Freyja's Hens, Part 1: symbolism of the butterfly

I always pay close attention to the animals which are commonly associated with a particular deity when studying mythology. Perhaps it my own deep connection with the earth element or a bit of comparative inquiry, but I like to look at how a particular animal is viewed and its symbolism within various cultures to get a sense of what the possible implications may be for the particular deity it is associated with. To me it is simply like looking for the small pieces of a puzzle which when combined can give one a richer understanding of the deity in question. Doing so for my own Gods is of particular importance to me. Being there is so little left of Vanic oriented lore or historical evidence, I feel that one of my responsibilities as a follower is to find out, i.e., piece together as much meaning and understanding about them as is possible, even if the methods of discovery are at times eclectic.

Anyway, my personal thoughts on symbolism and mythology aside, I wanted to examine just one culture aspect of my Goddess Freyja and her association with the butterfly. What can the butterfly and its common symbolism across other cultures teach us about Freyja herself?

First, the connection between Freyja and the butterfly is to be understood as an etymological one. The Old Icelandic word for butterfly is freyjuhcena, which is translated as 'Freyja's hens.' In Icelandic and Scandinavian culture, there is a common practice of naming certain places or things in the world after deities, so the fact that the butterfly was named for Freyja is not in anyway hugely surprising. Most assume that Freyja was linked to the butterfly simply because of her renowned beauty, and the inherent grace and beauty of the butterfly itself. Also the connection could be due to Freyja's association with the sun and fire, and the fact that the butterfly is commonly seen during the warmer months of the year, being a common symbol for summer or spring among many cultures.

All of this makes sense to me, and in all honesty the connection could be as simple as that. A beautiful thing named for a beautiful goddess. But I still feel there is value examining the mythology of the butterfly on a wider scale, to see what it might reveal about Freyja herself.

Here is the Wikipedia section discussing global instances of symbolism for the butterfly...

Symbolism

According to Kwaidan: Stories and Studies of Strange Things, by Lafcadio Hearn, a butterfly was seen in Japan as the personification of a person's soul; whether they be living, dying, or already dead. One Japanese superstition says that if a butterfly enters your guestroom and perches behind the bamboo screen, the person whom you most love is coming to see you. However, large numbers of butterflies are viewed as bad omens. When Taira no Masakado was secretly preparing for his famous revolt, there appeared in Kyoto so vast a swarm of butterflies that the people were frightened — thinking the apparition to be a portent of coming evil.^[45]

The Russian word for "butterfly", бабочка (bábochka), also means "bow tie". It is a diminutive of "baba" or "babka" (= "woman, grandmother, cake"), whence also "babushka" = "grandmother".

The Ancient Greek word for "butterfly" is ψυχή (psȳchē), which primarily means "soul", "mind".^[46]

According to Mircea Eliade's Encyclopedia of Religion, some of the Nagas of Manipur trace their ancestry from a butterfly.^[47]

Butterfly and Chinesewisteriaflowers, by Xü Xi (c.886–c.975), painted around 970 during the early Song Dynasty.

In Chinese culture two butterflies flying together are a symbol of love. Also a famous Chinese folk story called Butterfly Lovers. The Taoist philosopher Zhuangzi once had a dream of being a butterfly flying without care about humanity, however when he woke up and realized it was just a dream, he thought to himself "Was I before a man who dreamt about being a butterfly, or am I now a butterfly who dreams about being a man?"

In some old cultures, butterflies also symbolize rebirth into a new life after being inside a cocoon for a period of time.

Jose Rizal delivered a speech in 1884 in a banquet and mentioned "the Oriental chrysalis ... is about to leave its cocoon" comparing the emergence of a "new Philippines" with that of butterfly metamorphosis.^[48] He has also often used the butterfly imagery in his poems and other writings to express the Spanish Colonial Filipinos' longing for liberty.^[49] Much later, in a letter to Ferdinand Blumentritt, Rizal compared his life in exile to a weary butterfly with sun-burnt wings.^[50]

Der Schmetterlingsjäger (The butterfly hunter) by Carl Spitzweg(1840), a depiction from the era of butterfly collection.

Some people say that when a butterfly lands on you it means good luck.^{[citation needed]} However, in Devonshire, people would traditionally rush around to kill the first butterfly of the year that they see, or else face a year of bad luck.^[51] Also, in the Philippines, a lingering black butterfly or moth in the house is taken to mean that someone in the family has died or will soon die.^[52]

The idiom "butterflies in the stomach" is used to describe a state of nervousness.

So, we can see that some common associations of the butterfly are, love, the soul, womanhood, and grace. Since this post is fairly lengthy I have decided to split it into two parts. Now that we see some of the most common symbolism's of the butterfly, in part 2, I will examine more possible symbolic associations with the butterfly, and what they might mean in relevance to Freyja herself.