Minoan Snake Goddess

The Snake Goddess was one of the Minoan divinities associated closely with the snake cult. She is called also Household Goddess due to her attribute of the snake, which is connected with welfare of the Minoan house. But the snake is also symbol of the underworld deity, so the Snake Goddess is related to chthonic aspects too.

The faience figurine identified as "Snake Goddess" was discovered in 1903 by Arthur Evans in the "Temple Repositories" of the Knossos palace in the island of Crete in Greece  and date to the neo-palatial period of Minoan civilization, ca. 1700–1450 BCE. It is exchibited in Heraklion Archaeological Museum in Crete .

She is dressed in the typical Minoan clothes, with a long skirt and a tight open bodice that leaves her breasts uncovered and she holds a snake in each hand.

While the idol's true function is relatively unclear, it is believed that it represents a fertility figure. The snake, apart its chthonic symbolism is often associated with renewal of life due to the fact that it changes its skin periodically.

The fertility symbol, often mentioned as well as "Mother Goddess", is a symbol that is common in many prehistoric, stone age religions.