Black Butteflies

[Khuinaset]

Okay...for the past two or three weeks, every time I've got up from meditating outside(or even when I've just been walking around outside) I keep running into black butterflies with either blue or yellow spots on their wings. If it is a sign of some sort; are there any deities associated with butterflies or black ones in particular? Right now I'm almost exclusively interested in the Egyptian pantheon, and kind of feeling a pull or want for a god...but I don't know of any that are associated with butterflies. I was thinking maybe it represents transformation, or that maybe it was the color(s) that meant something. Any help anyone? thanks! :)

[Ahautenites]

Are you sure they were butterflies and not moths? The way to tell the difference is to look at the antennae. Butterflies have a little club on the end of each antenna. Moths have feathery antennae.

As far as I know, there are only two Names associated with insects. Khepera (scarabs) and Sepa (centipedes).

[Khuinaset]

I didn't notice feathery attennae; I'm pretty sure it was a butterfly...trying to find pictures, they were really pretty- dark iridescentish black with either royal blue spots or bright yellow spots on the wings...the blue ones were more common, though, I only noticed yellow ones once or twice.

Where've you been Ses, I haven't noticed you recently! I was beginning to wonder where you were at :p

[Ahautenites]

The Work Monster got itself a name. Marianne (aka one of my supervisors).

She doesn't like me being online. I still sneak on, but most of the time it's just a bunch of new people I haven't grown accustomed to (or else I have and I find them even more vacuous than I am) or there just isn't anything I have to say on the various threads.

[Khuinaset]

Aww, that sucks :(

And I found some pictures of the blue and black butterflies, or ones that look very similar- here (http://www.dixiedreamer.com/black_and_blue_butterfly-11.jpg) and here (http://www.dixiedreamer.com/butterfly_art_2.jpg) (they need copied and pasted into the URL bar though because of server restrictions or something). There wasn't any identification on the site or anything, though...it was just something I had noticed and thought was odd, so I asked about it :)

edit: bah, how did I manage to misspell butterfly in the title? stupid keyboard...

[Loopaleigh]

There is an Aztec goddess called Itzpapolotl whose symbol is a black butterfly. Her name means 'Obsidian Knife Butterfly'. As for the butterflies you are seeing lately (I can't see the pics. you posted) they could be a Swallowtail species. Are they pretty large?

[Theres]

there is a species of butterfly known as 'enodia'. and although it is not black, Enodia is a name of Hekate, who is often associated with black.
just a thought.

[Khuinaset]

As for the butterflies you are seeing lately (I can't see the pics. you posted) they could be a Swallowtail species. Are they pretty large?

They're fairly good sized...not huge, but not teensy ones either. Thanks for the thoughts guys, I think I have something of an idea what it was referring to now, but that's still really interesting about Hekate and the butterflies. By the way, I've also found a few sites that have connected Heket, an Egyptian goddess, to Hekate, do you know anything about that? I just found it interesting and since you're the resident Hecate expert I thought I might ask :)

[LadyTrinity]

I saw a beautiful black butterfly with some orange specks ( not a monarc ) Land on my side walk.. It was stunning

[Asthmorte]

I would relate that to either the khepera or hecate...just my two cents:)

[Agaliha]

Black Butterflies are linked to Itzpapalotl, her name actually means "obsidian butterfly" ...She's Aztec.

[fallingwater]

Black Butterfly sounds like a cool, hip, black biker chik with a butterfly tatooed 'cross her back.

Write a poem or a song called...'Black Butterfly"

[Etoile]

Where are you from? My guess would be either a Pipevine, a Spicebush, a Red Spotted Purple, or and Eastern Black Swallowtail. You can find images of most of those on this site (http://www.1000plus.com/alex/ImageGallery/Butterflies%20-%20Lepidoptera/)

[wolf]

I can't see the pics you linked to, even by cutting and pasting the links. :(

I just get an advertising page that tries to steal my browser settings.

[Etoile]

Do you mean my link? Strange. It works for me.

[Agaliha]

Works for me too...