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Serpent Worship and Serpent Gods:

Horned serpents appear in many Native American religious traditions, though not all indigenous groups associated the serpent with any particular deity or spirits.

The Mi’kmaq people, for example, had “serpent stones” –small rocks or pebbles shaped in the form of serpents that they would offer prayers to. But other tribes often held rituals, such as the snake dance or the pow wow, in which they prayed to serpents.

In some Native American myths, the horned serpent was a god. Serpent people were a race of people with long serpentine bodies who could shape-shift and fly. They were sometimes associated with the thunderbird, a symbol of lightning, which they often accompanied. They also became deities of various Native American tribes, such as the Turtle Clan of the Iroquois, and they were often identified with the thunderstorm.

It is important to note, however, that horned serpent legends were never limited to a particular tribe. Although they have a strong historical relationship with the Native American people of North America, horned serpent myths are found throughout Native American cultures, ranging from East to West.

Thus, the horned serpent has played an important role in the spiritual beliefs of Native American peoples from the earliest times, even if they could not be found in many Native American myths.

Celestial Serpent:

Horned serpents are often described as enormous, serpentine beings in some Native American mythologies.

In most Native American myths, the horned serpent was identified as a celestial serpent or water spirit who lived in the clouds.

This can be seen in the Native American stories of the Great Spirit himself, who was sometimes described as a mighty, horned serpent or water spirit.

Likewise, many Native American creation myths featured a “First Man” or “First Woman” as the original deity, who was often identified with a serpent, or sometimes with an angel.

The Cherokee and Iroquois Indians, for instance, both said that the original ancestor was a divine being with the upper body of a man, the lower body of a snake, and the head of a bird.

A horned serpent was often the animal symbol for a deity of this sort, and thus many Native American myths have involved horned serpents as symbols of celestial beings.