Bugs and I have a largely innocuous relationship, although I am stereotypically squeamish around many of them. They go about their assigned and perfected jobs in the ecosystem, staying outside my radar until I scratch a mosquito bite, step in an ant mound, or clear a splat from my Florida windshield.
I generally don’t ponder the symbolism behind the prolific love bug or cock roach or question their mystical place in our spiritual evolution. I do however, think about one particular bug, or insect to be taxonomically correct, the dragonfly.
This winged beauty is unique, an impression bolstered by the vast, ancient and intercontinental myths spun about the dragonfly, a visitor who sometimes brashly pays me a visit in my home office when my porch door stays open. My dog close enough to pounce, the dragonfly still courageously hovers near me then lands softly and patiently on my window curtain, as if to carry a message to me when I’m ready to receive.
Dragonflies fill people with a sense of wonder, their symbolism deep and rich, is expressed across a wide palette of art, literature, myth, religion, superstition and folklore.
The Dragonfly: Master of Adaptability, Evolution and Aeronautics
Traced back as far as 200 million years, dragonflies predate the dinosaurs and unlike those giant creatures, survived extinction.
The British Dragonfly Society, on their website write that dragonflies and damselflies belong to the insect order known as Odonata, meaning "toothed jaw" because their mouth parts are serrated. Often referred to collectively as "dragonflies;" there are actually two different sub-orders. Dragonflies are insects of the sub-order Anisoptera meaning "unequal-winged," while damselflies, although closely related, are smaller and reign from the sub-order Zygoptera meaning "yoke-winged.”
Throned the “light bearers” because of their ability to reflect and refract light, dragonflies can bend, shift and adapt sunrays through their wings, displaying vivid and characteristic color patterns.
Extraordinary aerial acrobats, dragonflies are masters of maneuvering, rapidly changing direction, exhibiting air show antics with ease. Able to fly backwards like a hummingbird, straight up, down or towards either side, dragonflies can flap their wings a mere 30 times a minute compared to the less talented mosquitoes and houseflies that flap theirs 600 and 1,000 times a minute respectively, writes the website Dragonfly-site.com.
In addition to being highly efficient flyers, dragonflies are fast. The British Dragonfly Society writes on their website that the maximum speed of large species is around 25-30 mph, with an average cruising speed of about 10 mph. Small species, and especially damselflies, are generally slower, although many medium-sized species can probably keep up with the largest ones.
Highly adaptable, these creatures can move across three planes, switching seamlessly from water, land and air and can adjust their orientation, body position and wing positions to regulate their own body temperature. Almost brash, dragonflies will sometimes hover within an arm's reach of humans, a daring insect, appearing to display a purposeful courage I imagine is rare in the insect and human dynamic.
Dragonfly Symbolism: Ancient Insect Presents Powerful Images Across Cultures
While the symbolism of dragonflies is vast and varied, a common themes pervade nearly all interpretations: illusion, illumination, change and transformation.
Honored in many cultures, dragonflies are highly regarded by Native Americans and Asians. As an animal totem, some Native American people believe dragonflies are messengers, carrying thoughts to other people far away.
An online dragonfly resource, The Cultural Odonatology Reference includes a list of dragonfly symbolism across world cultures, including a reference to An Illustrated Encyclopaedia of Traditional Symbols by J. C. Cooper. Cooper writes that dragonflies share the symbolism of immortality and regeneration with the butterfly. I'm not surprised with the symbolic overlap between these two insects given humans’ fascination with both.
Cooper also writes that some Native Americans associate dragonflies with “whirlwind, swiftness and activity," the Chinese with “summer, instability and weakness,” and the Japanese with early and late summer, early autumn and with “irresponsibility and unreliability.” And, The Handy Bug Answer Book says that in Japan dragonflies are also symbols of courage, strength, and happiness, often appearing in art and literature, especially in the haiku.
According to the animal communication and behavior specialist Marilyn Tokach, in Native American Dakota/Lakota mythology, the dragonfly is associated with illusion because their wings beat so fast the human eye can’t capture them. Over in Ireland and parts of Europe, dragonflies were associated with fairies. Various fables and fairytales told that if you followed a dragonfly, it would lead you to fairies, a tale that evokes images of magic. “Dragonflies are so full of spiritual energy and a sort of magic, that they represent the ability to travel between dimensions,” explains Tokach on her website Pure Spirit.
Tokach writes of dragonflies and illusion, “They tell us that things are not always as they seem, and that life itself is not always what it appears to be.” And although the word "dragonfly" comes from the myth that dragonflies were once dragons, Dragonfly-site.com list a number of symbolic associations including:
- Depth of Character and Maturity. Change and self-realization, referring to change that has its origin in mental and emotional maturity, understanding of the deeper meaning of life. Dragonflies' association with water and their ability to move across water represent the act of moving past what is directly on the surface into deeper meanings and implications about life. They symbolize letting our light shine in so we can see what we need to see to make our lives better, looking past the limitations of our physical existence so we can change and grow.
- Power and Poise. Dragonflies’ extraordinary flight agility and maneuvering skills symbolize their ability to switch directions, to adapt and to see life from all angles.
- Defeat of Self-created Illusions. Dragonflies have iridescent coloring on their wings and body. Iridescence means an object shows itself in different colors depending on the angle and polarization of light falling on it. The dragonfly’s iridescence suggests breaking out of self-created illusions and moving into a clear vision of the realities of life. It is a journey of discovery of one’s abilities through unmasking the real self and removing doubts one casts on his/her own sense of identity.
- Focus on Living in the Moment. Most of the dragonfly’s life is spent in the water as a nymph or an immature creature. As it grows it flies for a very small time. This fleeting and temporary state of physical existence uses up life, leaving nothing to be desired, and exemplifies the notion of living in the moment, living life to the fullest. By living in the moment you are aware of who you are and what you want (and don’t want); you make informed choices on a moment-to-moment basis without regret.
- Opening Your Eyes. Nearly 80% of a dragonfly’s brain power is dedicated to its sight as it can see 360 degrees, another extraordinary talent and one that symbolizes having an unobstructed vision, the ability to see fully beyond the limitations of the human self. Visual clarity also suggests an ability to see beyond the everyday mundane into the greater unseen in the Universe, and into our own mind.
Insects That Inspire, Provoke Thought and Transcend Understanding
I believe the fascination and symbolic strength of dragonflies for humans arises in part because they stir a reaction in us that many other insects do not. We are likely inherently prejudiced by the aesthetics of all creatures so an "ugly" bug who appears before us holds no awe. The Palmetto bug for one, sends me into childish hysteria, a prolific bug of "horror," manic speed, fortitude and resilience that evokes for me, primal fear and a need to escape. The dragonfly however, pulls me closer.
When a dragonfly visits me, gliding through my pool deck door, its thin, luminescent colorful body and papery spanned wings slow to a steady vibration, a winged friend who settles unhurried on my window sheers. Unlike the frenzied Palmetto bug that scurries or flies erratically in my presence, the dragonfly exhibits no hysterics for being so near, no flapping urgency, no delirious panic at trying to escape.
I know the dragonfly is an insect and not a soul but we are not so far apart, the dragonfly and I, and perhaps others through the centuries have sensed the same
My visitor is peaceful and calm, seeming assured he can leave my office anytime because my door remains open. And once months back a dragonfly stayed in my office an entire week, perched near a window until one day he was no longer alive. So while I shoo away or squash the roaches, wasps, love bugs and mosquitoes from my indoor-outdoor life, I ask my daughter and my husband to leave the dragonflies alone, to give reverence and space as they spend their very short time on earth with us.
Perhaps our fascination with this ancient insect comes from the lore, its beauty, its agility, its calm, but this tranquil, agile, delicate yet bold winged beauty continues to capture artists, poets, mystics and more, with its image popping up on pillows, websites, coasters, cups, jewelry, t-shirts and often, through the eyes of the entranced poet or artist.
These mystical creatures fly towards us with seamless and steady movements; their ethereal quality and vast mythology drawing us in. We do not know why we love the dragonfly; we only know that we do.
Sources
- "Are There Any Myths or Legends About Dragonflies?" BritishDragonflySociety.com, Accessed May 9, 2011.
- "The Meaning of a Dragonfly: What Does a Dragonfly Symbolize." Dragonfly-site.com, Accessed May 9th, 2011.
- Lyons, Ron,"Damsels and Dragons - the Insect Order Odonata." University of San Diego, CA. Center for Astrophysics and Space Sciences. Accessed May 9, 2011.
- Waldbauer, Gilbert (1998). The Handy Bug Answer Book. Detroit: Visible Ink Press. pp. 91.
- Cooper, J.C. (1978) An Illustrated Encyclopaedia of Traditional Symbols, New York, New York: Thames and Hudson.
- Tokach, Marilyn, "Dragonfly Symbolism." Pure Spirit. Accessed May 9, 2011.
Laura Owens - Laura Owens has a B.S. in Psychology from Rollins College & U of FL. She is a freelance writer with expertise in motivation & wellness.
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