The Moth Tale

 The moment anyone mentions a moth, the immediate bell that rings in most minds is the film entitled "The Silence of the Lambs". Well, like most bibliophiles, I have not watched that much talked about film, though I have read the 1988 novel. So effective was the story that even today emerge reports regarding the larvae of the  'death's head' moth being found in all sorts of often impossible places.

Actually, literature, especially the Urdu shero-shayari type, is afire with the moth symbol in yet another way. Unlike the flighty butterfly, the moth is a symbol of constancy so much so that it is ready to get burnt, to die a cruel death in its pursuit of the 'shama', the flame. Thus, most often, a moth is the symbol of a frustrated, often one-sided love. 

I look at the moth differently. In my opinion,  a moth stands for the search for light even when it could be fatal. This light thus can be any all-consuming aim, be it knowledge,  be it power, be it the willingness to transcend all that limits. Hence often I find the moth symbol in the Faust myth brilliantly explored first by Christopher Marlowe , and next by Goethe. Well, one can say, different fields have their own versions of the eternal Faust figure, right?

A moth, in my opinion, is a symbol of total transformation as well. The moth in its larvae stage is not exactly a pleasant sight. Yet the moth that finally emerges at the end of the entire transformational process is absolutely unique. I have always found the moth myth a variation on the 'ugly duckling' story.

I find this story fascinating because, unlike the pretty, small little butterfly, the moth is absolutely capable of adapting to the surroundings. The kind of camouflage a moth manifests shows us the greatness of the wonder called 'Nature'. In other words, its attractiveness is not simply pretty; it is valid!

Oh, you are asking me 'why tell the moth tale?' For one thing, that is because, a moth has a unique tail. On a less flippant note, recently was celebrated a moth day. Thence  have I been exploring the theme. Today the story gets told with the moral that moths are magical, moths are mystical, moths are marvellous in their own unique way!

Pratima@ May moths manifest their very own, unique magic!