The Caduceus
The staff of Hermes
Two serpents about a winged staff: opposites held in balance.
The Caduceus: what does it mean in analytical psychology?
The staff of Hermes, messenger and guide of souls, whom the alchemists made their Mercurius. Jung’s essay “The Spirit Mercurius” follows that god’s double nature, and the twin serpents of the staff show it: two opposites wound about one axis, rising toward the wings.
The image has often been compared to the two channels of the subtle body winding about the spine in Kundalini yoga.
The Caduceus: where does it appear in myth and tradition?
The herald’s staff of Greece; the single-serpent rod of Asclepius, often confused with it; Moses’ brazen serpent on the pole.
From the Sources
Bulfinch describes Mercury, messenger of Jupiter, with winged cap and shoes, bearing in his hand a rod entwined with two serpents, called the caduceus.
“He was the messenger of Jupiter, and wore a winged cap and winged shoes. He bore in his hand a rod entwined with two serpents, called the caduceus.”
Thomas Bulfinch, Bulfinch's Mythology: The Age of Fable, The Age of Chivalry, Legends of Charlemagne, The Age of Fable, Chapter I, "Introduction". Complete in one volume, Project Gutenberg eBook #4928. The text, read in part
The Britannica article reports the story that Hermes found two serpents knotted together while fighting and separated them with his wand, which, crowned by the serpents, became the symbol of the settlement of quarrels.
“The mythologists explained this by the story of Hermes finding two serpents thus knotted together while fighting; he separated them with his wand, which, crowned by the serpents, became the symbol of the settlement of quarrels”
Encyclopædia Britannica, eleventh edition: Caduceus, whole article. The 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica, as transcribed on Wikisource. The text, read in full
Each passage is quoted from the text named, which the press fetched and read, and was checked word for word against a fresh copy of it; the link opens that copy. Passages are given as printed, without the editors’ footnote numbers, and with words broken across lines joined.
Where to Read
- “The Spirit Mercurius,” CW 13
Jung’s writings are cited by the volume of the Collected Works (CW), Bollingen Series / Princeton, 1953–79.
Related Symbols
In the Glossary: Hermetic.
Also among Things Held and Worn
“Learn as much as you can about symbolism; then forget it all when you are analysing a dream.”
Cite This Entry
“The Caduceus.” In Symbols of the Psyche, the Symbolarium. The Thinking Press, 2026. https://thethinkingpress.org/symbolarium/psyche/caduceus.
Symbols That Share Its Terms
The Magician (Magus) · The Trickster (Hermes, Loki, Coyote) · The Ascent · The Vessel (Vas hermeticum)
Nearby in the alphabet: The Bull: Fertile strength, offered in sacrifice. The Butterfly: The soul, emerging transformed. Calcinatio: The fire that dries and purifies. The Camel: The spirit that kneels to be loaded.