Animal Symbolism pt VI - Bats
This is a long post so feel free to take a few breaks!!
Basic Symbol
The Symbolism and meaning of Bats differs depending on where you're from. For some, their meaning is positive but to others, they're bad omens. The Western Symbolism of Bats has been largely influenced by Christianity and the myth of Dracula.
Native American Symbolism
The Symbolism of Bats varies from tribe to tribe with some considering them to be a Symbol of death and darkness and some link them to life, fertility and water.
The Zuni tribes see them as harbingers of rain.
For some tribes, particularly the Apache, Creek, Cherokee and Taino, the Bat was a trickster spirit and some believed that the Bat totem was in fact a shaman that would teach people how to navigate the night of their inner darkness.
For the Navajo, the bat is a messenger between spirits and humans. There is also a story about how the Goddess Changing Woman wanted to send an offering to the god of Winter Thunder but no animal would help her until the bat offered their services to her. The bat is also thought of as a guide and guardian especially on a vision quest.
The Ojibwe see the bat as a messenger and helper. They have a story about how Bats came to be. One day the sun got stuck in the branches of a tree as it rose. The animals held a meeting and eventually designated the task of finding the sun to the squirrel. The squirrel found the sun and began to chew through the branches but he became burnt along the way. When it was free, the sun asked how it could repay the squirrel and the squirrel, now burnt and singed, said that he'd always wanted to fly and thus, the bat was born.
Eastern Symbolism
There is some confusion within the written Japanese language as the Ideographs for luck and bat happen to have the same pronunciation. However, Bats generally have one of 3 meanings in Japan, those meanings being happiness, unrest and chaos.
In Chinese folklore, Bats are considered to be very important and they are also supposed to promote longevity, which is why they are eaten in China. Bays are also the symbol of the concept of Wufu, where 5 Bats bring 5 blessings.
In Hinduism, Bats are associated with Lakshmi, the Goddess of wealth and good fortune.
Christian Symbolism
In early Christianity, Bats (and rats) were associated with the Devil, evil, and darkness with some saying that they shared the sexual list of the Devi and were a physical representation of the God Pan who was a cloven footed God that would play pipes to celebrate nature and sexuality.
Surprisingly, Bats were only mentioned 3 times in the bible (I could be wrong!) with 2 of those mentions calling them unclean birds and abominations of birds that should not be consumed.
Bats would also come to represent the end of Idol worship as they tend to dwell in temples, caves and other dark places during daytime.
Celtic Symbolism
Bats have associations with Samhain and festivals in general, mainly because bugs and insects would be drawn to the fire which happen to be staple foods in the Bats diet. The Celts would also come to use Bats as symbols of courage, big life changes, spirits, fairies and seeing the unseen or hard to see.
There are also tales of shape-shifting fairies called Pookas that are seen as tricksters but are also associated with fertility.
Tehi Tegi is a Celtic myth about a sorceress/enchantress that would ride a white horse and lure men to a river where she would then drown them. Once the men were drowned, her horse would turn into a dolphin and swim away and she would turn into a bat and fly into the night.
Ancient Egyptian/African Symbolism
Bats are often seen as tricksters in African stories. There is a Nigerian story as to why Bats only come out at night, here it is in a nutshell:
Once, the bat and the Bush rat were friends. One day, the bat made a soup for both of them that was so good that the bush rat became jealous of the bat's cooking skills. The Bush rat asked the bat how he had made such a flavourful soup. The bat replied that once the water began to boil, he would jump into the boiling water and cook a part of himself, which lead to the delicious flavour. The Bush rat then went home to his wife and said that he would make soup for them. His wife then put a pot of water on to boil. When the water started to boil, the bush rat jumped in, which lead to his demise. Understandably upset, his wife then ran and told the king of the animals, Lion, what had happened. The king then ordered the other animals to catch the bat but the bat flew away. And he only comes out at night so the others won't catch him.
In Tanzania, there is a story about an evil spirit called Popobawa, which roughly translates to bat wing in Swahili.
In Sierra Leone, there is a story that tells of why the bat is nocturnal and why the bat is responsible for the night h being dark as there used to be no night and the bat was tasked with delivering a package to the moon from the Creator. As the journey was long, the bat rested on an island. Other animals become curious of the package and tipped it over, causing the darkness to spill out. The bat now flies through the night and rests during the day to collect the dark and put it back in the basket.
South American Symbolism
To the Mayans, Bats represented fertility as they would protect the crops from insects. They were also seen as messengers between the human and spirit realms. There were also many bat related deities such as Camazotz which translates to death bat and his associations were death, sacrifice, nighttime and the underworld, he was particularly important to the Zapotec tribe as there was a series of caves where Bats dwelt called the Sacred Cenotes, which they believed were the doors of the underworld.
Norse Symbolism
In Nordic times, Bats were often associated with owls or seen as related to owls. In the Old Danish language both Bats and owls were called the same words, either Nathbakkæ or Aftenbakke which roughly translate to night flapper and evening flapper respectively. The Ancient Scandinavians also saw Bats as supernatural beings and possible harbingers of death. They also believed Bats to be capable of bewitching people.
Ancient Greek Symbolism
To the Ancient Greeks, Bats were considered to be a type of bird but not an ordinary bird as they where nocturnal, which lead to them being associated with the Underworld and the world of the dead.
There is a myth about a maiden called Alithoe and her sisters who declined an invite to a party held by Dionysus who became enraged at this rejection and turned them into Bats and birds.
In The Odyssey, Bats carry souls to the underworld and the Ancient Greeks saw both Bats and other winged creatures as soul carriers to the underworld.
Polynesian Symbolism
In Samoa and Tonga, Bats are sacred and seen as flying foxes. There is a story of a Samoan Princess names Leutogi who was sent to marry the King of TongaTonga as a peace agreement between the two tribes. Whilst there she found an injured bat and nursed it back to health, for which she was ridiculed by the warrior Tongans. When the King and his kin started to experience bad luck, Leutogi was blamed, called a Witch and sent to be burned at the stake. When they tried to burn her, a colony of Bats saved her and took her to a deserted island to keep her safe.
Aboriginal Symbolism
There is an Aboriginal creation myth from the Kulin People of Southeastern Australia about how the Bat came to be. There were 2 Deity brothers, Bunjil, the great Eagle Deity and Balayang the Bat Deity. Bunjil asked Balayang to come and live with him but Balayang refused saying that Bunjil's land was ugly and dry. Outraged, Bunjil and 2 hawks burned Balayang's land which also brunt Balayang and his family, which is why Bats are black and dark brown.
I hope you've enjoyed this post! Next time I'm picking an obscure animal that only lives on a remote island in the middle of the sea! If I've missed anything or my terminology is incorrect, please let me know!
Blessings and keep your pets inside!
C )0(
👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻
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