Xinar has been selling high-quality insect charms (925 sterling silver) for over 20 years, and we love nothing more than providing you with silver insect charms that would go well with your charm bracelets, necklaces, and other DIY crafting projects.
If you have never used insect charms before, it’s possible that you don’t know what they mean or why you should add them to your design at all. These charms are part of our insect and garden critters charms collection, so check that out today to see what else you can use to enhance your designs!
History of Insect Charms – About All That Crawls and Flies
Insects have unquestionably shaped and molded human civilizations. Conversely, the presence of insects has impeded human attempts to develop new communities on several occasions. Early Norse settlements in Greenland, for example, were abandoned long before Columbus “found” the New World because the residents couldn’t compete with insect herbivores who ravaged their crops and pasturelands.
Francisco de Montejo’s attempts to capture the Mayan civilization in 1549 were hampered by mosquitoes and chiggers (the juvenile stages of certain mites), delaying Spanish dominion over the Yucatan peninsula (Mexico) by over 150 years. Likewise, tsetse flies continue to obstruct the colonization of vast areas of central Africa because they disseminate trypanosome parasites that cause sleeping sickness in people and nagana in cattle.
On the other hand, Insects have aided in the acceleration of cultural change. Silkworms, for example, were undoubtedly a driving force behind the foundation of trade between Europe and China, and they were still a factor in 1492 when Christopher Columbus stumbled into the New World in his search for a sea route to the Orient’s silk and spices.
The cotton boll weevil, a major agricultural pest that decimated the South’s economy in the late 1800s, is credited with pushing agricultural diversification, stimulating industrial development, and stabilizing the rural economy in the South. “In great gratitude of the boll weevil and what it has done as the herald of wealth,” reads a massive monument constructed in 1919 in Enterprise’s town center.
On the battlefield, the sociological impact of insects has been palpable. It is not an exaggeration to suggest that more troops have died from lice and insects than from bullets and bombs. These insects have infected entire armies, altered war outcomes, and determined the fate of empires. Because it flourishes in the unclean conditions of battle, body lice are notorious for developing epidemic typhus, often known as trench fever.
Insects have played a significant part in evolution, and they may have influenced the development of human experience, which is reflected in civilizations. The study of insect biodiversity in culture is as vast as the term culture itself.
The study of insect biodiversity in human culture demonstrates why specific insects were essential to people of diverse societies from a historical perspective. The survey of insects in culture reflects humans’ evolving interest in the practical, important, and beautiful insects that impacted the cultural world.
Inspirations Behind Insect Charms: Culture, Art, and So Much More
It’s not unexpected that insects have been deeply ingrained in human culture, from arts and crafts to mythology and religion, given their quantity and breadth of impact on our forefathers’ lives. People in ancient Egypt, for example, saw how the scarab beetle (Scarabaeus sacer) moved a ball of excrement across the ground and inferred that the sun must be rolled across the sky each day by a giant heavenly dung beetle.
As a result, the beetle came to be seen as a symbol of rebirth and immortality, with its daily trip over the sky serving as an analogy for human existence.
Egyptian art and religion included images of the dung beetle: the god Khepera was always depicted with a scarab-shaped head, scarab-shaped stones were placed over a person’s eyes and mouth after death to protect the body from evil spirits, and scarab-shaped gems and icons were a recurring motif in Egyptian jewelry and other decorative artifacts. Insects have a symbolic significance in many different civilizations as well. For example, the goddess Psyche (represented by a moth) symbolized the soul or spirit of the ancient Greeks.
A mantis (symbolized by a praying mantis charm) represented violence and mystery to the Chinese.
The cicada was a symbol of resurrection for Buddhists. The fly symbolized bravery to Egyptians (the “Order of the Golden Fly” was a military distinction awarded for exceptional bravery). On the other hand, Flies were a personification of Beelzebub, Lord of the Flies, to the Hebrews (Satan himself).
These insects’ religious and symbolic significance was frequently mirrored in the art, literature, music, and dance of the time. Early Renaissance artists, for example, used the motif of a fly to depict the omnipresence of evil in religious works.
The Chinese used the butterfly widely in their artwork because they saw it as a symbol of joy.
Love was sometimes shown as bees or butterflies, like in Lucas Cranach’s 16th-century painting “Venus and Cupid.” However, many insects are prized only for their aesthetic value. In various parts of Africa and South America, live, and tethered beetles are worn as brooches or ornamental pins.
The iridescent wings of some moths and butterflies are also used to make attractive jewelry and other decorations.
Insect imagery can be found on the faces of coins and postal stamps and fabrics, ceramics, and kitchenware.
Much of insects’ religious and symbolic meaning has disappeared in the glare of contemporary science and technology. However, our vocabulary still reflects many traditional associations: busy as a bee, bothersome as a fly, furious as a hornet.
The ant is still seen as a symbol of hard effort, the lady beetle as a sign of good fortune, and the butterfly as a fleeting beauty.
Insects and their significance are frequently used in our writing (lyric and prose). Insects are mentioned over 30 times in the Bible, including three of the ten plagues. Insects are also mentioned in Buddhist and Islamic texts. Secular writers have employed insects as an excellent counterpoint to human desires and aspirations.
Franz Kafka’s novel “Metamorphosis” also makes a striking societal comment by depicting the fate of Gregor Samsa, a traveling salesman. He wakes up one morning to discover himself transformed into a cockroach.
On the other hand, Archie the Cockroach and Jimminy Cricket are two of the most famous insect “personalities” of all time. Ward Kimball, an animation artist for Walt Disney’s feature-length film “Pinocchio,” developed the character of Jiminy Cricket.
Human ingestion of insects is a long-standing and globally common habit, too! Local preferences, social relevance, and geography all influence the utilization of edible insects. These creatures are frequently recognized as cultural assets, and this place-based knowledge reflects a diverse ecosystem.
Insects are suggested to be an exciting protein source when compared to conventional production animals because they have a high reproductive capacity, high nutritional quality, low water, and land use, high feed conversion efficiency, can use waste as feed, and are suggested to be produced more sustainably. As a result, the FAO has examined entomophagy as a potential solution to future food supply issues. This chapter provides updated information on 1571 bug and spider species that are consumed as food around the world.
A Note on Insect Phobias
The fear of insects is known as entomophobia. When seeing or thinking about insects, someone with entomophobia may experience significant anxiety or terror. As a result, they may avoid going for walks, exercising outside, and attending outdoor events. In addition, to limit their odds of witnessing insects, some people may refrain from leaving their homes.
Entomophobia may be expressed in a variety of ways:
- Fearing being stung or bitten by an insect such as a bee, wasp, or tick.
- Just finding or seeing insects, whether outside or inside.
- Fearing the transmission of disease from insects.
- Severe reaction to an infestation of bugs in their home or on their person.
- Seeing bug imagery in TV shows, movies, books, or the internet.
People who have had a distressing experience with insects are at risk of developing entomophobia. A severe allergic reaction to a bee sting, for example, may have happened to you or someone you know.
Pollen, mold, and other household allergens cause itchy skin in some people. However, insects may be blamed for persistently itchy skin.
If you have a close relative or parent who suffers from a phobia or anxiety problem, you’re more likely to develop entomophobia. Also, if you have a specific gene mutation, you may be more worried than others (change). Seeing someone with entomophobia or hearing someone discuss their fear of insects can trigger your phobia.
