As Kekulé told it in 1890

The snake that seized its own tail

Kekulé's dream, as he told it in 1890 A dark room lit by a low fire, an open textbook beneath. Scattered gold atoms dance, then gather into long rows, closely joined, that wind and twist like snakes. One snake curls round and seizes hold of its own tail, forming a ring. The ring whirls, and a flash of light ends the dream. The animation then repeats.
“by his own account the image came as he dozed over his textbook.” — Recognized, Not Devised As Kekulé told it in 1890, at the Berlin celebration of his benzene theory: one snake of atoms taking its own tail. Historians dispute whether the dream happened as he told it.