History Main / Snakepit

* [[Podcast/SibyllineSounds]]: One audio has you join Calister the [[SnakePeople Naga]] in a [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conversation_pit conversation pit]] where he playfully strangles, envenomates, and swallows you harmlessly.

* One appears in an episode of ''WesternAnimation/JonnyQuestTheRealAdventures''.

* In ''Manga/SoulHunter'', Dakki builds a huge pit filled with snakes (and a few alligators)called "Taibon" (Great Bowl) as a fancy way to execute the slaves of the Kyo tribe as a punishment for Taikoubou's attempt to save Chu'oh and kill her. Much later in the manga, Kou Hiko claims that he once saw Dakki inside the snake pit, [[IAmAHumanitarian devouring the remains of the victims]] in there.

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* In the Creator/DonRosa Scrooge [=McDuck=] story "Treasure of the Ten Avatars", Scrooge and Donald run into such a DeathTrap. They manage to escape from the cobras by pressing a button on a statue which causes it to rise up from the floor as a pillar, leading to the exit.

* A similar method is used in Charlotte-Rose de Caumont La Force's fairy tale "The Good Woman". This time, it's an evil king ordering the execution. The eponymous Good Woman saves herself from being executed by throwing moss at the king's feet, making him fall into the snake pit and die.

* In the Creator/ChengPeiPei movie ''Film/TheGoldenSword'', the cruel women of the Dragon Palace lower male slaves into a snake pit as punishment for infractions such as trying to escape. Sometimes they just do it to scare the men; other times they let the snakes kill them.

* ''Film/Nightfall2000'': The rooms uncovered by archeological dig has become home to hundreds of snakes in the centuries since it was inhabited by humans.

* In ''Webcomic/{{Gastrophobia}}'', Phobia and Gastro get thrown into a snake pit by a shapeshifter.

A subtrope of FedToTheBeast. Compare CreepyCrawlyTorture.

* In ''Series/{{CobraKai}}'' Season 3, a flashback to when John Kreese was a POW in Vietnam, he and his teammates are forced by the Vietnamese to fight over a pit of cobras. When it came time for Kreese to fight his captain, the camp was bombed by American planes, but Kreese pushed his captain into the pit anyway, adopting the captain's philosophy of "No Mercy" which became the foundation for the Cobra Kai dojo.

* {{Invoked|Trope}} and {{Lampshade|Hanging}}d in ''Literature/TheBelgariad'''s prequel novel ''Polgara the Sorceress''. To rally nations against a common enemy, Polgara conjures up [[ObligatoryWarCrimeScene hallucinations of the war crimes]] the enemy would inflict on them, only to find that one ruler is only really [[WhyDidItHaveToBeSnakes afraid of snakes]]. Somewhat shamefacedly, she makes up some lurid and wholly inaccurate snake-pit scenes to bring him on board.

* In ''LiveAction/{{Slasher}}'' Season 1, The Executioner kills Trent by luring him into a pit, where he breaks his leg in the fall. Then, The Executioner starts dropping poisonous snakes into the pit.

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[[folder: Film -- Live Action]]

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-->--''Literature/GestaDanorum'', book 9: the death of Ragnarr Loðbrók

* "Manga/MedakaBox": In the General Affairs Manager's Battle during the Kumagawa Incident Arc, Zenkichi and Kumagawa fight on a net platform over a pit of poisonous vipers. They are pretty high up at the beginning, but since the platform they are on is unstable, every sudden movements may lower the platform bit by bit until both of them are within striking distance of the vipers. In the end, [[spoiler:Zenkichi had to stomp the net platform sending them both to the vipers. ]]

* A similar method is used in Charlotte-Rose de Caumont La Force's fairy tale "The Good Woman". This time, it's an evil king ordering the execution. The titular Good Woman saves herself from being executed by throwing moss at the king's feet, making him fall into the snake pit and die.

[[folder: Film]]

* A natural Snake Pit occurs in ''Film/RaidersOfTheLostArk'', where the heroes fall in a dried-up well full of various snakes.

* ''Film/AnacondasTheHuntForTheBloodOrchid'' might have the scariest version to date--a snake pit completely filled with giant anacondas, all huddled together in a giant mating ball. And the MacGuffin just so happens to be right above the pit, so the main characters have to crawl across a slippery tree trunk to get there.
* In the Creator/ChengPeiPei movie ''Film/TheGoldenSword'', the cruel women of the Dragon Palace lower male slaves into a snake pit as punishment for infractions such as trying to escape. Sometimes they just do it to scare the men; other times they let the snakes kill them.

* In Myth/NorseMythology:
** In the 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''.
** After the famous Viking conqueror Ragnar Lodbrok has been captured by King Aella of Northumbria, Aella has him thrown into a pit of vipers to die (as told in "Literature/{{Krakumal}}", ''Literature/GestaDanorum'', and ''Literature/TheSagaOfRagnarLodbrok'').
** Loki's less-than-pleasant final fate involves being chained underground while a snake drips venom in his eyes. Not all the time though- his wife holds a bowl to catch the venom, but when she moves away to empty it, the venom lands, and Loki's spasms cause earthquakes.

* {{Invoked|Trope}} and {{Lampshade|Hanging}}d in ''Literature/TheBelgariad'''s prequel novel ''Polgara the Sorceress''. To rally nations against a common enemy, Polgara conjures up [[ObligatoryWarCrimeScene hallucinations of the war crimes]] the enemy would inflict on them, only to find that one ruler is only really [[WhyDidItHaveToBeSnakes afraid of snakes]]. Somewhat shamefacedly, she makes up some lurid and wholly inaccurate snake-pit scenes to bring him on board.
* In the Chinese epic ''[[Literature/FengshenYanyi Investiture of the Gods]]'' (''Fengshen Yanyi''), the tyrant King Zhou have a pit of serpents which he used to dispose prisoners, political dissidents, and his own advisers whom have failed him. Keep in mind that was only ''one'' of the many cruel execution methods his twisted mind approves...
* "The Bamboo Trap" by Robert Lemmon features an accidental case where scientist John Mathers accidentally falls into a hole that is home to the spiders he is studying. The primary danger for him is that the hole is flooding sure to Russian rainfall, and the spiders, unable to maintain purchase on the slick walls, after attempting to use him to stay above the water.

* ''Series/TropicalHeat'': In the episode "Fowl Play", Nick Slaughter is trapped in a container with snakes.
* The episode "Halloween Knights" from ''Series/{{MacGyver|1985}}'' has a snake pit as part of a deadly obstacle course that Mac and Murdoc have to complete in order to free Murdoc's sister.
* In the 2006 ''Series/RobinHood'' series, Robin at one point is lowered into a pit of venomous snakes... that were [[SomewhereAHerpetologistIsCrying clearly harmless boa constrictors]].
* In ''LiveAction/{{Slasher}}'' Season 1, The Executioner kills Trent by luring him into a pit, where he breaks his leg in the fall. Then, The Executioner starts dropping poisonous snakes into the pit.
* In ''Series/{{CobraKai}}'' Season 3, a flashback to when John Kreese was a POW in Vietnam, he and his teammates are forced by the Vietnamese to fight over a pit of cobras. When it came time for Kreese to fight his captain, the camp was bombed by American planes, but Kreese pushed his captain into the pit anyway, adopting the captain's philosophy of "No Mercy" which became the foundation for the Cobra Kai dojo.

* The LavaPit of Creator/WilliamsElectronics' ''Pinball/{{Gorgar}}'' pinball includes a Snake Pit, which features a giant snake head and can catch the ball.

* VideoGame/SunlessSea: While exploring the Vault of the First Emperor in the Empire of Hands, you and the Daring Adventuress come across one of these, with only a thin beam as a safe way across. The Adventuress crosses it easily, but for you to do the same, you need to pass a Veils challenge. Succeed, and you cross it safely. Fail, and you fall [[spoiler:onto plenty of dead snakes [[ForgotToFeedTheMonster since there was no way made to feed them]], though you gain some Terror from the experience]].

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* One of Captain Bimbo's traps in ''Webcomic/{{Zortic}}''.
* During a pyramid exploration story in ''Webcomic/SluggyFreelance'', Torg and Riff nearly fall into one of these. However, since Bun Bun stole all their food before they left for the trip, they end up using the snakes for food instead.

* One appears in an episode of ''WesternAnimation/JonnyQuestTheRealAdventures''.
* In ''WesternAnimation/DrawnTogether'', Xandir's girlfriend is being lured into a pit of cobras when Xandir calls her to tell her he's gay.

A subtrope of FedToTheBeast.

* In "The Twelve Wild Ducks", the heroine's WickedStepmother-[[ObnoxiousInLaws in-law]] kidnaps each baby she has and throws it into a snake pit, [[FrameUp making it look like she ate them]]. However, the snakes were less vicious than she thought, and wouldn't harm the children. When they're found again, they're still alive, and even playing with the snakes.

* Film/GungaDin features a pit full of cobras.

* VideoGame/SunlessSea: While exploring the Vault of the First Emperor in the Empire of Hands, you and the Daring Adventuress come across one of these, with only a thin beam as a safe way across. The Adventuress crosses it easily, but for you to do the same, you need to pass a Veils challenge. Succeed, and you cross it safely. Fail, and you fall [[spoiler:onto plenty of dead snakes [[RealityEnsues since there was no way made to feed them]], though you gain some Terror from the experience]].

* ''ComicBook/WonderWoman1942'': Tigra Tropica drops an unconscious ComicBook/SteveTrevor into a tiger pit to try and escape from Wonder Woman while Diana rescues him. The rescue takes far less time than Tigra was hoping for, though the reader is treated to the amusing view of her being lassoed off of a running tiger's back right as she reaches her front gate.

* In the Creator/ChengPeiPei movie ''The Golden Sword'', the cruel women of the Dragon Palace lower male slaves into a snake pit as punishment for infractions such as trying to escape. Sometimes they just do it to scare the men; other times they let the snakes kill them.

* "Manga/MedakaBox": In the General Affairs Manager's Battle during the Kumagawa Incident Arc, Zenkichi and Kumagawa fight on a net platform over a pit of poisonous vipers. They are pretty high up at the beginning, but since the platform they are on is unstable, every sudden movements may lower the platform bit by bit until both of them are within striking distance of the vipers. In the end, [[spoiler]]Zenkichi had to stomp the net platform sending them both to the vipers. [[/spoiler]]