The symbol of evil, spirituality and women’s identity

The serpent has appeared in the mythologies of various cultures as an independent deity or its companion ; it has also always been closely associated with human activity. In this article the authors discuss the rich, diverse and contradictory nature of serpent symbolism and its possible connection to the social determinants of women’s identity. This connection was analysed, using (pre)patriarchal mythologies, at a theological level through the Biblical story of Genesis and the cult of the Virgin Mary, and through an analysis of the epic tradition of the Balkans (in poems, beliefs and rituals) and also through selected literary works