Mythical Monsters: Amphisbaena

The Amphisbaena has a twin head, that is one at the tail end as well, as though it were not enough for poison to be poured out of one mouth — Pliny The Elder, Naturalis Historia

The name of the Amphisbaena pretty much sums it up. It derives from the Greek words ‘amphis’, meaning ‘both ways’ and ‘bainin’, meaning to go. While its two headedness may seem the stuff of legend, it’s actually not that far-fetched. But more on that a bit later.

According to Pliny, This desert dweller lived somewhere around Egypt. Many Ancient Greek and Roman drawings that survive depict it as a snakelike creature. Greek Poet Nicander is noted as saying that the Amphisbaena has a “blunt protruding chin” at either end and is “dull of eye”. Other depictions often claim red eyes that “glow like candles”.

Amphisbaena’s Magical medicine

The Ancient people considered the Amphisbaena to have amazing healing powers. If you skinned one, you could wear the skin to help the symptoms of the common cold or Arthritis. Eating the meat helped give you the powers of attraction over the opposite sex. An Amphisbaena around the neck of a pregnant person would help ensure a safe pregnancy. Killing an Amphisbaena under a full moon would give power to those of pure heart and mind.

The myth continued into the medieval era. Drawings from this time often gave it chicken feet, wings and feathers. This made it far more birdlike in appearance. This could be down to medieval artists adapting the myth for their own climates. Chickens would have been far more familiar creatures to medieval peasants. Some may have never seen a Snake or Lizard, so it wouldn’t have been believable. It may have also been drawn to fit in with other mythical creatures from artworks of the time, such as griffins.

Could It Be Real?

While the medieval drawing may have come from a place of hearsay and exaggeration, the creature may have actually existed. Nicander’s description of the Amphisbaena is actually consistent with the a modern-day group of reptiles called Amphisbaenia. These are a group of legless lizards and snakes that, like the Amphisbaena, does appear to have two heads. These reptiles can be found across Europe, Africa and the Middle East, amongst others and so probably would have been encountered by various merchants on the Silk Road and other explorers. So it is a logical step to jump to this conclusion.