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The Snake-witch (''Ormhäxan''), Snake-charmer (''Ormtjuserskan'') or Smiss stone (''Smisstenen'') is a picture stone found at Smiss, När parish, Gotland, Sweden. Discovered in a cemetery, it measures in height and depicts a figure holding a snake in each hand.〔Nylén & Lamm 1988, p. 40-41.〕 Above the figure there are three interlaced creatures (forming a triskelion pattern) that have been identified as a boar, an eagle, and a wolf.〔Hermodsson 2000, p. 109.〕 The stone has been dated to 400–600 AD. Although many scholars call it the ''Snake-witch'',〔 what the stone depicts—an accurate interpretation of the figures—and whether it derives from Celtic art or Norse art remain debated. ==Parallels, interpretations, and speculation== The figure on the stone was first described by Sune Lindquist in 1955. He tried unsuccessfully to find connections with accounts in Old Icelandic sources, and he also compared the stone with the Snake Goddess from Crete. Lindquist found connections with the late Celtic Gundestrup cauldron, although he appears to have overlooked that the cauldron also shows a figure holding a snake.〔Hermodsson 2000, p. 110.〕 Arrhenius and Holmquist (1960) also found a connection with late Celtic art suggesting that the stone depicted Daniel in the lions' den and compared it with a depiction on a purse lid from Sutton Hoo, although the stone in question does not show creatures with legs.〔 Arwidsson (1963) also attributed the stone to late Celtic art and compared it with the figure holding a snake on the Gundestrup cauldron.〔Hermodsson 2000, p. 111.〕 In a later publication Arrhenius (1994) considered the figure not to be a witch but a male magician and she dated it to the Vendel era. Hauk (1983), who is a specialist on bracteates, suggested that the stone depicts Odin in the fetch of a woman, while Görman (1983) has proposed that the stone depicts the Celtic god Cernunnos.〔Hermodsson 2000, p. 112.〕 It also has been connected to a nearby stone relief on a doorjamb at Väte Church on Gotland which shows a woman who suckles two dragons, but this was made five centuries later than the picture stone.〔 Image:Snake Goddess Crete 1600BC.jpg|The Snake Goddess from Crete c. 1600 BCE Image:Detail of antlered figure on the Gundestrup Cauldron.jpg|The antlered figure on the Gundestrup cauldron c. 1 to 2 BCE found in Denmark Image:Sutton.Hoo.PurseLid.RobRoy.jpg|The purse lid c. 6th to 7th century Sutton Hoo burial site, England. British Museum Image:Lady suckling dragons at Väte church.JPG|The relief at Väte of a woman suckling dragons 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Snake-witch stone」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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