Butterfly: Powerful Ancient Symbol Of Beauty, Transformation, Hope, Rebirth And Happiness Featured In Myths And Legends
A. Sutherland - AncientPages.com - Insects have always accompanied humans; some of them have gained a special place in culture and mythology. A butterfly has deep roots in the early beliefs of ancient people around the world, and many myths and legends feature this fantastic insect.
Native American Hopi Carved Butterfly Maiden Kachina Doll. Credit: kachinahouse
A good example can be the butterflies, one of the most beautiful insects that symbolize the day and female beauty.
The butterfly has been a symbol in almost every culture of transformation and rebirth. The butterfly experience many changes, starting its life in one form and ends in another. Ancient people (and perhaps also modern ones) have long believed that our souls transform. The ancient Romans believed that a butterfly symbolized the soul, and butterflies often adorned old tombstones.
Importance Of Butterfly Among Native Americans
For many Native American tribes, the appearance of a butterfly announces beautiful weather and good luck. However, butterflies play a variety of other roles in folktales of these people depending on the tribe. Sometimes, butterflies represent balance and change; other folktales emphasize their beauty, vanity, and playful behavior. Some Native America tribes had taboos against killing these insects. Likewise, among ancient Irish beliefs, there was one saying that in white butterflies dwelled the souls of young children.
The killing of such a butterfly had significant and very negative consequences.
For the Greeks, the butterfly was the symbol of the soul or psyche. source
Blackfoot people of Saskatchewan, Alberta, and British Columbia, and the U.S. state of Montana, strongly associate butterflies with sleep and dreaming, and butterfly designs were used to decorate cradleboards and other children's objects to help them sleep and experience pleasant dreams.
For the Aztecs, the butterfly was associated with women who had died in childbirth. Such women were honored with the same praise as the Aztec warriors who lost their lives in combat. The monarch butterfly represented the souls of deceased children who return to earth. The Aztecs saw the image of a human face in the insect’s wing motif, and in times of Teotihuacan's greatness, seals and headdresses were adorned with it.
In Aztec mythology, Itzpapalotl ("Obsidian Butterfly") was a skeletal warrior goddess who ruled over the world of Tamoanchan, the paradise of victims of infant mortality and the place identified as where humans were created. source source2
Butterflies were also associated with fire; their swarming together resembles a dance giving associations with the flames of a bonfire.
Hopi And 'Butterfly Dance'
Irish folklore attributes butterflies the ability to penetrate between worlds, and the Indians of South America believed that if someone could count the spots on the wings of the most numerous variety of butterflies there, they would find out how much money they would make in their lives.
Among the Hopi in North America, the butterfly is one of the animals of the creator, and so they perform beautiful 'Butterfly Dance' in honor of the butterfly Kachina. The Butterfly Maiden, called Palhik Mana, appears in August when butterflies appear in Arizona. The ceremony is held as a thanksgiving for the corn harvest, and the maidens represent the butterflies that pollinate the corn, helping to bring the crop.
Butterflies Are The Returning Souls Of The Dead
For the Maori, however, the butterfly is a symbol of longevity and immortality while the aborigines of Australia believe that butterflies are the returning souls of the dead.
For the Greeks, the butterfly was the symbol of the soul or psyche. The story of the soul's transformation from human to immortal status is told in the tale of Eros and Psyche.
For the Chinese, the butterfly is the emblem of immortality, joy, and leisure. Its depictions with the plum mean longevity; when it is illustrated with the chrysanthemum plant (know in China since at least 500 BC) it portrays beauty in old age. The butterfly also means a young man in love; however, if the woman he loves dies, she may be represented coming out of her grave as a butterfly.
In Japan, ancient people had both positive and negative associations with the butterfly, which symbolized a dishonest lover, a vain woman, or a geisha who stays with no husband but is available to man after man. This insect was often viewed as a bad omen, but it also had a positive meaning: two butterflies dancing together was a sign of happy love and happiness in marriage.
Butterfly – Christian Symbol Of Resurrection Of All Men
In Christian iconography, the butterfly is sometimes shown in paintings of Christ Child and the Virgin, particularly in the Child's hand, and symbolizes not only Jesus' resurrection but also the resurrection of all men.
It has clear associations with the butterfly's three stages of life: the caterpillar, the chrysalis, and the butterfly. At the same time, these three stages mean human life, death, and resurrection.
Written by - A. Sutherland - AncientPages.com Senior Staff Writer
Copyright © AncientPages.com All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or part without the express written permission of AncientPages.com
Expand for referencesReferences:
Ferguson G. Signs and Symbols in Christian Art
Matthews, Caitlin. The Element Encyclopedia of Magical Creatures
Lake-Thom B. Spirits of the Earth
More From Ancient Pages
-
Piecing Together Scotland’s Religious Past With Shards Of Glass
Archaeology | Feb 28, 2023
-
Mystery Of The Langeid Viking Sword And Its Undeciphered ‘Magical’ Inscriptions
Artifacts | Jun 4, 2022
-
A Remarkably Well-Preserved Wooden Well Dating Back To The Bronze Age Uncovered In Benson, Oxfordshire
Archaeology | May 10, 2024
-
Why Was Grette The Strong, Icelandic Poet And Warrior Afraid Of Darkness?
Featured Stories | Sep 30, 2023
-
Lost Villa Of First Roman Emperor Augustus Found At Somma Vesuviana In Southern Italy
Archaeology | Apr 19, 2024
-
Mysterious Ancient Inscriptions Never Meant To Be Read – Biblical Secrets Revealed
Artifacts | May 17, 2018
-
Underwater Archaeologists Retrieve Over 100 Magnificent Glass Objects at Chengene Skele Bay, Bulgaria
Archaeology | Jul 16, 2024
-
Why Did King Solomon Hide Advanced Technology In A Secret Place? – The Great Deception – Part 2
Featured Stories | Apr 3, 2021
-
Mysterious Ancient Rulers With Elongated Skulls – Who Were They Really?
Featured Stories | May 19, 2015
-
Choctaw Indians’ Legend Of Nanih Waiya Cave Mound – Mysterious Underground Realm Of Their Ancestors And Their Battle With Giants
Featured Stories | Aug 3, 2017
-
On This Day In History: Napoleon Exiled To Elba – On Apr 11, 1814
News | Apr 11, 2016
-
Viking’s Symbols Of Travels Prestige And Adventure Were Imported From Abroad
Ancient Symbols | Oct 1, 2015
-
Somalia’s Legacy: Laas Geel Caves Covered With At Least 5,000-Year-Old Paintings
Civilizations | Oct 18, 2018
-
Never-Before-Seen Ancient Frescoes Discovered Inside The Dormition Cathedral
Archaeology | Feb 28, 2020
-
Ancient City Of Knossos – A Cosmopolitan Hub Of The Minoan Civilization And Culture
Civilizations | Jan 8, 2016
-
Medieval Friars Were ‘Riddled With Parasites,’ Study Finds
Archaeology | Aug 19, 2022
-
A Rare Find In Ancient Timorese Mud May Rewrite The History Of Human Settlement In Australasia
Featured Stories | May 28, 2024
-
World-Famous Temple Of Bel In Palmyra, Syria – Digitally Reconstructed
News | Aug 22, 2020
-
Three 1850-Year-Od Stone Ossuaries Prevented From Looting Near Kafr Kanna In Galilee
Archaeology | Jun 21, 2023
-
Stunning Gold Jewelry And Artifacts From The Time Of Nefertiti Found In Bronze Age Tombs In Cyprus
Archaeology | Dec 2, 2021