He was surrounded by “slimy” creatures who traveled with him on the boat. No matter how many times he prayed, the sailor would be denied his prayer until the “slimy” creatures allowed him to pray. “Beyond the shadow of the ship, I watched the water snakes. They moved in dazzling white tracks, and when they reared, the elven light fell in hoary flakes. In the shadow of the ship I observed their rich clothes: blue, shiny green and velvet black, they rolled up and swam; and every trace was a flash of golden fire.”(277) The sailor saw the world as hot, salty, acrid, and rotten and despised everything around him. Only when the sailor began to appreciate the beauty that surrounded him was he granted the right to pray. The serpent had represented evil in all Western countries and he had blessed it without even knowing it. His heart was full of love as he began to appreciate the true nature around him. The albatross had fallen from his neck as if the weight had been lifted from his shoulders and had become a cross he no longer had to carry.