The flying fox obtained his wings when he borrowed them from the rat and refused to return them. Recommended for you. In Vietnam, many mounted bat species are sold in souvenir shops, and in Laos, bats are traded in several markets (Figure 3) [41, 42]. Also known as Hunbatz, One Monkey A Monkey, not a Bat One of the Monkey Twins, hes the son of Hun Hunahpu and Xbaquiyalo. A little later the same bat was caught by another weasel and begged for mercy. Halloween. In Nagaland between 7000 and 25,000 cave-dwelling bats (Cave Nectar Bat Eonycteris spelaea, Great Roundleaf Bat Hipposideros armiger, and Leschenaults Rousette Rousettus leschenaultii) have been annually harvested until recently [73]. Although bats already had long had a sinister reputation their addition to European vampire folklore came after that. Peasant farmers in Mexico used to call bats ratones viejos, which translates to old mice. They thought that when mice grew older, they would develop wings and transform into bats. The first two references are Leviticus 11:19 and Deuteronomy 14:18. WebWhen seen as human souls, bats are often imagined as souls of the dead, particularly souls of the damned, or those that are not yet at peace. Other strange beliefs in European folklore include: In Shakespeares Macbeth (written 800 years ago), the witches brew a potion with: Eye of newt and toe of frog,Wool of bat and tongue of dog.. Do they really deserve this sinister reputation, or do they play a more important role in the world than feeding the dark human fascination for the spooky and the supernatural? They called themselves Zotzil uinic (batmen), claiming that their ancestors discovered a stone bat, which they took as their god, and their chief town was named Zinacantlan (=place of the bats) by Nahuatl merchants from Mexico [53]. Samoan people prize flying fox meat as a delicacy and as a gift to elders, but commercial hunting and export of the meat are culturally frowned. In Cameroon, the superstition of the vampire is attached to bats. Bats have fascinated humans for millennia, and this cultural and spiritual relevance is reflected in the presence of bat symbols in Egyptian tombs from 2000BC [7]. Nevertheless, it is still a strongly sinister characteristic linking them closely to vampirism. They believed bats to be able to cross into and out of the unseen realms at will, making them spiritual guides. (There was no references to bats in the Koran). 2. During this time eating food between sunrise and sunset is forbidden. It is a canine creature supposedly living close to the Sahara Desert in North Africa. Bats are also used as allegories to denote romantic or parental love in the poetry of Tamil Sangam literature in India [27, 28, 29]. On the other hand, the Tupinamba people believed that the planet would be eaten by a bat at the end of time. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/legalcode. In the West, bats are often perceived as evil spirits, Vampires, and harbingers of death, while some cultures across the Asia-Pacific region associate bats with good fortune. This Order name means hand-wing as the bats can hold food between their forearms. In ancient Egypt it was believed bats could alleviate or cure many ailments including baldness, fever toothache and poor eyesight. All day people searched for him and he realised that sooner or later they would catch him unless he changed his ways. The first sighting was reported in 1928 by Thodore Monod. Here are just a few: If a bat flies into your house, look out for bedbugs. Sometimes, as with the myth, it leaves a trademark two-pronged bite on the victim. Its unlucky to see a bat in the daytime. We will be exploring how different cultures view these creatures and what stories have been told about them throughout the years. Bat in the Cultures of the World | Gotham in . The remaining cultures had combinations of positive, neutral, and negative values. This association between giant bats and vampires continues to the present day through popular fiction and cinema (Figure 1). In many places, blood sacrifice was believed to benefit agriculture, and therefore, bats had agricultural, as well as death, connections for Pre-Columbian peoples and in Oaxaca, Mexico, a bat deity was associated with maize [51]. The bat flew to a nearby cave, but each evening it emerged at sunset, telling Jesus that it was time to take food [see Bats and the Netherworld, BATS, Summer 1993; also, see this same article for the converse notion that the devil created bats.). Because mountains obscured the western sky, Jesus could not tell when the sun set. *Address all correspondence to: heimomikkola@yahoo.co.uk. Usually, it is regarded as a bad omen even if seen in a dream. ), the ambiguous nature of bats is transformed into duplicity in their character. Many mythological stories from different cultures have been passed down throughout the years about bats. Between 1958 and 1961, Gathorne-Hardy, Fifth Earl of Cranbrook, a renowned conservationist and a founding member and former President of the Mammal Society, decided to put this old superstition to the test [16]. Contact our London head office or media team here. Among the Ndop people, bats, owls, and bush-cats are said to be witch shapes. Bending over the soup to stir, but unlike the old joke where a diner saw a hair in their soup, she saw the dead body of her husband. Of course, in languages other than English, a bat is not called a bat. UNITED KINGDOM. Finally, we discuss shortly the need of education to change attitudes toward bats. Greeks and Romans often referred to people who were active at night as bats. Apparently many of these people had adopted nocturnal behavior to avoid those to whom they owed money. He told her he would make some tasty soup like Emiong had taught him for when she returned. Bat Conservation International is a 501(c)(3) organization. Flying foxesalong with all other native batsare now protected in Australia. Bats feature in many myths, legends and folklore from diverse cultures around the world, and are often associated with darkness, death and the supernatural. In some versions of the myth, the old mice would climb to the top of a tall tree, and when they reached the highest branches, their tails would detach and grow into wings. They eat insects performing pest control while also pollinating species of plants and spreading seeds. It remains to be seen, however, how effectively the further education efforts could halt or even reverse the decline of the bats around the world. It is not just their physical form that makes bats a curiosity. Courtesy of creative commonsWikimedia. In the Punjab, northern India, magicians use bat bones to prepare their concoctions, and with the bat blood, they write amulets for malevolent and antisocial magic. In Western culture, bats are also associated with vampires causing hysteria and wrong nomenclature of non-sanguivorous bat species such as Large Flying Fox Pteropus vampyrus. The Tzotzil Maya lived, and continue to live to this day, on the plateau of Chiapas in southern Mexico. Vampire bats were not discovered until the 16th century in Central and South America. Pomo Indians of California have a myth that a bat could chew and swallow a large piece of obsidian and then vomit large numbers of excellent arrowheads. Interestingly, Islamic taboo. However, modern science, and hence western Europe, really only learned about them as we traveled out to the tropical world. There are more than 1400 bat species worldwide, and they make up roughly 20% of the worlds extant mammals [6]. Oyot boiled the water and jumped in, but the soup, being boiling, killed him. It is a carnivore, eating birds and other vertebrates, occasionally taking even other species of bats. In medieval Europe, dragons were usually depicted with wings and a barbed tail and as breathing fire. The idea that carrying a bats eye around with you will allow you to turn invisible. These myths associate killer bats with fire as the bat burns its victims and is, in turn, thrown into the fire [60, 61, 62]. The myths grew with the 1927 stage production which further associated Dracula with bats. A close-up photo of the Geoffroys Rousette fruit bats Rousettes amplexicaudatus at the Montfort bat cave entrance. We explore the role that bats play in traditional narratives and the likely reasons for their salience, including their connections with the extraordinary and supernatural. This allowed the borders to be crossed and the dead and the spirits of the underworld return to visit earth. #FolkloreThursday 27 Old Gloucester Street, London, United Kingdom, WC1N 3AX. These intensely emotional visuals have most likely led to the sinister image of bats that many people still hold, even though we now know they are valuable members of the environment! Bats are also seen as useful in Iran, India, and Pakistan because people are collecting bat guano as a natural fertilizer. considers bat as harm meaning that it is forbidden as food. Like all bats, the large fruit-eating bats of the family (Pteropidae) must have been known to humanity since the dawn of time. In fact they are mammals of the scientific order Chiroptera, meaning hand wing in ancient Greek, because their forelimbs have become adapted to be wings. Interestingly, giant bat stories have persisted in these flying-fox-less societies, which evolved from western Polynesians cultures where flying foxes have been prevalent [45]. Other than the polar regions, extreme deserts, and a few isolated islands, bats live in every habitat on Earth. Here, using documented narratives, surveys, popular literature, and cinema, we will explore the various myths, legends, and attitudes to bats from around the world. Our CFC number is 12064. The felling of roosting trees was mentioned as bat death reason by 29% and hunting by 18%. Liminality aside, many of these myths have obvious roots in the real features of bats. That burning incense over the site of a bat buried at a crossroads would help you acquire a powerful love potion. Bats are interesting animals and have been a part of human culture for a long time. Should the bat stay and eat the fruit in the house, bad luck will befall the owner [27]. But it should come as no surprise that bats figure in most ancient mythologies. In Madagascar, the exploitation of bats for bush meat regularly takes place during periods of food shortage, especially fruit bats, which are heavily hunted. Bats appear in numerous myths throughout the world and are frequently connected with death, darkness, and the supernatural. The Tongan kings Samoan wife was rescued by flying foxes, and she honored her rescuers later by naming her son Tonumaipea (= rescued by flying foxes) [45]. Because of the resemblance in dentition and such external phenomena as the thoracic position of the mammae, etc., the great Linnaeus himself ended to place the bat along with man in the order Primates [3]. The duality of bats is mentioned in one of Aesops Fables, which tells how a bat fell to the ground and was pounced on by a weasel. The artificial bat became a shorthand for horror in 1931, jiggled on a fishing line behind a Hungarian-American actor Bla Ferenc Dezs Blask, known professionally as Bela Lugosi in the genre-defining movie Dracula. In Indonesia, farmers in South Sulawesi believe that flying foxes roosting near their rice fields guarantee a good harvest [27]. Bats also have wings. By making research easy to access, and puts the academic needs of the researchers before the business interests of publishers. In pre-Columbian Central and South America, the bat played an important role in the religions and social structures of the various cultures, most notably with the Moche people of Peru and the Maya of Guatemala. Han Chinese people attach positive esthetic values to bats but may still hunt bats at unsustainable levels [72]. Much of the folklore about bats relates to their way of life. Thus, more famine relief food aid is desperately needed to reduce the bush meat use during the food crises, which are nearly annual in the region [22]. 5 Princes Gate Court, Subcategories. The tour includes a brief 20-minute conservation education lecture about bats, caves, and the history of the Montford Bat Cave Sanctuary. The bat populations in Malaysia are decreasing in 26% of species and only 15% are still stable. Ancient Celtic Cauldrons: The Magical, the Mythical, the Real, Top 5 Trees in Celtic Mythology, Legend and Folklore, Celtic Warrior Women: Queen Boudica of the Iceni, Animism and the Living World of the Ancient Celts, Mixing Animals, Birds, Humans and Gods in Celtic Mythology, Unicorn Lore: Interpreting the Lady and the Unicorn Tapestries, The Legendary Puss in Boots and the Marquis of Carabas, Top Five Mythical Birds in Legend and Folklore, Aesops Fables; a new translation by Aesop, BATS Magazine Article: Folklore and the Origin of Bats, Folk Stories from Southern Nigeria, West Africa by Elphinstone Dayrell. Home > It is estimated that the current population of most Australian species of Pteropidae is less than 20% of what it was 100 years ago. Bats play an important role in the ecosystem by eating large quantities of insects. Experience the wonder of bats. As with that other iconic nocturnal creature, the owl, the bat has a myriad of very strange old wives tales and superstitions surrounding it [15]. The general attitude is that the flying fox is part of the forest, and the vast majority support the protection of Pteropus samoensis and P. tonganus [45]. Bats are not associated with any diseases, and it was felt to be safe to eat bat meat, but both studies were conducted before the 2013 Ebola outbreak (Figure 2) [19, 20]. The genus Pteropus was first described by Brisson in 1762 from specimens collected on the Reunion Islands. However, more recently, the habit has become much more common. These names can be misleading as often, megabats can be smaller while microbats can be bigger. Photo credit: Raniel Jose Castaneda creative commons Wikimedia credit as in Figure 7. With the help of the bat and the flying squirrel, the birds won the ball game, with the agile bat scoring the winning goal. Folklore from Fiji, in the South Pacific, tells us that flying foxes originated when a rat stole the wings of a heron, while another Fijian tale relates that it was the rat that first had wings while flying foxes walked on four legs. A legend tells that in Fiji, a giant white vampire bat acts as a messenger, and one finds bats as gods in both Tikopian and Tongan myths. Most respondents were less likely to value the importance of bats in the ecosystem, so creating a conservation education to connect people with nature is not easy. In some countries such as the UK bats are seen as an indicator species and the stability of their population is monitored to look for changes in biodiversity. As such, they would place a bat on the ground, point its head towards the sky, and wait for raindrops to fall on its back. Similarly, fishermen in the Philippines consider mangrove roosting flying foxes to be guardians of their fishing grounds and to increase fish and shellfish catch [27]. They were believed to destroy trees and damage fruits in gardens. Their prayers were partially granted and they were given grotesquely humanoid faces, hair and teeth but still had their wings and could fly. In the Anglo-Egyptian Sudan, spirits, devils, and witches had their general name Bitaboh, wood-goblins being specially called Ronga. All the bats were comprehended under the same name, especially the Yellow-winged Bat Lavia frons, formerly Megaderma frons, which flutters about from tree to tree in broad daylight [18]. Sometimes a Mochica bat carries a warclub and a small human captive. Hun Batz Facts and Figures Name: Hun Batz Pronunciation: Generally, the Maya revered a Vampire Bat god, Camazotz, the death bat, which killed dying men on their way to the center of the earth [51, 52]. Men hunt and consume bats more often than women who have fears that consuming bat meat would give them strange or deformed children. Bat Myths and Folktales from Around the World. Bldg. Perhaps now youd like to learn a bit about the bat skeleton. In its entire history, the state of New York has recorded only one case of bat-transmitted rabies [64]. That makes them the second most common group of mammals, after rodents. While others say bats resemble an unhappy bird who got lost on its way to find the sun, in Greece during the middle ages, there was a myth that bats arose from mice. Bats were associated with longevity and pleasure in both ancient Chinese and Persian traditions. Becoming neither one thing nor the other made them ashamed. Many paintings from western Europe in the middle ages depict the devil with bat wings. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/legalcode. A long time ago, on the opposite side of the earth, the Aztec term for a bat was apparently quimichpapalotl, which means butterfly mouse. Micro-batswhich include the smaller, familiar snub-nosed batsmainly hunt by echolocation. The number of Bats seen also has meaning. They then appealed to the eagle, the captain of the bird team. Although vampire bats have been known to attack humans and large animals it is usually not fatal, though it has been known to transmit rabies. In the Bible, the bat is seen to be unclean [8], while its nocturnal activities ally it to malevolent spirits that roam the land when darkness has fallen. By continuing to use the site, you agree to the use of cookies. There exists a widespread belief in Southeast Asia that eating bat meat cures asthma [27]. A variety of methods have been used to harass and kill these harmless and beneficial creatures, and some people have even gone so far as to dynamite caves and abandoned mines where bats roost or hibernate [64]. American Indian legends and Aesop both gave animals human characteristics, including our failings, to teach moral precepts and the consequences of inappropriate behavior. Their prayers were answered, but only in part; they were given teeth, hair, and human faces, but otherwise remained bird-like. Although they live near humans and are common, it appears that some of the species have not been described and given scientific names [17]. The Symbolism of a Bat. In Malaysian Borneo, people consider it taboo to disturb a fruit bat. The bat must then hide during the day to avoid creditors. A woman noted that her husband had a round tail and dropped the vessel of water she was bringing to him. Using four species of bats and three brave female volunteers he deliberately attempted to entangle the bats by thrusting them into the womans hair. Bats are associated, in many cultures, with death and dying, which makes them a perfect representative of Samhain, the time when the veil is thin. Large flying fox Pteropus vampyrus suffers from its misleading scientific name as it is not blood-eating species but feeds only fruits and flowers. Often seen in movies and even written in books, bats have always been portrayed as mysterious creatures throughout the years. In South America, the vampire bat (Desmodus rotundus) is persecuted because it transmits the rabies virus to the livestock it feeds off. For American Indians they provided information on the natural world and the behavior and habits of animals. Despite this primate-like gesture, it took quite some time for people to understand that bats are mammals and not birds. In the past, people have believed that: If a bat got into your house it was a sign someone was about to die; A bat arriving on Halloween meant your house was haunted; A bat tangled in a persons hair will lead to eternal damnation; GET INVOLVED! Similarly, the Ge tribe in Brazil moved through the night following a bat that looked for light toward which to guide the people (Figure 4) [51, 52]. In 2021, a bat won New Zealands Bird of the Year competition name of which in Mori language is Te Manu Rongonui o te Tau, and the word Manu means flying creatures, including bats. One Yupa man in northern Colombia started night after night to drink and flirt with a female bat when he was returning from an evening hunt. These Goddesses of beauty reflect peace for a lot of people. The Pomo Indians of California had a superstition that bats could devour volcanic rock and then spew out ready-made arrowheads. A world without bats would look very different than the one you know and not for the better. Bat meat is widely consumed because it is considered more delicious than other types of meat. A substantial proportion (53%) thought that bats have medicinal value, but 35% saw them only as harmful creatures. Bat Conservation International 2023. BATS IN FOLKLOREpart six, the conclusion to a series on bats in North American and European folklore. When you stand with us, your donation will support critical bat conservation initiatives. A detailed list of all the African gods and goddesses wuld be endless, but these twelve from the Orisha Pantheon are a good placde to start. Bats have been present in folklore and myth for quite some time. It remains to be seen, however, if this could halt or even reverse the decline of the North American bats [64]. Nearly another third reported actively killing bats or destroying bat roosts, and most respondents associated bats with the destruction of farmers fruits, especially mangoes. The oldest age group (5170years old) of 150 respondents were mostly aware of the bat conservation efforts. Public domain. No content from this site may be used elsewhere without the permission of either #FolkloreThursday or the article Licensee IntechOpen. We love to hear from our readers. WebSpirits African mythology is filled with spirits, invisible beings with powers for good or evil. In Indonesia, Iban people in Kalimantan also hunt fruit bats for consumption, and mainly Christian people in North Sulawesi regularly eat flying foxes (Black Flying Fox Pteropus alecto and Sulawesi Fruit Bat Acerodon celebensis) especially during the Christmas season [38, 39]. This chapter is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. WebMYTH: Bats are blind. Bats, being seen as liminal creatures, were believed to be able to cross this barrier. The Serer Creation Myth Like in every creation myth in Africa, the Serer of Senegal, Mauritania and the Gambia have theirs. The origin of bats is prominent in the folklore of several North American Indian tribes. In northern Thailand, harming bats incurs a curse because bats are sacred for Buddhists [36]. Here are some of them: Flying foxes eat fruit, and this has inevitably brought them into conflict with humans, who grow fruit. These creatures, or more like monsters, were said to be able to transform themselves into bats at will and would fly around looking for victims to drink their blood. To date, ethnobiological information regarding bats in Africa has mainly focused on utilitarian aspects of bats as food and medicine, whereas knowledge concerning symbolism and beliefs surrounding bats in that continent has not been assembled, apart from ancient Africa [18], Ghana [19, 20], Kenya [21], and Madagascar [22]. Bat hunting is illegal, but hunters readily admitted to having hunted bats and even directed the research people to other hunters.
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