Left to right, top to bottom: a young Indian cobra, Kaa from The Jungle Book (1967), an amphisbaena from Dungeons & Dragons, an emerald tree boa, a European water snake, and the titular dragon from The Bride of the Lindorm King.
Tropes pertaining to snakes, serpents, and slithery reptiles in general.
Despite the name, Smug Snake and Cornered Rattlesnake do not go here. Why Did It Have to Be Snakes? can involve snakes, but doesn't have to.
Tropes
Related:
- Basilisk and Cockatrice: The basilisk of antiquity was depicted as the king of serpents, and many modern works follow suit.
- Bird vs. Serpent: Snake (sea or land reptile) against bird (sky reptile).
- Classical Chimera: Traditional Chimeras will usually have snakes for tails. As in the whole snake.
- Eastern Zodiac: The snake is the sixth animal of the zodiac.
- Feather Boa Constrictor: Wearing a snake as though it's a fashion accessory, typically like a scarf.
- Feathered Serpent: A snake or snake-like creature with feathers and/or avian wings.
- The Great Serpent: Snakes of incredibly large sizes, which may or may not be supernatural.
- Healing Serpent: Snakes and snake-like entities that heal.
- Knotty Tentacles: Despite the name, this often involves snakes getting tied or tangled up like ropes.
- Nue: A chimeric yokai that is often depicted with having the tail of a snake.
- Orochi: An eight-headed and -tailed serpent from Japanese mythology.
- Our Hydras Are Different: The Lernaean Hydra was a many-headed snake, and modern hydras often sport ophidian traits.
- Ouroboros: A snake biting its own tail; a symbol of infinity and cycles.
- Scaled Up: Characters taking on a more reptilian form, oftentimes a snake.
- Sea Serpents: Giant, serpentine sea monsters.
- Segmented Serpent: Snakes and similar creatures whose long bodies are depicted as a series of discrete segments.
- Serpent of Immortality: Snakes associated with immortality, rejuvenation, rebirth and youth.
- Serpent Staff: A staff modeled after a snake.
- Snake Versus Mongoose: The traditional mortal enmity of snakes and mongooses.
- Snake Charmer: A character who can hypnotize snakes, usually with flute music.
- Snake People: Snake-like humanoids; these may have legs or they may slither on serpentine tails or trunks.
- Snake Pit: A large hole with snakes in it, perfect for disposing of meddlesome do-gooders.
- Snakes Are Sexy: Snakes associated with sexual themes.
- Snakes Are Sinister: Snakes portrayed as creepy or malicious creatures.
- Snake Whip: Animate whips shaped like snakes.
- Somewhere, a Herpetologist Is Crying: When snakes are depicted with Artistic License – Biology.
- Sssssnake Talk: Speaking by holding your sibilants like a hissing snake. Like thissss.
- Tsuchinoko: A mythical Japanese creature resembling a fat, burrowing snake.
- Western Rattlers: Rattlesnakes are connected to the American West and its associated genre.
- Wise Serpent: Snakes are presented as wise, knowledgeable, cunning and sometimes benevolent creatures.
