In the sanctuary right next to the throne room in Knossos, archaeologists came across two statues of topless women with wide, superimposed skirts, unusual headdresses with a big cat on top and live snakes in both hands. No doubt they were goddesses or priestesses who performed rituals with snakes - probably a kind of snake dance. We don't know how dangerous such a ritual was, nor do we  know which deity the ritual was for. Regardless, the statues of the snake dancers in the palace shrine show that the snake dance was a central part of the Minoan religion.