🦋Myths and Legends about Butterflies.🦋

These vibrant insects have a hypnotic effect on their viewers and have represented a symbol of transformation for many cultures around the world. The meaning of butterflies is associated with their metamorphosis and the processes of change linked to the soul.

Let's travel with the butterflies and learn a little about their exotic cultures 

 

"The Toltec Legend of King Quetzalcoatl"  

                                                                                                                                       

The Mayans considered butterflies to be the soul of fallen warriors in battles or sacrifices.⚔️ 

King Quetzalcoatl instead offered the gods birds, snakes, and butterflies as offerings to avoid human sacrifice. 

"The myth of the Goddess Psyche"

For the ancient Greeks, the butterfly represented the original feminine divinity, it was seen as a symbol of the sexual, over time it became an allegory of the immortal soul.

Psyche, which means breath, represents the soul, as well as giving her name to a butterfly. The bow and arrows of Eros (Cupid) represent love.

This link between butterflies and the immortal soul not only occurs in cultures such as the Greek or Roman, we can also find it in places like Asia, Africa, and even Central America.

"The Butterfly Maiden or Polik Mana"  

To the Hopi, Polik Mana is a young woman who performs the spring dance to bring rain over the deserts of Arizona and other parts of the Earth.

"The legend of the Goddess Xochiquetzal"

According to this pre-Columbian legend, the butterfly goddess of love Xochiquetzal granted wishes. The villagers used to catch butterflies to tell you their secrets and then let them fly to the goddess who would fulfill their wishes.

 

👉Did you know that...

The Spanish word butterfly comes from a possible old game in which terms like "Maria, Pósate" were used

That in French the term "Papillon" comes from the Latin Papilio.

That in Italian is called "Farfalla" to a type of pasta in the shape of butterfly wings.

In Anglo-Saxon and Germanic languages, the name butterfly comes from mythological components.

In German, "schmetterling" refers to heavy cream, while "butterfly" means butterfly. They derive from the belief that butterflies are ghostly beings, eager for life and food. 💡

In some cultures such as Mexico, Ecuador, and much of Latin America, it is believed that their appearance heralds death and they are considered beings associated with demons due to their ability to transform.

What do you think? How do you say "butterfly in different languages?