You are hereHome › Department & College Collections › Performance and Spirituality: 2010-2015 (Archive) › Saints, Snakes and Healing in Modern and Ancient Greece and Italy Style American Medical Association (JAMA)APAChicago 16 - author-dateChicago 17IEEEModern Language Association (MLA)National Library of Medicine Choose the citation style. Search for this publication on Google Scholar Haland, E. J. (2011). Saints, Snakes and Healing in Modern and Ancient Greece and Italy. Performance And Spirituality, 2(1), 111-151. Saints, Snakes and Healing in Modern and Ancient Greece and Italy Details Type journal article Title Saints, Snakes and Healing in Modern and Ancient Greece and Italy Contributor(s) Haland, Evy (author)(editor)(translator) Located In Performance and Spirituality ISSN 2157-4049 Volume 2 Issue 1 Start Page 111 End Page 151 Date 2011 Use/Reproduction In Copyright Abstract In the village of Markopoulo on the island of Kephallonia (Greece) snakes appear annually on 6 August and disappear after the Dormition-festival dedicated to the Panagia (Virgin Mary). The snakes invade the local church dedicated to Panagia. They are thought to be healing, and several pilgrims arrive to be touched by the snakes, particularly on the eve of 15 August. In the Italian village of Cocullo, situated in the Abruzzi in the territory of the ancient Marsi, renowned for their magic arts and power over serpents, we meet a similar phenomenon: The Feast of Serpents is celebrated on the first Thursday in May. It is dedicated to Saint Domenico, patron saint of the village, who is credited with miraculous powers of healing, and pilgrims arrive at Cocullo to be cured at the Feast of Saint Domenico. The article will present the two festivals where I have conducted fieldwork and compare them with ancient material, since snakes also had an important healing function in the ancient Greek and Roman worlds. They were also related to dead persons and thought to promote fertility. The article will particularly focus on the ambivalent relationship of the snake to gender, and its connection with transformation. Subject(s) GreeceItalyFestivalsSaintsSnakesHealingDeathFertilityGender