What do butterflies symbolise?

Answer 1

There are many symbolic meanings associated with the butterfly. The Mandarin Chinese word for butterfly is "hu-tieh". "Tieh" means "70 years", therefore butterflies have become a symbol for a long life. In this culture butterflies have also become representative of young men in love. In the Japanese culture butterflies are thought to be representative of young maidens and marital bliss. Many Japanese families use the butterfly in the family crest design. Germany has a very unique belief about butterflies. As butterflies can often be found hovering about milk pails or butter churns, they have become associated with witches trying to steal the cream. The German word for butterfly is "Schmetterling", which is actually derived for the Czech word "Smetana" which means "cream". There are many links with butterflies in mythology from all over the world, many of which, in particular Greek mythology, link butterflies to the human soul. The Ancient Greeks also considered butterflies as the souls of those who had passed away.

In ancient Greek the word for butterfly is "Psyche", which translated means "soul". This was also the name for Eros' human lover and when the two figures are depicted they are often surrounded by butterflies. In one of the Russian dialects, butterflies are referred to as "dushuchka" which is a derivative of the word "dusha" also meaning soul. There is also an Irish saying that refers to the symbolic meaning of butterflies. This saying is: "Butterflies are souls of the dead waiting to pass through purgatory". There is a small town in Mexico that also associate butterflies with souls. It is to this town that Monarch Butterflies migrate every year, around the holiday known as the Day of the Dead. The people of this town see these butterflies as the returning souls of the deceased.

Answer 2

• The butterfly is a symbol of transformation or change, love and joy.
• I got a butterfly tattoo after i had a bad experience in life and i gave myself a better life and the reason why i got one is because it made me feel really free with out any more hurting in my life..

• I got a butterfly tattoo after a personal experience in my life. Rarely do I share what my tattoos mean, after reading that last comment, I figured go ahead. To me, it represents beauty, changes, taking flight, simplicity and peace. At first, its an ugly caterpillar and no one will give it a second look. but with time and dedication, it becomes something marvelous to the human eye. Its a natural wonder. So, with my life, after getting through some tough times, a butterfly just reminded me of myself actually. I had to take time and appreciate what I had and what I hope to be in the future.

• I just got my butterfly tattoo a week ago and for me it means a new life, a new beginning if you will. I think that after years of trying to please everyone else by being someone I'm not my butterfly was my gift to me for being me. It was spontaneous and exhilarating, it is beautiful and calm it is colorful and vibrant...everything I want to continue to be! ~ Happy.

• In paintings, particularly Dutch Renaissance (sp?) butterflies stand for fleeting love (Jacques Louis David, Cupid and Psyche).

• I got my butterfly tattoo 3 weeks ago. When I first got it I just thought that it would be fun to have but now that I think about it, it represents a new life for me. I just started college last fall and I am changing in ways that I would never of even think of. So mine it means changes and enjoying life to its fullest

• Traditionally butterflies are pretty and so many people want them as mere decoration. In a deeper sense butterflies represent rebirth or transformation from the caterpillar to the beautiful butterfly.

• A friend of mine got a butterfly tattoo recently. Just because she likes butterflies. It doesn't "mean" anything! Check out tattoo symbolism here: http://tattoo.about.com/cs/beginners/a/symbols_intro.htm But remember, sometimes a rose is just a rose. It doesn't mean or symbolize anything!

• It could represent different things for different people. Here are some examples of Butterfly symbolism: Change, Joy and/or Color. The butterfly can also represent transition and freedom as well as peace. The native Americans believe that if you tell a secret to a butterfly it is ever safe in there keeping, given that a butterfly can not speak. Some people use a butterfly to symbolize someone close that has passed away, I believe that some European cultures believe that spirits or souls are trapped in white butterflies. Others just like the look of butterfly and the tat may not represent anything significant to them.

• A purple butterfly symbolizes the fight against Lupus, a type of cancer . . . my mother has it.

• Obviously the meaning of a tattoo totally depends on the person, I think the last definition is the most accurate, but nevertheless I'd like to share the meaning of my butterfly tattoo with you. First of all I shall tell you a story of a butterfly. When my grandma died and before she was buried she was placed in her coffin in a closed gloomy room with neither windows nor ventilation. Just a pathetic electric bulb lighted her while her loved ones said their last goodbyes, but when they entered the room they found a butterfly flying around with its brightly colored wings. It is a mystery how it arrived there.
• Butterfly tattoos are among the most popular tattoos today and the most frequently requested tattoo designs especially among women. This shows the major growth of women in the tattoo industry as a whole. Butterfly tattoo designs of course are popular among females just for their beauty. There is also a deep symbolism behind the butterfly how a buttefly starts as a caterpiller and goes through a major change to become a beautiful butterfly. The symbol is impermanence and instability of earthly life. The amazing process of change.

Answer 3

The butterfly symbolises a lot of different things to different people. The most common things associated with a butterfly are positive emotions: freedom, hope, love, joy and happiness are associated with the image of the butterfly because it is beautiful, flies in a whimsical fashion and feeds from nectar (sweet liquid) from flowers, which are also beautiful. However, because the butterfly lives for a short period of time and is very fragile and vulnerable, it can also symbolise impermanance, regret, sadness and death. When associated with the catapilar from which it developed and the chrasilys in which it transfoemed, it symbolises change and growth.

Answer 4

Butterflies show new life from the old. The butterfly also reminds Christians of the statement, 'born again' we become a 'new creation.'

Answer 5

new life and the emergence of indepence and growth.

Answer 6

a babe. Is signifies a babe...