The Eight Forked Serpent: Chapter 35

From Borges-
"...It was eight-headed and eight-tailed; its eyes were red as the winter cherry, and pine trees and mosses grew on its back... As it crawled, it stretched over eight valleys and eight hills..."

The story (once again written up more or less in its entirety) is of a snake who eats maidens/princesses. A hero named "Brave-Strong-Impetuous-Male" (I have got to go look up that name in its original tongue!) beats the snake by tricking it into a pen, getting it drunk, and cutting off its heads. Good job, Mr. Impetuous-Male.

I had, at the beginning, intended to have the snake heads be more abstract- just hammered flat on the ends and set with a carnelian for those red eyes. But I was seduced, and made them all with all their little forked tongues, instead. Here they are, in more detail.

The little trees have been in since the beginning. And they always looked just like this.

The snakes I wanted to be both separate entities and one beast; both landscape and creature. I went through several iterations before arriving here, at the end, with a crown that is also a mask.