ouroboros
Tail-eating serpent symbol
An ouroboros is an ancient symbol depicting a serpent or dragon eating its own tail, forming a circle.
It represents cyclicality, eternal return, or self-referential systems—things that perpetually consume and regenerate themselves.
The image appears across cultures from ancient Egypt to alchemy to modern psychology.
Figuratively, anything that feeds on itself or creates an endless loop: The committee's review process had become an ouroboros, generating more questions than it answered.
Also spelled uroboros.
Cunning, limbless reptile
- dragonLegendary fire-breathing reptile
- cosmogonyStudy of universal origins
- creationMaking something exist
- destructionAct of completely ruining
primordial · chaos · archetype · deity · pantheon · legend · fable · lore
Return of something previous
- cycleRepeating sequence of events
- rotationTurning on an axis
- loopCurve closing on itself
- spiralCurve winding around center
circuit · gyre · wheel · orbit · circulation · periodicity · self-reference · recursion
Complete change of form
- philosopher's stoneLegendary substance enabling transmutation
- quintessencePurest embodiment of something
- nigredoAlchemical decay phase
- albedoSurface reflection coefficient
hermeticism · tincture · elixir · coagulation · dissolution · calcination · sublimation · distillation
Spiritual or physical regeneration
- regenerationBiological self-repair process
- resurrectionRevival from death
- reincarnationSoul's rebirth after death
- transformationThorough change in form
metamorphosis · shedding · molting · phoenix · self-renewal · restoration · revival · rejuvenation
Worthy of reverence
- transcendenceSurpassing usual limits
- eternityBoundless temporal existence
- divineOf or from gods
- mysticismPursuit of divine union
esoteric · occult · Gnosticism · Hermeticism · theosophy · Freemasonry · tarot · ankh
Representational sign or device
- iconPictorial screen symbol
- mandalaCircular spiritual diagram
- monadIndivisible fundamental unit
- wholenessComplete, undivided state
unity · completeness · infinity symbol · endlessness · perpetuity · totality · perfection · encirclement
serpent
Cunning, limbless reptile
- dragonLegendary fire-breathing reptile
- cosmogonyStudy of universal origins
- creationMaking something exist
destruction · primordial · chaos · archetype · deity · pantheon · legend · fable · lore · Egyptian
recurrence
Return of something previous
spiral · circuit · gyre · wheel · orbit · circulation · periodicity · self-reference · recursion · feedback loop
transmutation
Complete change of form
- philosopher's stoneLegendary substance enabling transmutation
- quintessencePurest embodiment of something
- nigredoAlchemical decay phase
albedo · hermeticism · tincture · elixir · coagulation · dissolution · calcination · sublimation · distillation · alembic
rebirth
Spiritual or physical regeneration
- regenerationBiological self-repair process
- resurrectionRevival from death
- reincarnationSoul's rebirth after death
transformation · metamorphosis · shedding · molting · phoenix · self-renewal · restoration · revival · rejuvenation · resurgence
sacred
Worthy of reverence
- transcendenceSurpassing usual limits
- eternityBoundless temporal existence
- divineOf or from gods
mysticism · esoteric · occult · Gnosticism · Hermeticism · theosophy · Freemasonry · tarot · ankh · kundalini
emblem
Representational sign or device
wholeness · unity · completeness · infinity symbol · endlessness · perpetuity · totality · perfection · encirclement · enclosed
- Dragonsdragon egg, dragon breath, dragonfire, dragon dance, baby dragon
- symbolssymbols, runes, symbol, asterisks, national symbol
- Time Symbolshourglass, clock, sundial, calendar, grandfather clock
- alchemyalchemy, alchemist, philosopher's stone, transmutation, elixir
- occultwitchcraft, sorcery, necromancy, black magic, tarot
- mystic symbolssigil, pentagram, glyph, rune, sigils
ouroboroslinear time
Duration moving one direction
linear progression · arrow of time · entropy · straight line · linearity
ouroborosstraight line
Undeviated continuous path
ray · vector · arrow · linear · infinite regress
ouroborosfragmentation
Breaking into smaller pieces
dissolution · disintegration · entropy · chaos · void