Butterfly – Symbol of the soul, immortality, rebirth and resurrection, as this winged celestial being is born, changing from the worldly caterpillar. Due to the fact that the butterfly reminds the shape of a double-edged ax, it is considered a symbol of the Great Goddess.
The Celts personify soul and fire; the Chinese – immortality, leisure in abundance and joy. A butterfly with a chrysanthemum symbolizes beauty in old age; with a feather – longevity. In Christianity, the stages of its development embody life, death and resurrection, so the butterfly is sometimes depicted in the hand of the infant of Christ.
The ancient Greeks considered the butterfly a symbol of the immortality of the soul. The Japanese have a vain woman, a geisha, or a temporary lover. A pair of butterflies means conjugal happiness, and a white butterfly means the spirit of the deceased. Maori have a soul.
Butterfly-sailboats are named for their long wings. Caterpillar butterfly-postman is poisonous. Even hungry birds avoid her prickly thorns.
