The symbol snake, as a rituel figure in Türkish and German mythology

Abstract

The snake is a mythological figüre in the cults of all nations and civilisations. For this reason the snake can be considered as one of the universal animal symbols, and continues to exist even today in the social traditions and rituals. Such forms of behaviour can be seen especially among people living in rural areas. Although the Turkish and German societies live in historically very different geographic environments and climat conditions, their behaviour shows resemblances from the semiotic point of view. This phenomenon can be observed both in proverbes and idoms. We will evaluate these models of behaviour according to the heory of C. Morris, any try to clarify how the snake cult is reflected in social behaviour and daily traditions.