In the bottom of an old pond lived some grubs who could not understand why none of their groups ever came back after crawling up the stems of the lilies to the top of the water. They promised each other that the next one who was called to make the upward climb would return and tell what happened to him. Soon one of them felt an urgent impulse to seek the surface; he rested himself on the top of a lily pad and went through a glorious transformation, which made him a dragonfly with beautiful wings. In vain, he tried to keep his promise. Flying back and forth over the pond, he peered down at his friends below. Then he realized that even if they could see him they would not recognize such a radiant creature as one of their number.
The fact that we cannot see our friends or communicate with them after the transformation, which we call death, is no proof that they cease to exist.
- Walter Dudley Cavert
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| Legend Of The Dragonfly |
One of Japans staple crops is rice which requires the same water habitat of the dragonfly. Therefore the dragonfly is often associated with the rice paddies of Japan and with that the nostalgia of growing up in a farming community tied to the land.
This nostalgia is represented in the inclusion of the dragonfly image in many forms in Japanese art such as the poem/song presented on this site as well as in paintings, and on pottery and fabrics. In addition to the nostalgia represented by the dragonfly there is also a folk belief that the “libellule” is the soul of a departed ancestor come back to visit their loved ones. The summer festival of Obon celebrates this sacred event.
