King Cobra - Cultural Significance

Cultural Significance

In Burma, king cobras are often used by female snake charmers. The charmer is usually tattooed with three pictograms, using an ink mixed with snake venom; superstition holds that it protects the charmer from the snake. The charmer kisses the snake on the top of its head at the end of the show.

In India, the king cobra is believed to possess exceptional memory. According to a myth, the picture of the killer of a king cobra stays in the eyes of the snake, which is later picked up by the partner and is used to hunt down the killer for revenge. To prove this theory, a king cobra was captured and left free in an enclosure which had small openings. Numerous people stood in front of the openings but the snake rose to its full height and locked eyes only with the captor. Due to this myth, whenever a cobra is killed, especially in India, the head is either crushed or burned to damage the eyes completely.