although I'm not convinced concerning the qualities of female philosophers i
detected lately the only and unsurpassed and really scientific philosophical
comment to ZARATHUSTRA (to the first book). Annemarie Pieper 'Ein Seil
geknuepft zwischen Tier und Uebermensch' , Stuttgart 1990. Concerning the
'theme' of serpent and eagle she wrote in her line of interpretation: the
serpent is prudent, she is bound to earth and a true specialist of earth so
to speak (and, in a further meaning, of the body; think of the serpent as
Eve' s seducer and personification of the devil in the bible) and her
prudence forbide to fly like an eagle, she knows she can't. The eagle as the
personification of the spirit, proud but without a strict antagonism to the
earth, which gravity the eagle achieved to overcome. Serpent and eagle as
personification of the possibility of an overcoming of platon's dualism. '...
Und siehe! Ein Adler zog in weiten Kreisen [circle again!] durch die Luft,
und an ihm hieng eine Schlange, nicht einer Beute gleich, sondern einer
Freundin: denn sie hielt sich um seinen Hals geringelt. [circle again!] "Es
sind meine Thiere!" sagte Zarathustra... Das stolzeste Thier unter der Sonne
und das kluegste Thier unter der Sonne..." (You can find this passage in the
last section of Zarathustra's prologue).
The eagle takes the serpent above and the serpent let him do so without
venomous bite, eagle takes the earth above and the earth takes the spirit ->
sensuous symbol for the acts of the 'Uebermensch'. Earth and spirit connected
but still separated as contrasts with the potence of mutual growing through
agon.
--- from list nietzsche@lists.village.virginia.edu ---