This depiction of an asp reproduces the manuscript illumination from Ashmole 1511, fol. 80v. I’ve painted it with white egg tempera mixed with mineral pigments. Furthermore, the background consists of 24 karat gold leaf. The imagery shows an asp blocking his ear with its tail — while pressing the other to the ground. That way, it won’t hear the snake charmer depicted on the left.

The name of this type of snake, according to the Oxford English Dictionary, is “Asp” (a modern spelling of “Aspide” or “Aspis”) and refers to one of several venomous snake species found in the Nile region. In medieval illuminations, they’re depicted not unlike a dragon: serpentlike, with wings and feet.

The Aspide in the medieval bestiary

According to Bestiary.ca the story of the asp has several versions. In one, the asp guards a tree that drips balm. To reach the tree, man puts the asp to sleep by either singing or playing. Meanwhile, another story says the asp contains a precious stone in its head (a carbuncle). There, the enchanter must say certain words to obtain it (depicted below).

The reproduction represents a parable from a family of bestiaries in England, wherein the author compares man to the asp. The bestiary reads that:

“Asps do no more than merely close their ears. Men of this world blind their eyes lest they see heaven and are reminded of the works of the Lord.“

From the Aberdeen Bestiary: The Asp, continued, retrieved 15-07-2022.

These sentences in the Bible follow in a quote from the Bible, Luke 13:33 to be exact. It is uncertain what the exact text is. Since it it some medieval version, I have referred to 13:44 in the King James Version:

“So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple.”

Luke 13:44 (King James Version)

Essentially, the story tells us that the asp merely closes his ears to avoid the words of men. Meanwhile, man, likewise closes his or her ears to avoid the words of God.