Jenny eats quickly so she can continue her googling

_Elsa_

A half hour later dinner is ready so the two of them sit down to eat. Jenny can’t wait to tell her uncle about all the information that she found online about butterflies. But before she does that she wants to finish reading the article so she eats quickly and asks Yeti if she can be excused to go back to her laptop. She puts her plate in the sink and hurries over to read more.

‘Butterflies in Greek Culture, Symbol of immortality and the soul - In Ancient Greece, butterflies were an emblem of the immortal soul. The word Psyche, which meant soul or butterfly, personified the soul’s breath and essence. When a person died, the ancient Greeks believed that their soul departed in the form of a butterfly.

Butterflies in Hopi Culture, Symbol of growth - In Hopi culture, butterfly dances are performed by young girls entering into womanhood. The butterfly dance is done to learn about Hopi traditions and culture. The dance is a marker of the growth and progress of a maiden.

Butterflies in Mexican Culture, Symbol of departed souls - In Mexican beliefs, butterflies are believed to be the souls of the deceased. Monarch butterflies represent deceased ancestors, who purportedly return to earth during a holiday known as the Day of the Dead. The Day of the Dead celebrates and remembers loved ones who have passed on.

Butterflies in Christian Beliefs, Symbol of transformation and resurrection - In Christianity, the butterfly is an emblem of Christ’s resurrection, and is used during Easter as a memory of his return and ascent to heaven. In Medieval Ages, Christian headstones were engraved with the butterfly as a hope that the deceased would rise again.’ (Source)

Jenny is fascinated with all this information. She can’t wait to share it with Tiffi and Elsa. 

“Oh, I just remembered that I was supposed to call Elsa,” says Jenny.

She picks up her phone and dials Elsa’s number.  Elsa picks up on the second ring. Jenny is so excited about what she is learning and she babbles it out so quickly that poor Elsa doesn’t know what Jenny is talking about. She tells her to slow down.

“I’m sorry but I am so excited,” Jenny says. “I met up with this beautiful fairy today and a butterfly was resting on her hand. I stopped to talk to her but couldn’t stay long because my uncle was waiting for me and I was already running late. Later in the day I saw her again and this time she had another fairy with her. Butterflies were resting on their hands and I pointed it out to my uncle. When I mentioned it to Tiffi a little while later she suggested that I contact you because you might want to write a story about it.”

Elsa is definitely interested in learning more about this and asks Jenny to send her the links to whatever articles that she finds interesting. They say their goodbyes and Jenny goes back to her googling.

Continue reading - Why butterflies matter

Back to the beginning - Jenny learns all about butterflies and what they symbolize