Symbolism: The Moth

 "The significance of the moth is change. Caterpillar into chrysalis, or pupa, from thence into beauty. Our Billy wants to change, too." - Hannibal Lecter

(Fuzzy Pink-Striped Oakworm Moth) - by Me

    October is here and moths are the perfect bugs to be the mascots for this month with their very autumn colors and usage in a lot of dark or horror related pieces of media. Moth's have been used in a plethora of media from mystery movies, kaiju films, anime and even in paintings. Within these different forms of art, moths have been used to symbolize all sorts of meanings that can overlap at times. Despite this, the ways that these stories use their moths are completely utterly unique and I hope to not only showcase but also explain these meanings today.

    

    One of the most famous examples of moths in media is the usage of the Death's Head Hawk Moth (Acherontia atropos) in the crime novel and film, The Silence of The Lambs. In the film, the primary antagonist is a serial killer named Buffalo Bill who always places the pupas of these moths into the throats of his victims after murdering them. The primary reason for Bill doing this is because he was fascinated in the concept of metamorphosis since his primary MO is to become a woman. Disregarding how  controversial and problematic this motive is, the usage of moths in this story is very interesting. Normally, butterflies are the primary symbol for transformation, but moths worked better with the murder-mystery story that was being told. The Death's Head Hawk Moth works even better as it's also an omen of death in Africa where they're found due to the white skull-looking mark on their backs. In the book however, the moth larva used is actually the Black Witch Moth (Ascalapha odorata), which has a similar meaning in the Caribbean. They're actually called "Duppy Bats" as Duppy is the word for "spirit" in Jamaica and the surrounding Islands. They were believed to be the embodiment of a lost soul that can't rest.  Either way, this story's usage of moths as symbolism for death and metamorphosis, whether it's the African Death's Head or the Black Witch are exceptionally well done and has earned it's spot most recognized depictions of moths in popular media. 

(Silence of the Lambs Poster)

       

    While The Silence of The Lambs is the most popular example of moth media in the west, in the east there's a completely different famous moth that needs to be talked about. Mothra first appeared in the 1961 film of the same name and eventually went on to become Toho Studio's second most popular Kaiju after Godzilla. In 1964, Mothra and Godzilla would meet in the famous film, Godzilla vs. Mothra which became extremely popular in Japan and would pin Mothra as Godzilla's enemy and ally in many films to come (16 and counting). To explain Mothra's symbolism, we have to talk about Godzilla first. Godzilla is a walking, fire-breathing metaphor for the atomic bombs that were dropped on Japan during WWII. It represented the horrors of nuclear testing from it's story to it's appearance: It's skin being reminiscent of nuclear burn scars and it's story involving it being angered by a hydrogen bomb in the original film. Mothra on the other hand is a representation of nature and has always been a force of good in it's films as it protects Japan from harm. Even in it's original adaptation it has a link with the natives of Infant Island. It also can arguably be a representation of the Japanese forces who gave their lives to fight the incoming American forces during WWII. She is described by Michael Dougherty, the creator of the film Godzilla: King of Monsters as "the yin to Godzilla's yang" as it's benevolent and all knowing unlike Godzilla and the other Kaiju present in Toho Studio films.

(Mothra's first and latest appearances: Mothra 1961 and Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire)

    Even before these movies, humans have always had a fascination with moths. I mentioned earlier that Jamaican natives believe the Black Witch Moth to be a lost soul, but a lot of other cultures had similar beliefs such as The Philippines and Appalachia. In Celtic traditions, moths had the ability to move between the living and spiritual realms, allowing communication between the two. Going back to Asia, moths are associated with ideas of rebirth and immortality, which explains Mothra's affinity for always rising from the ashes. There's a lot of different mythological creatures and figures based on moths as well that not many people know about. In Aboriginal belief, there was a Bogong Moth Woman named Myee who was once brightly colored, but after ignoring her husband's advice, ended up becoming trapped in an icy mountain. When she emerged from the cold, her colors faded, leaving her brown while her colors created beautiful flowers where the snow melted. It shows how beauty can come from something that had been lost or let go. In Aztec belief there's another moth lady to talk about known as Itzpapalotl or The Obsidian Butterfly. While her name suggests her not being a moth, she was represented by the Silk Moth genus Saturniidae. She ruled over the land of Tamoanchan which was a paradise where the gods created the human race out of ground up bones and blood stolen from Mictlan, the Underworld in Aztec mythology.

    The way moths have been portrayed by humans in stories have changed a lot. We've gone from passing down stories of these moth women by ear to showing large moths on the big screen to show to a massive scale audience. It's the transformation of storytelling, and that's exactly what moths are all about. Despite this, the symbolism of these moths never really changed, they simply were used in a new way. In fact, something interesting to mention is that almost all of these stories involve moths being a very feminine figure, in both these myths and on the big screen. Maybe in the future, this will change, or maybe it will stay the same. Either way, I can't wait to see what kinds of moth-related stories people come up with in the future.

(A Polyphemus Moth Resting on My Hand) by Me

Citations:

Clark. (2023, October 5). Itzpapalotl-Butterfly Goddess: The fallen goddess of Aztec mythology. Ancient Literature. https://ancient-literature.com/itzpapalotl-butterfly-goddess/

Ito, R. (2019, May 29). Mothra: Yin to Godzilla’s Yang. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/29/movies/mothra-godzilla-king-of-the-monsters.html 

Harlow, M. (2018, September 11). Myee - the Bogong Moth. MYEE HARLOW. https://www.myeeharlow.com.au/blogs/news/myee-the-bogong-moth-1

Heering, J. (2024, June 17). Moth spiritual meaning: Understanding its deep symbolism and significance. Medium. https://medium.com/@morpheusinbox/moth-spiritual-meaning-understanding-its-deep-symbolism-and-significance-c60155be9267

LitCharts. (n.d.). Death’s head moths symbol analysis. https://www.litcharts.com/lit/the-silence-of-the-lambs/symbols/death-s-head-moths#

Nair, N. (2024, July 28). Itzpapalotl : The obsidian butterfly. Mythlok. https://mythlok.com/itzpapalotl/

NBC Universal News Group. (2020, August 9). “godzilla” was a metaphor for Hiroshima, and Hollywood whitewashed it. NBCNews.com. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/asian-america/godzilla-was-metaphor-hiroshima-hollywood-whitewashed-it-n1236165