|
|
 |
Butterflies In Myth And Lore |
Myths about Butterflies ~
Many of the ancient civilizations believed that butterflies were symbols of the human soul.
The Greeks believed that a new human soul was born each time an adult butterfly emerged from its cocoon.
Butterflies have been used by the Chinese and Japanese cultures for centuries as symbols of joy and the essence of happiness.
Both cultures have added them to manuscripts, paintings and drawings for centuries.
Early Europeans believed that the human soul took the form of a butterfly so, they viewed the butterfly with great respect and often with fear.
Northern Europeans throught that dreams were the result of the soul-butterfly's wanderings through other worlds.
In southern Germany, some say the dead are reborn as children who fly about as butterflies, resulting in the belief that they bring children.
The Irish believe that butterflies are the souls of the dead waiting to pass through purgatory.
Native American Indian legends told that butterflies would carry the wishes to the Great Spirit in heaven to be granted.
Shoshone Indians believed that butterfles were originally pebbles, into which the Great Spirit blew the precious breath of life.
Native American Zuni tribes believed that butterfles could predict the weather. The Zuni also believed that the white butterfly predicts the beginning of summer.
The Blackfeet Indians believe that dreams are brought to us in sleep by a butterfly.
The butterfly is a symbol of the fertility of the earth among some tribes of Mexico.
Born out of the caterpillar in the chrysalis, butterflies were a symbol of rebirth, regeneration, happiness, and joy to Native Americans in Mexico.
The Maya looked upon butterflies also as the spirits of dead warriors in disguise descending to earth.
A dying man in the Solomon Islands has a choice as to what he will become at death and often chooses a butterfly.
Among the Nagas of Assam the dead are believed to go through a series of transformations in the underworld and are finally reborn as butterflies.
When the butterfly dies, that is the end of the soul forever.
The Aztecs believed that the happy dead in the form of beautiful butterflies would visit their relatives to assure them that all was well.
These butterflies flew around the house and around bouquets of flowers which were carried by Aztec men of social rank.
Metamorphosis of butterflies and moths is one of the mysteries of Nature.
The ability of these insects to change from the crawling caterpillar to the flying adult is almost magical.
Many people are so awe inspired by the metamorphosis that they believe that butterflies and moths could never have evolved over millions of years without a God behind it.
The night butterfly [the moth] attracted by the flame, like the soul attracted by heavenly truths, burns in the flame, reflection of the trials that must be endured to eliminate the fleshy sink-stones before knowing the joys of the beyond. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Alias | Date | Reply |
| Something Mysterious |
3/13/2005 9:29:00 PM |
Oh, this is really cool! Butterflies are symbolic for me for my own reasons, and I just saw my first butterfly of the spring today! This is very interesting... thanks! Tourmaline |
| Xylanthia |
3/13/2005 9:50:00 PM |
This was a very neat read..I never knew that butterflies were thought so highly of..very cool!! |
| The Heather Syndrome |
3/14/2005 5:22:00 AM |
I've never known why I've been so in love and attached to butterflies, always thought it was just some phase or a lil' hobby of likin' 'em or something. Thanks for posting this, this was awesome! |
| "I remember you..." |
3/14/2005 8:58:00 AM |
Very interesting. THank you for the post. Do you have a website or book where you find this? |
| Hagatha |
3/15/2005 11:46:00 AM |
This is a great post!!! I love butterflies and bought a few drawings the other day. I've bookmarked this post and Thanks for posting. |
| AAngelica |
3/18/2005 1:01:00 PM |
These are beautiful beliefs |
| Ra_Xaos |
4/10/2005 2:27:00 PM |
I live in Southern Cali. On the 1st of this month, millions of 'Painted Lady' butterflies were migrating to the north. They were everywhere! The people you talk about in this post would have had a field day with their beliefs if they saw that. |
| ImaginaryLight |
4/23/2005 8:40:00 PM |
Night-butterflys..That sounds so much nicer than moth. I'm terrified of moths lol. This was a great post!!! |
| 13th magus |
5/7/2005 5:36:00 PM |
Wonderful posts. Truely, the Butta'fly is an amazing thing, is it not? Light, and in flight, with rainbows shimmering on its back. |
| Perpetually Bored |
5/14/2005 6:05:00 PM |
I'm glad I found this. I bookmarked it. :) |
| ~*~Danielle~*~ |
6/30/2005 1:19:00 PM |
wow, very interesting! |
| jannymay7 |
7/22/2006 2:52:00 PM |
I always thought the butterfly represented the reserection of Christ.Born as a catterpiller,to all appearence dead as a cocoon and raised up to a new life again as a beautiful butterfly.
Also heard they use to be called flutter bys because thats what they do.Then in the 17th or 18th century their names were changed to Butterflys.Thats what I've heard. Janice Elliott |
|
|
|
|
|
