Snake In The Garden Of Eden Analysis

Mythology is perhaps one of the oldest customs of the human race. Myths are stories. They are stories that, through oral presentation and written documentation, have been passed down through centuries and are even still being created today. These stories carry themes and characters that are used to relate those themes. One prominent type of character in most myths is that of the "trickster". Two of the perhaps more well known tricksters throughout mythology are the Snake in the Garden of Eden and the lizard Agadzagadza in the African story of death. Despite the differences between them, both characters act as the antagonist in their respective story and their roles are in fact quite similar, if not the same. As antagonists, the Snake
and Agadzagadza play similar roles, but there are marked differences between them. The origination of each story and character creates clear-cut distinctions. The Snake and the Garden of Eden come from the creation story in the book of Genesis in the Bible, while Agadzagadza comes from a far less popular story in Africa, "The Origin of Death". Within the stories an early difference that becomes evident is the fact the Snake is actually the devil, Satan himself, while Agadzagadza seems to be a character that simply plays his role. A clear difference is that the Snake is the sole cause and reason for how Eve is tricked, while in "The Origin of Death", it is a combination of the slow worm as well as the deception of Agadzagadza. Similarly, Agadzagadza serves as a relay between the gods and man, and though the Snake works against God, he acts completely independent from Him. This difference accounts for the fact that Agadzagadza's character changes in variations of the African myth, while the Snake is very consistent throughout Christian creation stories. A final difference arrives at the end of each myth. The Snake receives punishment from God --
"The LORD God said to the serpent,

Because you have done this cursed are you above all cattle, and above all animals; upon your belly you shall go, and dust you shall eat all the days of your life." while Agadzagadza does not receive any. These differences all serve to show that the Snake and Agadzagadza are unique, but it is hard to ignore the similarities that connect these two. The similarities in these characters are much clearer and more abundant.
First, they are both represented as animals, more specifically as reptiles. One reason for this is quite possibly that the cultures in which these myths originated looked down on reptiles and thought them to be evil for some reason. Another stark similarity is the bad intentions that each has for the humans. Each story portrays them as guiltless and evil, showing no remorse or regret for what they have done after the fact. They both use deception as their sole tool as well. Each character convinces and dupes the humans in each story to do something that the trickster knows will cause harm. The characters use what God or the gods have told (or intend to tell) the humans and change it in order to trick the humans. Each character goes to the humans and convinces them of a false truth, which ultimately destroys them. Their roles become even more similar when you look at them in terms of the flow of each story. Both arise seemingly out of nowhere and immediately impact their myth; they deceive the humans into believing them, and then are not mentioned again (although God does inflict punishment on the Snake right after). These characters' roles can each be summarized as the "villain" of the story; their actions ultimately result in the loss of immortality and the sin of
man. Agadzagadza and the Snake in Eden are "tricksters" that serve as the antagonists, and lead to the misfortune that befalls the humans in each respective story. Their roles are unique, but are connected through many similarities; the choice of animal that plays each character, their actions within each story, and the results of their actions. They each deceive and manipulate in their own way, and serve as prominent parts of both the book of Genesis and "The Origin of Death."