what is ouroboros

The ouroboros, also known as the uroboros, is an ancient symbol that depicts a serpent or dragon eating its own tail. The symbol entered Western tradition via ancient Egyptian iconography and the Greek magical tradition. The ouroboros expresses the unity of all things, material and spiritual, which never disappear but perpetually change form in an eternal cycle of destruction and re-creation. The symbol has been adopted in various contexts, including Gnosticism, alchemy, and literature. The name ouroboros is derived from Greek words oura, which means tail, and boros, which means eating. The ouroboros is a rich symbol with many meanings, including rebirth, immortality, eternity, protection, self-reliance, unity, and natures cycles. The symbol has been used to represent the integration and assimilation of the opposite, and the shadow. The ouroboros is also a dramatic symbol for the integration and assimilation of the opposite, i.e. of the shadow. The symbol has been used in literature, including the high-fantasy novel The Worm Ouroboros by E. R. Eddison, and in science fiction, including the novel Aurora by Kim Stanley Robinson.