision as of 17:31, 26 November 2006