Читать книгу The Element Encyclopedia of Magical Creatures: The Ultimate A–Z of Fantastic Beings from Myth and Magic - John Matthews - Страница 96

The thousand-headed serpent of Hindu mythology, Ananta’s name means ‘Endless’ or ‘Infinity’, from which one may guess at its size. Its creation occurred when Balarama, the brother of the sun god, fell asleep by the seashore; out of his mouth crawled the great serpent, consuming his body as it came, until only the head remained. The movement of the vast creature caused the churning of the primal waters, from which the sacred drink of immortality was formed. Like many great mythological serpents, the Ananta will destroy creation at the end of each age. Its mouths spew forth fire and its bite is poisonous, bringing instant death. Yet, at times, it will coil itself in such a way that the sun god Vishnu may sleep in the shade of seven of its mighty heads.