Lady_Elaine
Sagittarius
Dog
Posted Sat May 31, 2008 3:34 pm...
Cicada
The first literary mention of the cicada is in the Iliad, reputedly written in the seventh or eight century BC, where Homer calls them "sage chiefs exempt from war." This is likely to refer to the peaceful and melodious sound that they make.
The sound of cicadas chirruping in the arm evening air is very beautiful, and it is not surprising that the insect has musical links, some of which explain the provenance of the cicada. There is an Italian myth that the cicada was created by the Gods after the death of a mortal woman who was an exceptional singer, since she died the entire world seemed empty and bereft without her music.
Socrates tells a story that cicadas were once human beings that lost interest in everything but music when the Muses introduced it to mankind. These people even forgot to eat and drink, and started to waste away. The Muses rewarded them for this devotion and saved their lives by transforming them into cicadas. The chirruping of the insects is said to be the sound of them reporting every evening to the Muses about what has happened in the world of Men during the day.
Like other winged creatures, cicadas represent disembodied souls, and there is yet another Greek myth about this aspect of the insect. The Goddess of the Dawn, Eos, loved a mortal, Tithonus. Although Eos managed to gain immortality for her lover, she forgot to ask Zeus for eternal youth for him, and Tithonus' voice got higher with each passing year until he eventually shriveled into the form of a cicada.
The cicada is thus a symbol of immortality. In China it represents the spirit as it disengages itself from the body at the moment of death, and so a carving of the insect was placed on the mouth of the dying person to hasten the process. For the same reason the cicada is depicted on funerary items. However, because the insect seems to respond to the calls of the farmers in the paddy fields, it is a fortunate omen, an emblem of wishes and dreams that come true.
If you cant explain it simply, you dont understand it well enough.-- Albert Einstein
Blessings Bright and Dark,
