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caduceus, Greek karukeion, is the staff and symbol of the Greek
god Hermes, messenger of the gods, and later these attributes
were transferred to Roman god Mercury. The symbol consists of
either, by legend, a magic wand or herald's staff entwined by
two serpents whose heads are facing each other. In alchemical
symbolism the caduceus is associated with prime matter; the two
serpents threaded in opposite directions around the magic wand
represent the primal Chaos, in that the serpents are thought to
be fighting. Eventually their withering around the caduceus
brings about equilibrium of opposing factors, qualities, or
tendencies. This is why sometimes the caduceus is called the
symbol of peace; besides being the messenger of the gods Hermes
also guided humans through their changes of being. There are
other interpretations of caduceus symbolism which relate to
alchemy. One is that the caduceus is comprised of two serpents
coupling on an erected phallus, f