Snake biting its tail on a 26" thick brass snake chain. The Ouroboros is an ancient symbol used in ancient Egypt and Greece, representing the eternal cycle of destruction and rebirth. According to the great psychologist Carl Jung: A paradox is expressed through the symbol of the Ouroboros, the snake that eats its own tail. The Ouroboros has been said to have a meaning of infinity or wholeness. In the age-old image of the Ouroboros lies the thought of devouring oneself and turning oneself into a circulatory process. The Ouroboros is a dramatic symbol for the integration and assimilation of the opposite, i.e. of the shadow. This 'feedback' process is at the same time a symbol of immortality since it is said of the Ouroboros that he slays himself and brings himself to life.