Snake

A reclusive poet whose art coiled with quiet ferocity.

Yannis Ritsos was a deeply introverted and intensely private Greek poet who shunned the spotlight even as his work became internationally celebrated. Persecuted, imprisoned, and exiled repeatedly by Greek authorities, he continued writing obsessively in secret — burying manuscripts in bottles — embodying the snake's meticulous, hidden, and fiercely dedicated creative spirit. His long silences, outsider status, and misunderstood genius paired with a vicious poetic precision make him a quintessential snake.