Why Does a Butterfly Represent Life After Death?

A butterfly landing near a grave can feel like a message. The idea that butterflies stand for the soul is old and appears in several places. This article looks at what the sources say, including where they disagree.

What is the Greek link?

A word. Britannica says that in Greek folklore the soul was pictured as a butterfly, which is another meaning of the word psychē. It explains that in the tale of Cupid and Psyche, told most fully by the Roman author Apuleius, Psyche’s story is an allegory of the progress of the soul guided by love. A 1991 note in the Psychiatric Bulletin says that an 1899 title page of the Journal of Mental Science showed Psyche with butterfly wings.

What about Mexico and the Aztecs?

The monarchs. The Smithsonian Center for Folklife says the Purépecha of Michoacán and the Mazahua of the State of Mexico revere monarch butterflies, and that according to pre-Hispanic folklore, the migrating butterflies carried the souls of ancestors visiting from the afterlife. A Journey North booklet, speaking in the voice of local residents, says the monarchs arrive around the first of November, when families believe the dead return to visit. See Día de los Muertos.

How old is the monarch belief?

That depends on whom you ask. The National Wildlife Federation says archaeological records indicate that the Aztecs venerated butterflies and considered them the souls of warriors killed in battle. It also says the Spaniards moved the Aztec celebration to November to match the Christian days for the dead, and that the link between the souls of the dead and butterflies in Indigenous cultures of central Mexico faded, then reappeared in celebrations in recent years. So some accounts present the monarch link as ancient, while others describe a more recent revival.

Why butterflies in particular?

Their life cycle gives a vivid picture of change: a caterpillar enters a chrysalis and emerges as a winged adult. Many people read that as a picture of a life changing form, though the sources above are about traditions, not biology. For other animals linked with the soul, see Why Are Birds So Often Associated With the Soul?.

What does it mean to feel a butterfly is a sign?

That is personal. Many families find comfort in it, and it is a way of staying connected. For memorial keepsakes, see Memorial Products and Symbols of Life and Death.