Flies are probably the most common insect around us and are present almost everywhere on this planet.
This little insect pays no heed to barriers and boundaries and simply enjoys intruding into all of those places where they are certainly not desired.
But, no matter how sick and annoyed we humans are of these insects, humankind since ancient periods even till now manage to find its spiritual and symbolic significance on Earth.
These tiny insects are believed to preach a message and this article will take you through everything that a fly represents, be it in separate cultures, mythologies, or real-life encounters or dreams.
So In this article, we’ll explain fly symbolism and meaning in detail and we’ll cover every aspect of it (spirit animal, symbolism in different cultures, seeing flies in dreams, etc )
Understanding Fly Symbolism and Meaning
In a general context, a fly represents adaptability, awareness, transformation, rebirth, and survival. In western culture, the fly is a symbol of diseases, dark magic, and message-bearers. While in eastern culture flies represents fertility, harbingers of death, and evil.
- Flies are often referred to as dirty and nasty colloquially. However, this belief entirely emerges from the trait of the flies to parch upon dirty places and have no deeper meaning or thought associated with it. And even though it’s not a symbolism by mythology, it still is the most believed and accepted symbolism of a fly undoubtedly.
- Flies, however, according to ancient times represent the need to pay attention and focus. Especially on things that have the potential to cause harm to you or be a hindrance on your path.
- Flies largely mean a bad influence and are believed to be disturbing your lifestyle and inducing hate. This is mainly due to how annoying a fly is that keeps buzzing obnoxiously around you until you are compelled to kill it. These buzzing flies represent the negative people who are exhausting a major share of your genuine efforts and precious time and you must check on it.
- However, flies can also symbolize positive notions like flexibility. This symbolism revolves around the idea that flies are prone to adapt to whatever situation they are challenged with and hence humans should learn this trait too!
- Flies are also symbolic of motivation and perseverance and the indomitable spirit of continuing to do whatever you are supposed to without paying heed to any distractions or hindrances.
- They also represent wealth and affluence along with abundance. No matter how unfavorable the situation is, flies tend to survive and live well.
Fly Symbolism And Meaning In Different Civilizations
Native American Symbolism Regarding Fly
Flies are not of much significance in the Native American Culture. They hence, mostly relate these insects quite logically to diseases and dark curses, even black magic, as they are practically associated with these.
However, the Southwest culture believes that these insects are the ones who introduced the world to the significance of fire for survival and hence are message bearers of mortality and life.
The Navajo tribe connects flies with the spirits of ancestors as message bearers or the unrested souls themselves seeking peace or explanations to unanswered questions.
The Big Fly or Do’ tosh is their Sacred deity who protects and nourishes the tribe.
Hopi tribes consider flies as symbolic of fertility and a force that keeps intruders’ evil intentions from the fellow tribal people.
Eastern Culture Symbolism About Flies
The east mainly associates flies with evil powers, demonic forces, or death and perishability. Even the God of death and war Himself is represented through a symbol of fly.
Hence, flies are generally the harbingers of death in their culture who are associated with evil and cast a negative influence on humankind.
However, the Goddess Ishtar in Mesopotamia has somewhat a relation with the flies. She is the Goddess of fertility, sexuality, love, and war and hence flies can also simplify the significance of love in their culture.
Flies and their nymphs have symbolic interpretations of renewal and rebirth in the Eastern world and hence also are associated with the life cycle and “life” in general.
What Does Fly Symbolism Mean In Christianity?
The Bible has rather glim references for flies, mainly anything that is wrong and Evil. Satan himself is referred to as the Lord of Flies in their culture.
This belief revolves largely around the fact that these insects are parasites and scavengers that feed on rotten remains.
They also tend to swarm around sick living beings, or corpses even in their harassed stages. They tend to dwell in places with a pungent smell and belong to everything that’s dirty and impure.
Celtic Symbolism of flies
Celts barely mention flies in their Mythology or beliefs, yet maggots, the larvae stage of flies, are often found in rotten remains in their land and hence are an absolute symbol of decay and death.
But also because these creatures strive in quite an unpleasant situation, they also powerfully represent adaptability and endurance.
They also believe that these little insects carry infectious diseases and hence one must refrain from touching them or allowing them to come in contact with the human body surface.
Egyptians About Flies
Egyptians might be the first ones on the list who dared to go beyond the traditional “evil” association of flies. They perceive flies as symbolic of courage and determination.
The symbol of flies was also used as tributes to the ones who were brave and also as a royal ornament of honor in the ancient periods.
Are You Having Dreams About Flies? Here’s The Meaning
- When you simply dream of a fly, it signifies that you must brace for some difficult challenges to be coming your way and that you might suffer from an immense dilemma of what’s the right path and what’s the wrong one. This can be due to an unpleasant occurrence that you need to figure out.
- When you dream of a fly buzzing around you and annoying you to death. This means that you are too overwhelmed and annoyed with certain people around you who vividly have negative intentions for you.
- When you see a fly trying to get your attention but you are too absorbed in something else to notice, it might mean that you are neglecting an important aspect of your life at present and you must take a step back and look around to identify what you are missing out on.
- When you repeatedly dream of flies, it might mean that you are about to lose your authority on something that is dear to you and is a negative omen.
- When you see a fly up close in your dream, it might mean that your life is threatened. It might also mean that something that determines your life is at high risk of losing hold of you if you don’t tighten your grip around it at the earliest.
- When you dream of a dead fly, it means that you have defeated the most persuasive challenges in your way and that the rest of your journey to the top is going to be easier to conquer.
Totems and Omens Related To fly Explained
- It is believed that when someone is always surrounded by flies, it is a negative signal and warning to an unpleasant event.
- If every time you meet someone, a fly comes around, it is believed that that certain individual is a threat to you, either involuntarily or intentionally and it’s better that you stay away from them.
- Witnessing a swarm of flies is a negative Omen and is a sign of massive disaster around you or in your life in near future. To fight this situation, you must identify the threat and confront it.
- However, swarms of flies can also mean that boredom is going to be your companion and you might have to lose the colors of your life soon.
- Flies in the house mean that a misunderstanding and chaos is going to creep into the family that must be solved harmoniously with the consent and opinion of all the members.
Can Fly Be Your Spirit Animal?
If a fly is your spirit animal, you are probably missing out on some essential and basic values of life.
You are living an undisciplined existence that has no room for moral and ethical values and if you continue to do the same, it will lead you to absolutely nowhere but destruction.
However, you are supposed to be a soul with high levels of determination, the capability to undergo an epiphany, and a vivid optimistic vision.
Conclusion
Hence, the symbolisms that revolve around flies are majorly unpleasant and evil. But, we can blame no pioneer or culture for introducing this approach as the flies, in general, do not contribute too much of any practices that are beneficial to humankind.
However, certain cultures do see through the good traits of flies and it also has a great ecological significance in the life cycle as a scavenger insect.
Thus, even if it’s evil, it’s useful and contributes to the world and hence we too must accept their existence and regard the balance it helps to establish on Earth.
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