Editing Ouroboros (section)

=== In fiction ===
==== Literature ====

A variation of the Ouroboros motif is an important symbol in the fantasy novel ''[[The Neverending Story]]'' by [[Michael Ende]]: featuring two snakes, one black and one white, biting the other's tail, this symbol represents the powerful [[AURYN]] and the infinite nature of the story. The symbol is also featured prominently on the cover of both the fictional book and the novel.

''[[The Worm Ouroboros]]'' is a high-fantasy novel written by [[E. R. Eddison]]. Much like the cyclical symbol of the ouroboros eating its own tail, the novel ends as it begins. The main villain has a ring in the form of Ouroboros.

In ''[[Mexican Gothic]]'' the symbol is used throughout the story, portraying the immortality of the home and the family, as well as the persistence of outdated ideologies.<ref>{{Cite web |title=LitCharts |url=https://www.litcharts.com/lit/mexican-gothic/symbols/the-ouroboros |access-date=2024-08-23 |website=LitCharts |language=en}}</ref> 

In ''[[The Wheel of Time]]'' and its [[The Wheel of Time (TV series)|2021 television adaption]], the Aes Sedai wear a "Great Serpent" ring, described as a snake consuming its own tail.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Jacobs |first1=Mira |title=The Wheel of Time Star Hints at What to Look For in Aes Sedai Rings |url=https://www.cbr.com/wheel-of-time-rosamund-pike-aes-sedai-rings/ |work=[[Comic Book Resources]]}}</ref> 

In the science fiction short story "[[All You Zombies]]" (1958) by American writer [[Robert A. Heinlein]], the character Jane wears an Ouroboros ring, "the worm Ouroboros, the world snake".<ref>{{cite book |last1=Gomel |first1=Elena |title=Postmodern Science Fiction and Temporal Imagination |date=2010 |publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing |page=55}}</ref> The short story later inspired the movie ''[[Predestination (film)|Predestination]]'' (2014).

In the [[SCP Foundation]] universe, the proposal tale "The Ouroboros Cycle"<ref>{{cite web |title=The Ouroboros Cycle Proposal|url=https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/ouroboros |access-date=19 December 2023}}</ref> spans the story of the SCP Foundation from its creation to its ending.

In the ''[[A Discovery of Witches]]'' novels and [[A Discovery of Witches (TV series)|television]] adaptation, the crest of the de Clermont family is an ouroboros. The symbol plays a significant role in the [[Alchemy|alchemical]] plot of the story.

In ''[[The Witcher]]'', the Ouroboros and the "snake biting its own tail" is a recurring theme.

==== Film and television ====
The Ouroboros is the adopted symbol of the [[Eschatology|End Times]]-obsessed [[Millennium Group]] in the TV series [[Millennium (TV series)|''Millennium'']].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Black |first1=A. J. |title=Myth-Building in Modern Media The Role of the Mytharc in Imagined Worlds |date=2020 |publisher=McFarland |page=43}}</ref> It also briefly appears when [[Dana Scully]] gets a tattoo of it in ''[[The X-Files]]'' Season 4 episode "[[Never Again (The X-Files)|Never Again]]" (1997).<ref>{{cite book |last1=Delasara |first1=Jan |title=PopLit, PopCult and The X-Files A Critical Exploration |date=2015 |publisher=McFarland |page=9}}</ref>

"[[Ouroboros (Red Dwarf)|Ouroboros]]" is an episode of the British science-fiction sitcom ''[[Red Dwarf]]'', in which [[Dave Lister]] learns that he is his own father through time travel.<ref>{{cite web |title=Ouroboros |url=https://reddwarf.co.uk/episodes/ouroboros/ |website=Red Dwarf: The Official Site |publisher=Grant Naylor Productions |access-date=10 October 2022}}</ref> 

In Season 1 (2012) of ''[[Ninjago]]'' titled "[[Ninjago: Rise of the Snakes]]", the Lost City of Ouroboros (also referred to as the Ancient City of Ouroboros) serves as a pivotal location in the Serpentine's plan for vengeance against Ninjago. Once a massive Serpentine city, Ouroboros was buried beneath the Sea of Sand after the Serpentine War. The city was key to Pythor and the Serpentine's efforts to awaken the Great Devourer, which had been imprisoned beneath the city. After retrieving the four Fangblades, Pythor returned to Ouroboros and successfully released the Great Devourer, causing significant damage to the city. Despite the destruction, the Serpentine continued to use the city as a temporary base before abandoning it to journey to the tomb of the Stone Army.

In [[Hemlock Grove (TV series)|Hemlock Grove]] (2013-2015), the ouroboros plays an important part throughout the series.

In Season 3 (2014), [[Ninjago: Rebooted]], during the Nindroid crisis, Pythor once again used Ouroboros as a base of operations. Here, he led an army of Nindroids and launched a giant rocket into space in search of the comet that held the remnants of the Golden Weapons.

In Season 1 (2018) of the [[cyberpunk]] Netflix series ''[[Altered Carbon (TV series)|Altered Carbon]]'', the protagonist Takeshi Kovacs gets an ouroboros tattoo in shape of an [[infinity symbol]], and it features in the show's title sequence, tying in to the themes of rebirth and the twisting of the natural cycle of life and death.<ref>{{cite news |title=Why Takeshi's Tattoo In Altered Carbon Means More Than You Think |url=https://www.looper.com/262802/why-takeshis-tattoo-in-altered-carbon-means-more-than-you-think/ |work=Looper}}</ref> 

In the season 2 premiere of the television series ''[[Loki (TV series)|Loki]]'', a character named Ouroboros (played by [[Ke Huy Quan]]) is introduced. He is an employee of the Time Variance Authority. In the fourth episode, he also references a snake biting its own tail.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Owens |first1=Lucy |title=Loki Season 2: There's A Secret Meaning Behind A Fan Favorite Character's Name |url=https://gamerant.com/loki-season-2-ke-huy-quan-ouroboros-name-meaning/ |work=[[Game Rant]]}}</ref>

In the anime ''[[Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood]]'', members of the [[Homunculi (Fullmetal Alchemist)|homunculi]] race are identified by having the symbol carved/tattooed/branded/marked on them.<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Kemner |first1=Louis |last2=Aravind |first2=Ajay |last3=Turner |first3=Lauren |date=2019-10-05 |title=The Symbols & Logos In Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, Explained |url=https://www.cbr.com/fullmetal-alchemist-brotherhood-symbols-explained/ |access-date=2024-03-27 |website=CBR |language=en}}</ref>

The Abiranariba in ''[[The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance]]'' is based on the ouroboros.

==== Gaming ====
''[[Splatoon 3]]'' has a serpent-like Salmonid creature named after it, the Horrorboros.<ref>{{cite news |title=Splatoon 3: Big Run's King Salmonid Continue a Clever Boss Pattern |url=https://gamerant.com/splatoon-3-big-run-king-salmonid-cohozuna-horrorboros-special-weapon-boss-pattern/ |work=[[Game Rant]]}}</ref>

''[[Ace Combat 3: Electrosphere]]'''s main antagonist group is a terrorist organization called Ouroboros, whose intention is to cripple Strangereal's megacorporations in the continent of Usea.

''[[Trails (series)|The Legend of Heroes: Trails]]'' features the enigmatic Society of Ouroboros, whose members serve as recurring antagonists in the series.

In ''[[Xenoblade Chronicles 3]]'', the player's party wields a power named after Ouroboros, which is subversively used to ''oppose'' the world's cycle of death and rebirth, rather than representing it.

In ''[[The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt]]'', an ouroboros spins on loading screens as an indiciation for the game loading.

A three-headed ouroboros is the logo of ''[[The Elder Scrolls Online|Elder Scrolls Online]]'', with a lion, a dragon, and an eagle that represent the three main factions of the game.

In ''[[Inscryption]]'', Ouroboros is a playable card that has the ability to return to the player's hand as a stronger version of itself after it has been killed.

==== Music ====

In [[King Woman]]'s album ''[[Celestial Blues]]'' (2021), Ourobouros is alluded to in the song "Golgotha": "The snake eats its tail, we return again to this hell".<ref>{{cite web |title=King Woman – Golgotha Lyrics |url=https://www.metalkingdom.net/lyrics-song/king-woman-golgotha-248807 |website=Metal Kingdom |access-date=16 March 2025 |language=en}}</ref>

==== Sculpture ====
[[File:Ouroboros, Canberra.jpg|thumb|Ouroboros, Canberra]]
''[https://nga.gov.au/art-artists/sculpture-garden/lindylee-ouroboros/ Ouroboros]'', a large public sculpture by Australian artist [[Lindy Lee]] at the [[National Gallery of Australia]] forecourt.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Jefferson |first=Dee |date=October 23, 2024 |title=National Gallery of Australia's $14m behemoth artwork unveiled – and it's a showstopper |website=[[TheGuardian.com]] |url=https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2024/oct/24/national-gallery-of-australia-lindy-lee-ouroboros-sculpture }}</ref> Members of the public are free to enter its 4{{nbsp}}m "mouth".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-10-24/act-national-gallery-unveils-14-million-ouroboros-sculpture/104512598 |publisher=Australian Broadcasting Corporation |author=Lottie Twyford |title=Thirteen tonne $14 million Ouroboros sculpture unveiled at National Gallery of Australia}}</ref>