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The Forgotten Books of Eden · 21 of 293
First Adam and Eve: Chapter XVIII
The mortal combat with the serpent.
1.WHEN the accursed serpent saw Adam and Eve, it swelled its head, stood on its tail, and with eyes blood-red, did as if it would kill them.
2.It made straight for Eve, and ran after her; while Adam standing by, wept because he had no stick in his hand wherewith to smite the serpent, and knew not how to put it to death.
3.But with a heart burning for Eve, Adam approached the serpent, and held it by the tail; when it turned towards him and said unto him:—
4.“O Adam, because of thee and of Eve, I am slippery, and go upon my belly.” Then by reason of its great strength, it threw down Adam and Eve and pressed upon them, as if it would kill them.
5.But God sent an angel who threw the serpent away from them, and raised them up.
6.Then the Word of God came to the serpent, and said unto it, “In the first instance I made thee glib, and made thee to go upon thy belly; but I did not deprive thee of speech.
7.“Now, however, be thou dumb; and speak no more, thou and thy race; because in the first place, has the ruin of my creatures happened through thee, and now thou wishest to kill them.”
8.Then the serpent was struck dumb, and spake no more.
9.And a wind came to blow from heaven by command of God that carried away the serpent from Adam and Eve, threw it on the sea shore, and it landed in India.
Asked of Guide
Why does the serpent speak at all, then become mute after Adam and Eve's rescue?
The chapter says God originally “did not deprive thee of speech” when making the serpent, so the serpent could speak before the fall and uses that gift now to taunt and threaten Adam and Eve. The serpent’s speech shows it has agency in this story: it advances, “did as if it would kill them,” and even explains its condition, “because of thee and of Eve, I am slippery.”
After the angel rescues the couple, the Word of God declares a new sentence: the serpent is to be “dumb… thou and thy race,” and an immediate silence follows. This final act reads like a legal pronouncement that removes the serpent’s humanlike role; the scene connects to Genesis by giving motive and consequence, while echoing later demonological themes found in texts like John Milton’s Paradise Lost about speech, blame, and punishment.
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