The ouroboros is an ancient symbol depicting a serpent or dragon eating its own tail. Known as the oldest symbol in alchemy, the ouroboros represents the concept of eternity and endless return. Like the sun, the ouroboros underwent a journey of its own. From Egypt, it found its way to the Greek alchemists of Hellenistic Alexandria.
The ouroboros was also of significance to the Gnostics. From a Gnostic viewpoint, the opposing ends of the ouroboros were interpreted as the divine and earthly in man, despite being at odds with one another, existed in unison nonetheless. In this sense, it is comparable to the Chinese yin and yang, depicting the harmony of contrary forces. Representing the infinite nature of time and the eternal, it was seen in the eyes of the alchemists as the ultimate obstacle to be overcome in the Magnum Opus, their incessant struggle to become immortal meant to break the cycle of the ouroboros once and for all.
From the ancient Egyptian journey of the sun to Donna Summer, the loop – so often represented by the ouroboros – has been bound to our concept of time. The Renaissance-era alchemists saw the ouroboros as something to break out of in pursuit of a linear, rather than cyclical, eternity – and today, it might make us reconsider how we view each moment that passes.
The Ouroboros
