Plural of asp; small venomous snakes found in Africa, Europe, and Asia, often with distinctive hood markings.
From Old English 'æspe' or Latin 'aspis,' both referring to the venomous snake, likely related to Proto-Indo-European roots meaning 'to hiss' or 'serpent.' The name became fixed in English by the medieval period through biblical and classical references.
The Egyptian asp (Naja haje) was sacred to ancient Egyptians and appears throughout their mythology and art, including on pharaohs' crowns as a symbol of divine protection and royal authority. Cleopatra's legendary death involved an asp bite, making these snakes iconic in Western imagination.
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