There's also a Sumerian myth which is similar to the whole serpent and the fruit of knowledge thing, garden of eden.
So, there's this reptilian water god type figure, named Enki and this paradise place called Dilmun. But Dilmun has no water, so somebody pleads with Enki to bring water to the place. He complies by masturbating all over everything, "letting flow his life-giving semen, the water of the heart." But then he forbids anyone from going near the river he created. Anyway, Ashera(goddess) did anyway and he had sex with her and then a whole chain of incest happened...
Ashera spreads his semen onto the ground which makes 8 plants sprout up. He then eats the plants and gains the secrets of knowledge by doing so. Ashera curses him, leaves, and he falls ill. Like, 8 of his organs fail, one for each plant. Finally, Ashera comes back and gives birth to 8 children and Enki is healed. This breaks the cycle of incest and creates a new race that can reproduce normally.
Snow Crash is a really good book. It's like, sumerian computer mythology -ish, post-cyberpunk, action-packed and totally hip.