It was believed that poisonous flying snakes lived in frankincense trees, guarding them against intruders. Herodotus wrote Of brightly colored winged serpents called Drakontes or Ophies pteretoi. They were described as water snakes with the wings of bats. It was also believed that they would infest the world if it wasn’t for the females killing the males after mating and the young killing the mother in childbirth. The only way to deter these ophidian guardians was to burn styrax or benzoin resin. The sweet smoke would distract these creatures long enough for the frankincense resin to be harvested safely. Strabo also wrote about them, as it was a common belief in Arabian folklore. There are still accounts of these winged serpents in recent history in the Dhofar region of Oman. While the actual existence of these creatures is uncertain there are some species of “flying snake” that can launch themselves many feet in the air! #poisonpath #poisonlore #poisoninhistory #toxicology #folklore #flyingsnakes #frankincense #esotericherbalism #herbmaguc #plantmagic #geniusloci #occult #witchcraft https://www.instagram.com/p/CNN-eQIntb5/?igshid=1c0yed27oswzf
