from the snakes that plagued them in the desert. The serpent makes its final appearance symbolizing Satan in the Book of Revelation: "And he laid hold on the dragon the old serpent, which is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years." In Neo-Paganism and Wicca, the snake is seen as a symbol of wisdom and knowledge. Additionally, snakes are sometimes associated with Hecate, the Greek goddess of witchcraft. Medicine Several compounds from snake venoms are being researched as potential treatments or preventatives for pain, cancers, arthritis, stroke, heart disease, hemophilia, and hypertension, and to control bleeding (e.g. during surgery). See also Limbless vertebrates List of Serpentes families List of snakes Ophiology Snakebot Snake detection theory Snake skeleton Spinal osteoarthropathy (reptile disease) The New Encyclopedia of Snakes The Snakes of Europe and Snakes of Europe Wikibooks:Snakes of Europe, a wikibook Venomous snake References Further reading External links BBC Nature: Snake news, and video clips from BBC programmes past and present. Basics of snake taxonomy at Life is Short but Snakes are Long Cenomanian first appearances Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus Extant Cenomanian first appearances