Its appearance in Antiquity was associated with the myth of Apollo and Hermes. According to the myth, Apollo as a sign of reconciliation with his brother gave him his magic staff. When Hermes, deciding to test its properties, put the staff between two struggling snakes, they immediately stopped fighting and encircled the stick. Hermes liked this picture so much that he immobilized them. In ancient Rome caduceus became an integral attribute of ambassadors. In addition to a symbol of reconciliation, it later became an emblem of commerce and medicine. Also known as an occult sign, the symbol of the key to the secret knowledge, crossed snakes while symbolizing the dualism of the universe. All these meanings of the caduceus in one way or another associated with the mythological image of Hermes.
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