Great Serpent Mound

Why was it built? What does it mean?

Alone among animals the serpent is without feet, fins or wings. It sheds it's skin every spring. for many this means a renewal of life. To many Indian people the cast-off snakeskin has the power to cure and heal.

The Cherokee call the rattlesnake Uktena:

a great snake, as large as a tree trunk, with horns on it's head, and a bright diamond crest on the forehead. The scales glitter like fire. The diamond is called Ulunsuti (transparent), he who can win it may become the wonder-worker of the tribe. Who ever is seen by the Uktena is so dazed by the bright light that he goes toward it instead of trying to escape.

The great serpent wriggles northward, mouth agape, trying to swallow a great egg. The serpent mound is a religious effigy. It is not a burial place.