What's the History Behind St. Patrick's Day?

6. What Do Snakes Have To Do With St. Patrick?

It was believed that St. Patrick used his powers to banish all snakes from Ireland. Supposedly, he was able to chase the reptiles to the sea by standing at the top of a hill, now known as Croagh Patrick, and shooing them away with a wooden staff. In actuality, fossil records show that it was too cold for snakes to ever exist in Ireland during the Ice Age. The seas around Ireland have since kept snakes from making their way to the Emerald Isle. The snakes may have been a metaphor for Patrick driving the Pagans from Ireland by spreading Christianity across the country.