Spirit Animal Round Up: Butterfly

I think my recent post put me in a butterfly type of mood.

People generally love butterflies. They are admired worldwide for their beauty. One of the more obvious associations with the butterfly is the coming of spring. They also represent freedom, lightness, and rebirth. Many cultures link butterflies (and also moths) to the dead, believing that they embody the souls of the departed. This is why butterflies are shown on tombstones in many countries. But with the exception of only a few times butterflies aren't usually seen as ominous. Some cultures believed that witches transformed into butterflies in order to steal milk and butter.

All this makes butterfly names appealing. Here are just a few that I collected:

1. Chrysalis. I posted about this one recently. This is the stage between caterpillar and butterfly.

2. Mazarine. A deep blue color. Also the name of a famous French cardinal. The beautiful Mazarine Blue's numbers have been declining for reasons that are unclear.

3. Monarch. One of the few names on this list that works for boys, this references the most iconic of North American butterflies. They are known for their orange and black coloring.

4. Flutura. Albanian for "butterfly."

5. Parvaneh. "Butterfly" in Persian. Can also be spelled Parvana.

6. Fritillary. A species of butterfly. From the Latin fritinnire meaning "to twitter." This name could also refer to flowers.

7. Vanessa. Invented by author Jonathan Swift, it was later used for a genus of butterfly.

8. Mariposa. Spanish for "butterfly."

9. Psyche. Some depictions show this mythical character with butterfly wings. In Greek/Roman mythology, she famously loved Eros/Cupid.

10. Skipper. Some species get this name due to their swift, darting flight patterns. Reminds me a bit of Barbie dolls, but there's still some appeal here.

11. Copper. Another one that works great for boys. They are also called gossamer-winged butterflies. Come to think of it...

12. Gossamer. A word used to describe something very fine or sheer.

13. Leafwing. Something about this smoosh-name is very charming. There is also Cloudywing, Daggerwing, Bluewing, Clearwing, Duskywing, and Glassywing.

Sources:
http://www.commanster.eu/commanster/Insects/Butterflies/butterflies.html
http://www.insects.org/ced4/mythology.html
http://library.thinkquest.org/27968/legends_myths_symbols.shtml
http://www.naba.org/pubs/enames.html
http://www.behindthename.com/

Image Credit:
http://www.significancemagazine.org/SpringboardWebApp/userfiles/sig/image/ChampkinUploads/Peacock_butterfly_on_buddleja_davidii.jpg