Vinata

In Hindu mythology, the daughter of
the divine sage Daksha, and the sister
of Kadru. Vinata gives birth to a line of
eagles—of whom the most famous is
Garuda—whereas Kadru gives birth to
a line of serpents. The proverbial
antipathy between these two kinds of
animals is described as stemming
from conflict between these two sisters. One day the sisters get into an
argument about the tail color of a certain celestial horse, with Vinata arguing that it is white, and Kadru
asserting that it is black. The disagreement becomes more intense, until
they finally agree that the person who
is wrong will become a slave to the
other. To ensure her victory, Kadru
persuades a number of her children to
hang from the back of the horse, which
from a distance makes the tail appear
to be black. When Vinata sees the
black snakes, she accepts her defeat,
and for many years has to serve Kadru
under extremely harsh conditions. She
is finally rescued by her son, Garuda,
who when he discovers what has happened, embarks on a program of
killing snakes that has never abated.