History Main / SnakePit

->''"Snakes. WhyDidItHaveToBeSnakes"''
-->-- '''Franchise/IndianaJones''', ''Film/RaidersOfTheLostArk''

A classic example of this trope is in the ''Film/RaidersOfTheLostArk'', where the heroes fall in a dried-up well full of various snakes. But the pit may also be a coffin, as in the James Bond movie ''Live and Let Die''

* ''Film/RaidersOfTheLostArk'' and Indiana Jones.

* ''Film/RaidersOfTheLostArk'' and Indiana Jones, of course.
** Similarly, the Well of Souls in ''[[Pinball/IndianaJonesThePinballAdventure Indiana Jones: The Pinball Adventure]]''
* In the DonRosa Scrooge [=McDuck=] story "Treasure of the Ten Avatars", Scrooge and Donald run into such a DeathTrap.
* James Bond film ''Film/LiveAndLetDie'', where James Bond knocks one of the voodoo priests into a coffin full of snakes.
** In ''Film/{{Moonraker}}'', Hugo Drax threw James Bond to a ''snake pool'' - a swimming pool where slithered a gigantic reticulated python. ''Python reticulatus'' is an excellent swimmer.

* One appears in an episode of ''WesternAnimation/JonnyQuestTheRealAdventures''.
* In ''Discworld/{{Sourcery}}'' the GrandVizier, after learning that all their other methods of execution are out of order, reluctantly has Rincewind thrown into the snake pit. It turns out to contain one snake, which hides in the corner.
** Well, obviously. It's the ''snake'' pit, not the ''snakes'' pit.

* The story of Daniel and the lions' den in ''Literature/TheBible'' is a non-snake variant.

* In the Old Norse legend of the Niflungs, King Gunnar of the Niflungs is thrown into a snake pit to die by his treacherous brother-in-law Atli. Related in ''Literature/ProseEdda'', ''Literature/PoeticEdda'' and ''Literature/VolsungaSaga''.
* In the [[Literature/TheIcelandicSagas Icelandic Legendary Sagas]] on ''Literature/RagnarLodbrokAndHisSons'', King Ella a.k.a. Aelle of Northumbria has the captured Viking warlord Ragnar Lodbrok executed by throwing him into a pit of vipers. Most likely directly inspired by the above-mentioned Niflung legend.

* The story of Daniel and the lions' den in ''TheBible'' is a non-snake variant.

** Similarly, the Well of Souls in ''[[Pinball/IndianaJonesThePinballAdventureIndiana Jones: The Pinball Adventure]]''

** There's also Lord Vetinari's scorpion pit, but it's only for [[EnemyMime mimes]].

-->-- '''franchise/IndianaJones''', ''Film/RaidersOfTheLostArk''

-->-- '''Indiana Jones''', ''Film/RaidersOfTheLostArk''

->Snakes. WhyDidItHaveToBeSnakes

* One appears in an episode of ''TheRealAdventuresOfJonnyQuest''.

->''"[[WhyDidItHaveToBeSnakes Why it had to be snakes?]]"''

* In the Old Norse legend of the Niflungs, King Gunnar of the Niflungs is thrown into a snake pit to die by his treacherous brother-in-law Atli. Related in ''Literature/ProseEdda'', ''Poetic Edda'' and ''Literature/VolsungaSaga''.

->"[[WhyDidItHaveToBeSnakes Why it had to be snakes?]]"

* In the Old Norse legend of the Niflungs, King Gunnar of the Niflungs is thrown into a snake pit to die by his treacherous brother-in-law Atli. Related in ''Prose Edda'', ''Poetic Edda'' and ''Literature/VolsungaSaga''.

-->-- '''Indiana Jones''', ''Raiders of the Lost Ark''

A classic example of this trope is in the ''Raiders of the Lost Ark'', where the heroes fall in a dried-up well full of various snakes. But the pit may also be a coffin, as in the James Bond movie ''Live and Let Die''

* RaidersOfTheLostArk and IndianaJones, of course.

** In ''{{Moonraker}}'', Hugo Drax threw James Bond to a ''snake pool'' - a swimming pool where slithered a gigantic reticulated python. ''Python reticulatus'' is an excellent swimmer.

* In the [[Literature/TheIcelandicSagas Icelandic Legendary Sagas]] on ''Literature/RagnarLodbrokAndHisSons'', King Ella a.k.a. Aelle II of Northumbria has the captured Viking warlord Ragnar Lodbrok executed by throwing him in a pit of vipers.
** Perhaps the first instance of [[IncrediblyLamePun execution by lethal injection]].

* In the mythology - and possibly in the real life as well - Aelle II, the king of Northumbria, has the captured Viking warlord Ragnar Lodbrok executed in a pit of vipers.
** Perhaps the first instance of [[IncrediblyLamePun execution by lethal injection]]. Sort of.

** Hugo Drax threw James Bond to ''snake pool'' - a swimming pool where slithered a gigantic reticulated python. ''Python reticulatus'' is an excellent swimmer.

* James Bond film LiveAndLetDie, where James Bond knocks one of the voodoo priests into a coffin full of snakes.

* One appears in an episode of ''TheRealAdventuresOfJohnnyQuest''.

** Well, obviously. It's the ''snake'' pit, not the ''snakes'' pit.

* In ''Discworld/{{Sourcery}}'' the Grand Vizier, after learning that all their other methods of execution are out of order, reluctantly has Rincewind thrown into the snake pit. It turns out to contain one snake, which hides in the corner.

* In the mythology - and possibly in the real life as well - Aelle II, the king of Northumbria, has the captured Viking warlord Ragnar Lodbrok executed in a pit of vipers.

->"[[WhyDidItHaveToBeSnakes]]"