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Uroboros

Structure
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

A circular poetic structure in which the final words or phrase loop back to the beginning, creating a self-contained, cyclical form.

Detailed Definition
Uroboros is a poetic symbol or structural motif derived from the ancient image of a serpent or dragon consuming its own tail, representing cyclicality, self-reflexivity, and the unity of beginning and end. In poetry, the uroboric form may manifest as a circular narrative, a palindrome-like structure, or a final line that echoes the first, creating a closed loop that resists linear progression. This motif appears in works exploring eternal recurrence, ecological cycles, or psychological introspection. For students, the uroboros illustrates how mythic symbols can shape poetic architecture, transforming the poem into a self-contained cosmos that embodies themes of regeneration, paradox, and wholeness through formal design.
Example
Example in poetry:
Uroboros: Poems that end where they begin, like circular form in Dylan Thomas’ "Do Not Go Gentle"; Contemporary: "Uroboros" by Anne Carson loops myth and memory; Layli Long Soldier’s "Whereas" begins and ends with treaty language; Symbol of self-consuming cycle in Sylvia Plath’s "Lady Lazarus"
Additional Notes
Snake eating own tail as symbol or structural metaphor. Circular or recursive poem structure. Related to crown of sonnets and ouroboric narrative.
Also Known As
Tail-biting serpent Self-consuming Circular serpent Eternal return
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