Ouroboros

: For other uses: see Oroborus (disambiguation).

Ouroboros in modern culture

Agent Dana Scully from The X-Files TV Series got an Ouroboros tattooed in her lower back in Season's 4 episode 'Never Again'. It somehow links the series with another one called Millennium from the same writer/producer Chris Carter.

Related Topics:
Dana Scully - The X-Files - Millennium - Chris Carter

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Mr. Lyle from The Pretender TV series, got an Ouroboros tattoo on his arm in Season's 4 episode "The Agent Of Year Zero". This tattoo links Mr. Lyle to a former Cambodian colonel, named Thon who was one of Pol Pot's murderes. This tattoo "the Ouroboros" is said to be the Cambodian symbol for cannibalism

Related Topics:
The Pretender - Tattoo

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The organic chemist August Kekulé claimed that a ring in the shape of Ouroboros inspired him in his discovery of the structure of benzene. As noted by Carl Jung, this might be an instance of cryptomnesia.

Related Topics:
Organic chemist - August Kekulé - Ring - Benzene - Carl Jung - Cryptomnesia

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E. R. Eddison wrote a fantasy novel titled The Worm Ouroboros, referring to the end of the story's return to its opening.

Related Topics:
E. R. Eddison - The Worm Ouroboros

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Robert A. Heinlein's time travel story "?All You Zombies?" makes reference to the Ouroboros, as does his later book The Cat Who Walks Through Walls.

Related Topics:
Robert A. Heinlein - "?All You Zombies?" - The Cat Who Walks Through Walls

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In Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time book series, the Ouroboros is an ancient symbol representing the cyclic nature of time, and the Aes Sedai all wear a ring in the shape of an Ouroborus.

Related Topics:
Robert Jordan - The Wheel of Time - Aes Sedai

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On the Sci-Fi show The Invisible Man, Darien Fawkes has an Ouroboros on his wrist to indicate his level of Quicksilver madness. Ouroboros is the name of the 39th episode of the British science fiction comedy television series Red Dwarf (first aired January 31, 1997) in which David Lister discovers he is his own father, and of the 24th episode the American science fiction series Andromeda (first aired February 2, 2002). The symbol forms part of the television series Millennium. In the anime series Fullmetal Alchemist, the Homunculi each have an ouroboros tattooed somewhere on their body, Stefan Wojciechowski writes:

Related Topics:
The Invisible Man - Science fiction - Comedy - Red Dwarf - January 31 - 1997 - David Lister - Andromeda - February 2 - 2002 - Television series - Millennium - Anime - Fullmetal Alchemist

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"Homunculi represent the 7 deadly sins in the series and which were created by various alchemists in the attempt to bring humans back to life. this reflects an outstanding similiarity to Jung's belief of Ouroboros as an archetype of death and rebirth, as the Homunculi themselves are reborn humans made by alchemists. It is also interesting to note that Homunculi have a tendency to come back to life after being killed, and furthermore bring about their own demise, thus a snake biting its own tail and recreating themselves. The tatoo itself has some special abilities as well when touched by an alchemist. On a related subject, all alchemists in the series use Alchemy arrays which are circular designs (again circulating power as a tenet of both the symbol of Ouroboros and Alchemy itself within the series). Some alchemists however, have the ability to clap their hands together thus forming a circle with their body and arms, once again manifesting the power of Alchemy through circulating power." (Collective Essays on Archetypes of Modern Culture)

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The Ouroboros is featured prominently in the movie Darkness.

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Oroborus is a brand of window manager software named after the symbol.

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The Ouroborus figures prominently on the crest for The Book and Snake Society, one of the elite secret societies at Yale University.

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The expansion symbol for 's ' set is an Ouroborus.

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The Ouroborus also appears in the PlayStation game Xenogears from Squaresoft.

Related Topics:
PlayStation - Xenogears - Squaresoft

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The first stage boss in the Capcom video game Strider is called the Uroburos - a mechanical snake with arms carrying blades. Inexplicably, Ouroburos is the name given to one of Strider Hiryu's super moves in Marvel vs. Capcom, in which orbs appear around him which constantly hit for damage.

Related Topics:
Capcom - Strider - Marvel vs. Capcom

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Capcom's Haunting Ground has the symbol of the Ouroborus turn after completing a puzzle and has an item referencing the symbol in its design.

Related Topics:
Haunting Ground - Puzzle

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In the computer game ' by Interplay, Oroborus is a deadly virus affecting the Vulcan/Romulan species.

Related Topics:
Interplay - Virus

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Various poles decorated with an Ouroboros appear in the video game '.

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The movie Adaptation, directed by Spike Jonze and written by Charlie Kaufman also makes some references to Ouroboros. It would be the basic symbol for Donald's movie, The Three, in which a killer, the cop and the victim are all the same person. The fun part is: in Adaptation, Donald is Charlie Kaufman's brother, actually meaning he is a part of Charlie's real life persona, who dies midway across the movie (i.e.: the snake devours it's snake, becomes itself).

Related Topics:
Adaptation - Spike Jonze - Charlie Kaufman

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Yukio Mishima's Sun and Steel, his suicide letter/maniphest talks about Ouroboros: about the body and the mind becoming one whilst somehow still being two.

Related Topics:
Yukio Mishima - Sun and Steel

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In Michael Ende's The Neverending Story, both Atreyu and Bastian use a wish granting talisman called an "Auryn," which resembles a double Ouroboros in the original novel. (The movie adaptation uses a more complex weaving pattern for the two snakes, but still uses the same central tail-eating concept.)

Related Topics:
Michael Ende - The Neverending Story

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Jan Siegel's book Prospero's Children both features the Ouroboros, in the form of the world-encircling snake Nenheedra, and represents it; the story forms a closed loop and ends where it began, and the first line is also the last.

Related Topics:
Jan Siegel - Prospero's Children

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The Konami videogame ' is speculated to be entitled as a reference to the Ouroboros, as the end of the game 'swallows up' the beginning and greatly changes its meaning. Also, in the game ' the ouroboros can be seen in various places throughout the game, hinting that the game itself is just a reconstruction of the previous installment Metal Gear Solid.

Related Topics:
Konami - Metal Gear Solid

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Ouroboros is also the name of one of the superpowers in Ace Combat 3.

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The game Ouroboros was created by Tifu for The Game Creators competition 2004

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The Ouroboros should not be confused with the Omphalos.

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In the Babylon 5 episode "Comes the inquisitor" (21st of Season 2), the Inquisitor gives to Delenn two bracelets to wear in the form of the Ouroboros. He uses those bracelets to inflict pain upon her as part of his interrogation.

Related Topics:
Babylon 5 - Delenn

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