Ningishzida (Sumerian: 𒀭𒊩𒌆𒄑𒍣𒁕 NIN.G̃IŠ.ZID.DA, possible meaning "Lord [of the] Good Tree") was a Mesopotamian deity of vegetation, the underworld and sometimes war. He was commonly associated with snakes. Like Dumuzi, he was believed to spend a part of the year in the land of the dead. He also shared many of his functions with his father Ninazu.
In myths he usually appears in an underworld setting, though in the myth of Adapa he is instead described as one of the doorkeepers of the sky god Anu.
The caduceus (☤; /kəˈdjuːʃəs, -siəs/; from Latin cādūceus, from Ancient Greek κηρύκειον (kērúkeion) 'herald's wand, staff') is the staff carried by Hermes in Greek mythology and consequently by Hermes Trismegistus in Greco-Egyptian mythology. The same staff was borne by other heralds like Iris, the messenger of Hera. The short staff is entwined by two serpents, sometimes surmounted by wings. In Roman iconography, it was depicted being carried in the left hand of Mercury, the messenger of the gods.
Some accounts assert that the oldest imagery of the caduceus is rooted in Mesopotamia with the Sumerian god Ningishzida; his symbol, a staff with two snakes intertwined around it, dates back to 4000 BC to 3000 BC. This iconography may have been a representation of two snakes copulating.
Ophiolatry (snake worship), refers to veneration and religious devotion to serpent deities, a tradition documented in many religions and mythologies worldwide. Snakes are frequently regarded as bearers of knowledge, strength, and renewal in a variety of cultures.