The Lore of Sacred Serpents: Dragons, Magic Snakes and Other Scaly Wonders with Cultural Historian Jason Lahman, begins June 22
Six Week Class Taught Online Via Zoom
Sundays, June 22 - July 27, 2025
2 - 4 PM ET (NYC Time)
$160 Paid Patreon Members / $180 General Admission
PLEASE NOTE: All classes will also be recorded and archived for students who cannot make that time
All over the globe, the snake holds a special place in the human imagination.
Stories of giant serpents involved in the creation and destruction of the world are legion. The natural beauty of snakes—their sinuous motion, elegant swiftness and ability to strike like lightning—have marked them as a deity and a lethal force.
In this class we will explore several specific legends and the serpentine presences that have impacted the human mythmaking process. The snake holds an especially negative place in the West due to its role in the story of the fall in the Garden of Eden. But other traditions underlying this tale mark the Eden snake as an ambiguous source of liberation. In Classical myth, the oldest oracles and natural landmarks are often the homes of primordial snakes, and Greek myths are filled with snake-like deities. The powerful Nagas of India and the dragons of Eastern Asia are the guardians of hidden realms and the masters of the elemental forces from weather to cosmic knowledge.
Over the course of six weeks, we will observe how the very different social philosophies and moral constructions of a culture are revealed throughout the lore of big snake and dragon encounters. We will also look at the global phenomenon of the snake as an all-encompassing entity or world-engirding deity, expressing what appears to be a universal trope in which the natural attributes of the snake resonate with the most profound human sense of awe and mystery.
Through image rich lectures and suggested readings and viewings, students will be invited to engage with the materials and explore their own reflections. In the final class, they will be encouraged to share a final project (in any medium they choose) that touches on the archetypes and materials covered in this course.
Jason Lahman is an artist and cultural historian of science, technology and the occult.
Image: Hindu god Krishna dancing on snake demon Kaliya surrounded by Nagas, 19th century; The brass serpent (Nehushtan) constructed by Moses, William Blake, 18th or 19th century.
Six Week Class Taught Online Via Zoom
Sundays, June 22 - July 27, 2025
2 - 4 PM ET (NYC Time)
$160 Paid Patreon Members / $180 General Admission
PLEASE NOTE: All classes will also be recorded and archived for students who cannot make that time
All over the globe, the snake holds a special place in the human imagination.
Stories of giant serpents involved in the creation and destruction of the world are legion. The natural beauty of snakes—their sinuous motion, elegant swiftness and ability to strike like lightning—have marked them as a deity and a lethal force.
In this class we will explore several specific legends and the serpentine presences that have impacted the human mythmaking process. The snake holds an especially negative place in the West due to its role in the story of the fall in the Garden of Eden. But other traditions underlying this tale mark the Eden snake as an ambiguous source of liberation. In Classical myth, the oldest oracles and natural landmarks are often the homes of primordial snakes, and Greek myths are filled with snake-like deities. The powerful Nagas of India and the dragons of Eastern Asia are the guardians of hidden realms and the masters of the elemental forces from weather to cosmic knowledge.
Over the course of six weeks, we will observe how the very different social philosophies and moral constructions of a culture are revealed throughout the lore of big snake and dragon encounters. We will also look at the global phenomenon of the snake as an all-encompassing entity or world-engirding deity, expressing what appears to be a universal trope in which the natural attributes of the snake resonate with the most profound human sense of awe and mystery.
Through image rich lectures and suggested readings and viewings, students will be invited to engage with the materials and explore their own reflections. In the final class, they will be encouraged to share a final project (in any medium they choose) that touches on the archetypes and materials covered in this course.
Jason Lahman is an artist and cultural historian of science, technology and the occult.
Image: Hindu god Krishna dancing on snake demon Kaliya surrounded by Nagas, 19th century; The brass serpent (Nehushtan) constructed by Moses, William Blake, 18th or 19th century.
Six Week Class Taught Online Via Zoom
Sundays, June 22 - July 27, 2025
2 - 4 PM ET (NYC Time)
$160 Paid Patreon Members / $180 General Admission
PLEASE NOTE: All classes will also be recorded and archived for students who cannot make that time
All over the globe, the snake holds a special place in the human imagination.
Stories of giant serpents involved in the creation and destruction of the world are legion. The natural beauty of snakes—their sinuous motion, elegant swiftness and ability to strike like lightning—have marked them as a deity and a lethal force.
In this class we will explore several specific legends and the serpentine presences that have impacted the human mythmaking process. The snake holds an especially negative place in the West due to its role in the story of the fall in the Garden of Eden. But other traditions underlying this tale mark the Eden snake as an ambiguous source of liberation. In Classical myth, the oldest oracles and natural landmarks are often the homes of primordial snakes, and Greek myths are filled with snake-like deities. The powerful Nagas of India and the dragons of Eastern Asia are the guardians of hidden realms and the masters of the elemental forces from weather to cosmic knowledge.
Over the course of six weeks, we will observe how the very different social philosophies and moral constructions of a culture are revealed throughout the lore of big snake and dragon encounters. We will also look at the global phenomenon of the snake as an all-encompassing entity or world-engirding deity, expressing what appears to be a universal trope in which the natural attributes of the snake resonate with the most profound human sense of awe and mystery.
Through image rich lectures and suggested readings and viewings, students will be invited to engage with the materials and explore their own reflections. In the final class, they will be encouraged to share a final project (in any medium they choose) that touches on the archetypes and materials covered in this course.
Jason Lahman is an artist and cultural historian of science, technology and the occult.
Image: Hindu god Krishna dancing on snake demon Kaliya surrounded by Nagas, 19th century; The brass serpent (Nehushtan) constructed by Moses, William Blake, 18th or 19th century.