Cobra Snake Christmas Ornament

12339 Merck Family's Old World Christmas

Introduced 2011

Made of mouth blown, hand painted glass. Measures approximately 3 1/2"

In many ancient cultures, snakes were symbols of immortality, cosmic energy and life due to the fact that they shed their skin. To Egyptians, the Cobra represented wisdom, royalty, divine authority and protection, so it was used as an emblem by rulers and deities.

Wikipedia: Cobra is a venomous snake belonging to the family Elapidae. However, not all snakes commonly referred to as cobras are of the same genus, or even of the same family. The name is short for cobra de capelo or cobra-de-capelo, which is Portuguese for "snake with hood", or "hood-snake".When disturbed, most of these snakes can rear up and spread their neck (or hood) in a characteristic threat display.