8. Abraxas, Who Has A Rooster Head And Snakes For Legs
If it's legit strange gods you want, it's off to Ancient Greece and Egypt! It's there that you can find Abraxas, the god who has a regular human body, a big old rooster head and snakes for legs. Whether having snakes for legs would actually support the weight of a rooster-man is one of those things the faithful simply took on trust. Abraxas is interesting, not only because he's the immortal equivalent of the creepy mutant creations that scary child Sid from Toy Story made, but because he also influenced gnosticism. That ancient faith involved sexual abstinence and giving away all your worldly possessions, and inspired early Judaism and Christianity as well. Really. Abraxas is sort of one of the most popular gods in history, along with being amongst the strangest. Which is strange in itself. Because, not to belabour the point or anything, he's the god with a rooster head and snakes for legs, who wields a shield and whip, and whose image is found on old rocks archaeologists find all over the world. People love Abraxas.
Tom Baker is the Comics Editor at WhatCulture! He's heard all the Doctor Who jokes, but not many about Randall and Hopkirk. He also blogs at http://communibearsilostate.wordpress.com/
