Magma - Myths and Legends Volume III

Worms have played major roles in world mythology and its associated literatures. The word was often used to describe creatures now classified as snakes, lindworms, serpents and dragons. Its symbolic meaning is divided between death and renewal. They continue to play mixed roles in modern cultures. The current usage of worm as a type of malicious Internet software is derived from John Brunner's 1975 science fiction novel The Shockwave Rider. On Pink Floyd's album The Wall, worms were used as "symbols of negative forces within ourselves." Some mythological and fantastic creatures descend from the Old English word "wyrm", a poetic term for a legless serpent or dragon (particularly in Germanic cultures). Although more usually used in the context of earthworms, the English word "worm" derives from Old Norse orm and Old English wyrm, which could also mean "serpent" or "dragon". The synonymous usage of worm and dragon in English lessened during the following centuries. Samuel Johnson's dictionary drew a distinction between worms and dragons (while retaining the word serpent as a definition of worm) and the last synonymous usage of worm and dragon as noted in the Oxford English Dictionary dates to the 17th century.