My grandmother’s bicycle gang 1936 - Imgur
Today’s Dose of Cute
A lion cub plays with a snowball at the Belgrade Zoo on Feb. 5, 2012. (Alexa Stankovic//AFP/Getty Images)
![Ouroboros is a symbol used in ancient cultures around the world. It consists of a snake biting its own tail, forming a circle, and like other circular motifs, it can symbolize unity or the cyclical nature of many aspects of life. Ouroboros is present in the cultures of ancient China, ancient Egypt, and the Americas, as well as in certain cultures of Europe and West Africa. Plato described the ouroboros as the first living creature on Earth. Sometimes, ouroboros is depicted as a dragon instead of a snake.
Though the symbol of ouroboros is widespread, its meaning is not universal. Sometimes, it is meant to symbolize the joining of opposites, similar to the yin-yang; suggestive that opposites not only coexist but are also related in a cyclical manner. In this context, ouroboros is sometimes depicted as half light and half dark. It was also used as the symbol for alchemy in the Middle Ages, as the goal of the practice was to join the conscious with the unconscious mind.
[www.wisegeek.com/what-is-ouroboros.htm]](http://www.humesfork.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/eternal-return.jpg)
Ouroboros is a symbol used in ancient cultures around the world. It consists of a snake biting its own tail, forming a circle, and like other circular motifs, it can symbolize unity or the cyclical nature of many aspects of life. Ouroboros is present in the cultures of ancient China, ancient Egypt, and the Americas, as well as in certain cultures of Europe and West Africa. Plato described the ouroboros as the first living creature on Earth. Sometimes, ouroboros is depicted as a dragon instead of a snake.
Though the symbol of ouroboros is widespread, its meaning is not universal. Sometimes, it is meant to symbolize the joining of opposites, similar to the yin-yang; suggestive that opposites not only coexist but are also related in a cyclical manner. In this context, ouroboros is sometimes depicted as half light and half dark. It was also used as the symbol for alchemy in the Middle Ages, as the goal of the practice was to join the conscious with the unconscious mind.
