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Although one may be tempted to discount the folklore as unreliable source there is certain evidence which seems to support it. Czech herpetologist Jiri Hales writes in his book “Moji pratele hadi (““My friends, the snakes”) about his travels around eastern Slovakia in '70 in search of unusually great snakes and mentions several interest- ing accounts he heard from the local people. One even involves a military unit which was called to destroy an alleged 15 ft. long snake. (Snakes of such length are unknown in this part of the world.) Another account pertains to a ranger who noticed a number of snakes in the forest crawling in one direc- tion and out of curiosity followed them. Thus he has come upon a great “snake king” with a crown on his head surrounded by many snakes. Scared, he quickly left that place. Other accounts involve small children who claimed to play with great snakes and even communicate with them. Hales concludes that these accounts are credible as they include many details which a layman could not possibly make up without personal experience. The Hopi legend is that there were two races, the children of the feather who came from the skies, and the children of the reptile who came from under the earth. The children of the reptile chased the Hopi Indians out of the earth. These evil under-grounders were also called Two Hearts. The Hopi Indian Legend of Creation tells of three different beginnings. One story says that Hopi have arisen from an underground paradise through an opening called Sipapu. The underground paradise was wondrous with beautiful clear skies and plentiful food sources [cf bila-svarga]. It was because of the existence of those called Two Hearts, the bad ones, that refuge was sought in the upper world by the Hopi, the peaceful ones. The underworld was not destroyed but was only sealed up to prevent the Two Hearts from rising upon to the surface world. The second story tells of the descent of the Hopi from the Blue Star of a constellation called the Seven Sisters. One version tells of their travel to earth on the back of Enki, the eagle. Grandfather, the Great Spirit, allowed the first man to select his home from the many stars of the universe. Enki told first man of his home earth, and brought him to visit. First man's exploration of the earth convinced him that this was where he wanted his children to be born and to grow. First Man returned to the heavens to tell Grandfather of his decision. Grandfather was pleased and granted to first man the right to call earth his home. First man soon returned to the green place or Sakwap with his family shortly afterwards. (Many of the hero stories throughout time and through many different cultures refer to a valiant group of seven.) These two legends remind of the story of Kashyapa Muni and his two wives, Kadru, the mother of ser- pents, and Vinata, the mother of Garuda, the divine eagle, mentioned later. The Legend of Da - The world was created by Nana-Buluku, the one god, who is neither male nor female. In time, Nana-Buluku gave birth to twins, Mawu and Lisa, and it is they who shaped the world and control it still, with their fourteen children, the Vodou, or lesser gods. In the beginning, before Mawu had any children, the Rainbow Serpent, Da, already existed - created to serve Nana-Buluku. The creator was carried everywhere in Da's mouth. Rivers, mountains, and valleys twine and curve because that is how the Rainbow Serpent Da moves. Wherever they stopped for the night, mountains arose, formed from the serpent's dung. That is why if you dig down deep into a mountain, you find riches. Now, when Nana-Buluku had finished creating, it was obvious that the earth just couldn't carry every- thing - all the mountains, trees, peoples, and animals. So, to keep the earth from capsizing, the creator asked Da to coil beneath it to cushion it - like the pads the African women and girls wear on their heads when they are carrying a heavy load. 305 Appendix E: Dragons and Serpents North America: Hopi Tribal Tradition Western Africa Atlantis, Alien Visitation, and Genetic Manipulation