Insects in culture - the use of the image of insects (Insecta) in mythology , folklore , fiction , visual arts , philately , numismatics , heraldry , etc.
Insects (in scientific systematics - a class of invertebrate animals such as arthropods ) in human life have always played and are playing both a negative and a positive role. On the one hand, many insects are pests of crops, food products, as well as parasites of people, animals and plants. On the other hand, some types of insects bring significant benefits: they participate in soil formation, pollinate flowering plants , in Asia , Africa and South America they eat insects. Domestication of a honey bee and a silkworm allowed a person to get honey and silk , paint is made from a worm (cochineal) [1] .
The great importance of this class of animals to humans could not but affect the culture . In antiquity, some species of insects had symbolic and sacred meaning ( scarabs ), mystical legends were about others. For example, the brazhnik butterfly, the dead head, got its name from the drawing in the form of a skull on its back. According to legend, the hawk dead head was considered a harbinger of disaster, death, war and epidemics [2] [1] . The behavior of certain insects caused associations with the behavior of people, which was reflected in phraseology . Allegorical images of insects were repeatedly used by writers at different times to show certain types and characters of people: wise and hardworking (bees, ants), annoying (flies), etc. The aesthetically attractive appearance of some insects (butterflies, beetles) inspired and inspires artists to create paintings. Insects are also stamped out on coins, portrayed, in cinema, etc.
Notes
- β 1 2 Vladimir Alekseev. Butterflies in myths and legends. - Bustard, 2006 .-- 192 p.
- β URE. - T. 5. - 302.