The amphisbaena is a two-headed serpent from Greek mythology, with one head on each end. It is said to be poisonous and feeds on ants and corpses. In medieval times, it was used in folk magic and medicine. The actual animal named after it, the amphisbaenia, is a worm lizard that can slither in either direction.
An amphisbaena is a mythological two-headed serpent. While there are true two-headed snakes, they have two heads on the same side, while the amphisbaena has one head on each end. The word amphisbaena comes from the Greek word for “go both ways.”
Amphisbaena first appeared in Greek mythology, which claimed that she was born from blood dripping from Medusa’s severed head. It is said to be poisonous and feeds on ants and corpses. Later, amphisbaena became part of the cultural tradition throughout Europe.
In the Middle Ages, depictions of amphisbaena, like those of many mythological beasts, varied. Sometimes it was a winged serpent and in other depictions it was not a serpent at all. The medieval amphisbaena may have had legs, horns, ears, and a smaller “rear head” that grew in place of a tail.
Like a true two-headed snake, amphisbaena has separate brains in each of its heads. In some tales, she can separate into two creatures, while in nearly all descriptions she can travel in both directions. The snake-like amphisbaena can also take one head into the other’s mouth and roll around in a circle, like the mythological North American hoop snake.
Although amphisbaena is poisonous, it had some uses in medieval folk magic and medicine. Wearing a live amphisbaena around the neck was said to promote safe pregnancy, perhaps indicative of how dangerous pregnancy was in those days. The skin of an amphisbaena was said to help with arthritis or colds. Killing an amphisbaena or eating its flesh were powerful forms of magic, allowing the practitioner to become pure of heart or attract a lover.
An actual animal named after the amphisbaena, the amphisbaenia is a “worm lizard” native to South America and parts of Africa, the Middle East, and Mediterranean Europe. The novelist TH White has suggested that this creature may have inspired the mythical amphisbaena. Amphisbenia is similar in color and appearance to a worm, but in fact it is a relative of lizards and snakes. Like its mythical cousin, the amphisbenia can slither equally well in either direction, and its head and tail are hard to tell apart at a glance.
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