European Butterfly Mythology
Believe it or not, early Europeans viewed the butterfly with great respect and fear because they thought that the human soul took the form of a butterfly (and fearing a butterfly isn't as crazy as it sounds. To this day, people still fear moths, especially in their homes, because they believe moths are an omen of death).
Asian Butterfly Mythology
Butterflies have been used by the Chinese and Japanese cultures for centuries as symbols of joy and the essence of happiness.
Native American Butterfly Tattoos
In general Native American legends speak of the belief that butterflies would carry the wishes to the Great Spirit in heaven to be granted. Individual tribe beliefs include:
The Shoshone believe that butterflies were originally pebbles into which the Great Spirit blew the precious breath of life.
Zuni tribes believe that butterflies can predict the weather. The Zuni also believe that the white butterfly predicts the beginning of summer.
The Blackfeet believe that dreams are brought to us in sleep by a butterfly.
Aztec, Mayan And Mexican Butterfly Mythology
Born out of the caterpillar in the chrysalis, butterflies are a symbol of fertility, rebirth, regeneration, happiness, and joy to Native Americans in Mexico.
The Aztecs believed that "the happy dead" visited their relatives in the form of beautiful butterflies to assure the family that all was well. These butterflies flew around the house and around bouquets of flowers, which were carried by Aztec men of social rank.
The Mayans looked upon butterflies as the spirits of dead warriors in disguise descending to earth.
Indian Butterfly Mythology
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.
Did You Know!
Did you know that butterflies have a connection to the Holocaust? Concentration camps contained barracks designated for children and the walls of these barracks are covered with butterflies. Hundreds and hundreds of butterflies, all scratched into the walls with fingernails and pebbles. It turns out that the children, knowing they were going to die, decided to leave a message of hope. Although their bodies would not survive, their immortal souls would live on in the form of butterflies.
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