The Choice

[sunnysideup]

I was watching Planet Earth last night, and Nile crocodiles entered the scene. The crocs will sneak up to where a herd of other animals are drinking, snatch one, and bring it into the water to drown before the herd even has a chance to react. It was a violent display of the dangers of stepping into the river. When a crocodile clamps down on a creature, it will not let go. It just keeps pulling the creature until it is underwater, where the creature will drown.

I have previously tended toward an interpretation of this symbol through Egyptian mythology (as Jade mentions above), but now I'm not so sure. It seems to me that the Egyptians thought of the crocodile in the water as the mortal danger hidden from sight. I have to think they they would classify bodies of water into two groups: those with crocodiles and those without. The rivers without crocodiles were safe, but less abundant with fish; whereas the ones with crocodiles were unsafe but abundant. Given that crocodiles were probably the only water creature that would prey on the Egyptians themselves (no sharks in the river), it seems to me that this symbol represents danger more than it does either fear or protection. I don't think crocs are known to protect anything in general; rather, they are known to feed on the unsuspecting. Additionally, the fear of crocodiles is what prevents people from entering the river in the first place. If you have entered, then you are already facing the fear. So fear is probably involved (if you know the river has crocs), but danger still seems to be at the center of the symbol.

The crocodile is the monster in the house---a monster which appears over and over in our fictional narratives. Some examples from film: Jaws, Tremors, Jurassic Park, Alien, Event Horizon, Sunshine, Kujo, It, etc. In each of these fictional narratives, the characters find themselves in an enclosed space where a voracious monster threatens their lives. I think this is what the crocodile represents.

Yeah Nile crocodiles are ferocious ambush predators and the impressive footage in Planet Earth clearly shows this dangerous side of the animal. I certainly wouldn't go swimming in waters that had a croc sign and to me it makes perfect sense that in today's world one would ascribe values like danger or fear to the image of a crocodile. However I have the feeling there might be a cultural difference at play on how we view the croc compared to early civilizations in the Nile valley. Eventhough I also read plenty of writings that contradict my hunch, the overall impression I got is that these civilizations considered the Nile crocodile a sacred animal and a sign of fertility. Back then river floodings were seen as a good thing for it would fertilize the land, and where there were floods there were crocs. According to some Egyptian mythologies the Nile river was created by the sweat of the crocodile god Sobek and the Nile crocodiles were its protectors, warding off evil. Furthermore archaeologists have found mummified crocodiles on the burial sites of pharaohs and records suggesting they might have kept them as pets, and in my humble opinion these findings show how highly respected this animal was at the time. In session 93.21 and 93.22 Ra talks about the significance of the serpent form pictured in the catalyst of the mind card and how the ancient Egyptians culturally viewed the animal as a sign of wisdom. Obviously crocs aren't serpents, but I guess the thought I am trying to get across is that perhaps one needs to view the crocodile in the same light the Egyptians did the serpent. A sign of fertility or something along those lines.