The Archetypal Symbols of Divine Man

Fireflies (Lampyridae) are soft-bodied beetles known for their ability to produce a mesmerizing glow. There are over 2,000 distinct species distributed across temperate and tropical regions worldwide.

Their abdomen contains a specialized organ where a compound called luciferin reacts with oxygen, catalyzed by the enzyme Luciferase and Adenosine Triphosphate energy. Adults use specific blinking rhythms and flashing patterns to find and attract mates of their own species.

They are masters of mimicry, a male Firefly from a completely different genus (like Photinus) flies around flashing his species-specific code. The predatory Photuris female Firefly sits in the grass, watches his pattern, and perfectly mimics the exact response timing and flash rhythm of that male's actual species. Fooled into thinking he has found a willing partner, the unsuspecting male flies down to mate.

Instead of finding love, the Photuris female attacks and eats him.

However, eating the males, the female absorbs their toxins, instantly making herself poisonous to birds and spiders. She even passes this stolen chemical shield on to her eggs to protect her future offspring. His sacrifice was not in vain.

So now we've been introduced to our next candidate for archetypal symbolism, let's discover what ancient myths were wrapped around this little illuminated insect.

We will begin with a visit to our Ancient Japanese storytellers and look to the mythology they encoded into the Firefly.

In Japanese folklore, the Taira (Heike) is symbolic for Divine Man and the Minamoto Gengi clan are symbolic for Mortal Man, this is directly related in the Ancient Texts. The Minamoto (Genji) were ordinary human warriors, the Taira (Heike) clans were the direct divine line from the goddess Amaterasu Omikami.

This delineation is important in understanding this myth of the Firefly, as we can see direct ties to another Legend, the Battle of Dan-no-ura. This is a mythical retelling using the archetype of the Crab it is symbolically retelling one of the last great battles between Divine Man and Mortal Man, where they are completely outnumbered and at the full mercy of Underworld.

The core of the myth's archetype takes place every summer in June, when swarms of both species gather en masse near Japan's rivers and rice fields, their flashing lights are not viewed simply as insects mating but as the symbolic retelling of the infinite war between the two clans.

The myth goes onto to state that the Heike clan's light was waning and too weak and they eventually succumbed to the Genji clan who's glow had grown stronger.

It was said that after their defeat the Heike eventually returned to the Uji River, a symbolic paradise, traditionally viewed by the Buddhists as The Pure Land, where beings were reborn in a blissful, suffering-free celestial paradise ruled by Amida Buddha.

Again I have summarized this huge Epic into a short, simple symbolic retelling to touch on the reoccurring familiar themes, however I always encourage the well studied student to read these mythical Legends in full.

Then we have the Ancient Japanese Legend of The Sword of Hotarumaru (蛍丸, which means "Firefly Circle". The well studied student will identify the archetypal symbol of the Sword is connected to the First Born Divine Man.

The Legend begins with a Samurai general named Aso Korezumi who fights in the brutal Battle of Tatarahama. Korezumi wielded a massive ōdachi (a traditional Japanese greatsword) forged by the master swordsmith Rai Kunitoshi.

However, the battle was disastrous for Korezumi's forces, the legend describes Aso Korezumi fighting desperately while surrounded by massive numbers of enemies. Finally sensing defeat, he was forced to fight a desperate, losing retreat.

By the time he managed to escape the battlefield, his treasured sword was in terrible condition—its cutting edge was completely battered, chipped, and full of deep fractures from the heavy combat.

Exhausted, Korezumi retreated to a safe haven at the foot of Mt. Aso. Before collapsing into a long, deep sleep, he leaned his ruined sword against the wall. That night, Korezumi had a vivid dream, he saw a massive swarm of glowing fireflies pour into the room. The fireflies swarmed entirely around his damaged weapon, covering the blade until it glowed with a brilliant, blinding Light.

When Korezumi awoke the following morning, he remembered the dream and immediately rushed to unsheathe his weapon. To his absolute astonishment, every single crack, chip, and flaw on the blade had vanished.

The Sword was entirely smooth, sharp, and restored to its original, flawless glory as if it had just come from the forge. Deeply moved by what he believed was a divine intervention, Korezumi officially named the divine blade Hotarumaru. He then placed the Sword at the Shrine of Aso, to be safe kept as a sacred treasure.

The Aso Shrine is the sacred ground of Takeiwatatsu-no-Mikoto, the principle Nature deity of Japan, by placing the Firefly-blessed sword inside the shrine, it imbued the entire province with divine protection.

Volcanic Mount Aso is heavily connected to this Saga, so it may be beneficial for the well studied student to see what other divine clues can be found encoded into this sacred mountain of the Japanese peoples.

Now let's visit our Native American story tellers and see how they have encoded this dazzling little insect into their own mythos.

The Shattered Quartz and the Creation of the Stars relates that the First Man (Áłtsé Hastíín) and First Woman (Áłtsé Asdzáán) were carefully arranging pieces of quartz crystal on a blanket. They were designing the constellations one by one to serve as a orderly guide and path for future humans.

Enter the wily Coyote (Mąʼii), the trickster spirit, who grew impatient with how long the process was taking. He mocked the rigid pattern, grabbed the edges of the blanket, and flung the remaining crystals into the heavens. This act scattered the crystals across the sky, creating the chaotic, unaligned stars we see today.

However the smaller fragments fell back to earth from the heavens and were transformed into Fireflies. It is said because they are made from the remnants of the cosmic quartz stars they retain the ability to spark and glow in the dark. A perfect metaphor for the Divine Soul.

We also have another Navajo Saga regarding how the Firefly bought fire to mortal humans. It begins with the First Man (Áłtsé Hastíín) a Diyin Dineʼé, he attempts to produce heat by placing a vertical wooden spindle into a notched piece of wood and rapidly rotating it between his palms.

The Navajo say that the Diyin Dineʼé are the immortal, supernatural Holy People, while the Diné are the mortal, surface-dwelling human beings (the Navajo people).

One of their deities is (Asdzą́ą́ Nádleehé), she is one of the most revered of the Holy People, it was said she created the original Navajo clans from flakes of her own skin, giving humans life and a direct spiritual lineage to the divine holy realm.

The story continues that as he spun the wooden shaft, the intense friction began to wear down the wood, generating a fine, dark, and highly flammable wood dust in the notch.

While Áłtsé Hastíín could produce friction and heat, the dust required a sacred catalyst to actually ignite into a living ember. Firefly stepped forward to help because he had been entrusted with a tiny, divine spark of fire given by Haashchʼééshzhiní (The Supreme Lord of Fire and Constellations).

Just as the friction reached its peak, Firefly applied its bioluminescent spark directly to the accumulated dust and the dust instantly caught, glowing into a sustainable ember that First Man could then blow into an active flame and the first fire was created. Giving definite Prometheus energy in this little myth about Divine Man bringing fire to mortals.

The Maya have also not let us down with their version of a myth entwined around this little glowing insect.

It begins with a supernatural healer in the Mayab (the Mayan lands), he possessed the unique ability to cure any illness or ailment. When he would heal the sick, he simply held a sacred green Jade stone in his hands and whispered a few silent words to it.

I do not need to remind the well studied student about the connection that Jade has to the divine man, all else will find this Knowledge in a previous Essay.

One morning, while he was out walking in the jungle, a sudden torrential downpour forced the him to run for cover. During this hasty retreat, the precious Jade stone slipped from his pocket unnoticed. Upon returning home, there was a sick child who was waiting to be cured, the healer reached into his pocket to retrieve the precious stone and was horrified to discover his pocket was empty.

Frantic, he called out to the other animals to help him find his sacred piece of Jade so he could continue having the supernatural power to heal. He promised a great reward to whoever found it.

The swift Deer actually spotted the beautiful green stone first. However, captivated by its beauty and selfishly wanting the healer's magic for himself, he swallowed it. The stolen magic instantly caused severe stomach pain, forcing the deer to vomit the stone back into the brush and flee in shame.

The Vulture also searched for the sacred stone but he flew too high to see the jungle floor, and the Hare missed it too because he ran too fast to inspect the ground carefully. Both these animals eventually grew tired and gave up the search.

However there was one little creature that refused to give up looking for the magical piece of Jade, the Cocay ie: Firefly. It searched everywhere systematically, crawling through every hollow log, cave, and leaf on the jungle floor.

While deeply focused on searching, a vision suddenly guided the Firefly toward a patch of thick brush. As it crawled closer to the hidden stone, a brilliant, bright Light began to emanate from the Cocay's own body and illuminated the dark corners of the undergrowth.

Guided by its new internal glow, the little insect successfully recovered the Jade stone and returned it back to the Healer. Overjoyed, the Healer told the Firefly that the Light was its true reward. He declared that the light would remain within the Cocay forever to guide its path through the darkest of nights.

I believe for the well studied student, this myth needs no further commentary.

We will end this discourse with some quotes from the Ancient Texts of the Chinese.

In the Chinese Book of Rites (Li Ji, 礼记) said to be written over 2,000 years ago it notes: "In the last month of summer... rotten grass transforms into fireflies."

In The Yi Zhou Shu (逸周书) an even older compendium it states that exactly on the day of Da Shu the decaying grass begins its physical metamorphosis into fireflies.

I do not think that grass metamorphosing into Fireflies in the months of Summer is lost on any well studied student.