The official staff or wand of Hermes or Mercury, the messenger of the gods. It was originally said to be a herald's staff of olive wood, but was afterwards fabled to have two serpents coiled about it, and two wings at the top.
a symbol of the healing power of the crucified Christ (John, Ch 3 V14). For the snake to release its healing power, it had to be transfixed with a golden nail and its poison drawn out. Thus for Jesus to become divine and release his healing power for the sake of Mankind, he was crucified. The serpent has always been a principal player among the noble beasts of mythology, mysticism and religion, Eastern and Western.
a staff with two serpents coiled around it and a pair of wings at the top; carried by the Greek god Hermes (known as Mercury to the Romans)
In Latin the herald's staff was known as the caduceum, derived from the Greek word keryx or herald, and his staff the kerykeion. Hermes, as divine messenger, was invariably depicted with the caduceus, which was represented as a staff with white ribbons or intertwined snakes. The white ribbons may have indicated the inviolability of his office. The image of intertwined snake may have been drawn from the near eastern use of copulating snakes as a symbol of fertility, for Hermes was a fertility god. The staff of Hermes became confused with the staff of Asclepius, the renowned mythic physician and son of Apollo because some stories about Asclepius involved snakes and the reptile has the ability to slough its old skin and seemingly be "reborn," and so had associations with healing.
A wand entwined by two serpents and topped by a pair of wings, emblematic of Hermes as Zeus's personal messenger and herald; it is also associated with Asclepius, god of healing.
an insignia used by the medical profession; modeled after the staff of Hermes
a representation of a staff with one entwined snake and one wing at the top
Staff around which two snakes are entwined.
The winged staff of Mercury - commonly ornamented by two snakes.
a wand or rod entwined at one end by two serpents was an attribute of Mercury, the messenger god. The two serpents represent prudence while wings sometimes added to the wand were symbols of diligence, both qualities desired in trade and commerce, of which Mercury was the patron deity. The caduceus is often held by female deities such as Pax, Felicitas, and Concordia in which case it is a symbol of peace and harmony.
the wand of Mercury, having snakes and wings as ornamentation.
Magic wand of the Greek God Hermes messenger of the gods. Also said to represent the three major channels of energy in the spine.
A symbolic wand consisting of two serpents or Basalisks twisted around a rod.
The winged staff of mercury: now a symbol of the medical profession.
An ornamental rod twined with two snakes, which face each other at the tip. The rod is often shown winged. It is an attribute of Mercury (Hermes in Greek), the messenger of the gods, and symbolises trade and prosperity. It probably derives from the ribbon-draped willow wand traditionally carried by messengers. It is sometimes confused with the staff of Aesculapius (Asclepios in Greek), which also has an entwined snake, but which has a quite separate medical symbolism.
A winged staff with two serpents wrapped around it in a double helix; The wand of Mercury/Hermes, a symbol of the lingam
The staff of Mercury, consisting of a ball-headed rod, winged, and entwined with two serpents
Wand of Mercury, Staff of Aesclepius, Rod. of Aaron, spine of man.
a herald's staff with snakes entwined around it and sometimes with wings, the chief attribute of the Roman messenger god, Mercury; see kerykeion.
ancient symbol of a snake (or two) climbing a wooden staff (or pole)
A herald's wand or staff.
A caduceus (; kerykeion in Greek; Unicode U+2624 (☤) on the Miscellaneous Symbols table) is a winged staff with two snakes wrapped around it. It was an ancient astrological symbol of commerce and is associated with the Greek god Hermes, the messenger for the gods, conductor of the dead and protector of merchants and thieves. It was originally a herald's staff, sometimes with wings, with two white ribbons attached.