The Indo-European “Serpent”

The Trojan priest Laocoon is punished for an act of impiety by a sea serpent rising from the waters to strangle him and his sons. Indo-European mythology, especially Greek, makes little difference between dragons and giant snakes, be they land or sea snakes. These powerful creatures are at the service of the gods, like the dragon of Ares faced by Cadmos or the sea serpent sent by Poseidon against Hippolytus. Violence runs through their whole being: dragon teeth that are sown grow to be quarrelsome and brutal men.