About that serpent. From what I have read in African mythology and folk tales. I would say that the serpent is a very explicit sexual image, and “of course” anything having to do with sex is all women’s fault. Just see how the Muslim fanatics have carried this to its logical vicious extreme with burkas, genital mutilation of little girls, etc.
As both of you are open to reading deeper into the top layer of Genesis I'll tell you what I have been taught, and believe about the beginning.
The serpent, or Satan, seduced Eve. As Paul put it in 11Corinthians 11:3: But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.
"Beguile" as used there is #1818 Strong's - "To seduce, wholly". When Eve said (Gen.3:3)....neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die." "Touch" is #5060 and one of the meanings is "to lie with a woman". Also, vs. 6 states that "the tree was good for food and that it was pleasant to the eyes..." Good for food means lust of the flesh while pleasant to the eyes means lust of the eyes.
Because of that act God said (15) And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her Seed; It shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise His heel." The seed of Satan was Cain. He was not the son of Adam. Adam also knew his wife (4:1-2) and in vs. 2 it tells us "she again bare his brother Abel... To "bare again" means she continued in labor = twins, but not of the same father.
Notice that the genealogy of Cain is given in 4:17 while that of Adam is given in 5:4 and Cain is not mentioned in Adam's genealogy.