Alluding to snakes

The symbol of a snake or serpent has changed throughout time, the most prevalent of which being the Judeo-Christian interpretation  of a great deceiver, the embodiment of temptation, lust, and even evil. While reading with this in mind one sees Marlow as depicting the river as and object of lust. His infatuation with the river is shown in the lines  “the snake had charmed me"  and calling it "Fascinating" and at the same time "Deadly". However, the snake also has further depth when alluding to the Greek/Latin Connotation of the snake. Snakes where omens of the gods, sacred in their own right, that appeared several times in the three great western epics. They represented wrath when a serpent rose from the sea to devour Laocoon and his sons, divine favor during the Trojan War as shown by a snake eating nine birds, and redemption illustrated when a snake emerged from under a monument to consume the offerings left by Aneaus. One theme that is relevant to the novella, that is also present in the epics, is the snake taking something into it, just as the river or "Giant serpent" takes Marlow into it. This  invokes a undertone of spiritual awaking, perhaps for Marlow, perhaps for the audience. It is interesting to find this juxtaposition of connotation within the same symbol. On one hand we see the snake as a symbol for corruption on the other we see a messanger of divine will. This could possibly foreshadow to the conflicting attitude that Marlow will face in the African wild.