Snakes in the grass

THE thought of snakes rarely produces warm, fuzzy feelings; in fact, most people shudder or flinch. Let’s face it—these elongated reptiles have a negative reputation, exacerbated by folklore, literature and religion. In the Bible, the smooth-talking serpent was the cause of the downfall of Mankind as Eve succumbed to temptation, committing the first sin. In Greek mythology, Medusa had snakes for hair and eyes that turned people to stone, a trait shared with the basilisk of the ‘Harry Potter’ series, which brings the link between snakes and evil into present-day storytelling: the personification of evil who appears more snake-like than human, Voldemort unleashes