Cicada lore and mythology is rich and varied as there are 2500 species of

cicada The cicadas () are a superfamily, the Cicadoidea, of insects in the order Hemiptera (true bugs). They are in the suborder Auchenorrhyncha, along with smaller jumping bugs such as leafhoppers and froghoppers. The superfamily is divided into tw ...

throughout the world, many of which are undescribed and remain a mystery to science. Cicada has been prized as a

delicacy A delicacy is usually a rare and expensive food item that is considered highly desirable, sophisticated, or peculiarly distinctive within a given culture. Irrespective of local preferences, such a label is typically pervasive throughout a r ...

, and are famed throughout the world for their song. The cicada is an animal replete with symbolism: recurring themes are resurrection, immortality, spiritual realization and spiritual ecstasy. For the Ancient Greeks and Romans they sang ecstatically, were sacred to

Apollo Apollo, grc, Ἀπόλλωνος, Apóllōnos, label=genitive , ; , grc-dor, Ἀπέλλων, Apéllōn, ; grc, Ἀπείλων, Apeílōn, label= Arcadocypriot Greek, ; grc-aeo, Ἄπλουν, Áploun, la, Apollō, la, Apollinis, label ...

and related to the dionysiac

bacchae ''The Bacchae'' (; grc-gre, Βάκχαι, ''Bakchai''; also known as ''The Bacchantes'' ) is an ancient Greek tragedy, written by the Athenian playwright Euripides during his final years in Macedonia, at the court of Archelaus I of Macedon. ...

and

maenads In Greek mythology, maenads (; grc, μαινάδες ) were the female followers of Dionysus and the most significant members of the Thiasus, the god's retinue. Their name literally translates as "raving ones". Maenads were known as Bassarids, ...

Eunomos and his cithara

Egan (1994) cites several Greek sources that tell the story of Eunomos and the cicada. Eunomos, an accomplished cithara player and singer, was performing in a competition when one of the cithara strings snaps. A cicada as offering, alights on his cithara, sustaining the note of the broken string. Eunomos, thereby attributed accolade, wins the competition.

Aristotle

Aristotle Aristotle (; grc-gre, Ἀριστοτέλης ''Aristotélēs'', ; 384–322 BC) was a Greek philosopher and polymath during the Classical period in Ancient Greece. Taught by Plato, he was the founder of the Peripatetic school of ph ...

, fond of eating cicadas, described them briefly in his ''

Historia Animalium ''History of Animals'' ( grc-gre, Τῶν περὶ τὰ ζῷα ἱστοριῶν, ''Ton peri ta zoia historion'', "Inquiries on Animals"; la, Historia Animalium, "History of Animals") is one of the major texts on biology by the ancient Gr ...

''. From this, we know that he was aware of their periodic lifecycle, their resurrection from the earth, their progression to winged form and their song. Aristotle is attributed with disseminating in Greek culture cicada symbolism of resurrection and immortality; although their liminal aspect and propensity to incite admiration pre-date Aristotle.

Phaedrus, Plato and Socrates

In '' Phaedrus'', a dialogue authored by

Plato Plato ( ; grc-gre, Πλάτων ; 428/427 or 424/423 – 348/347 BC) was a Greek philosopher born in Athens during the Classical period in Ancient Greece. He founded the Platonist school of thought and the Academy, the first institution ...

, the sage

Socrates Socrates (; ; –399 BC) was a Greek philosopher from Athens who is credited as the founder of Western philosophy and among the first moral philosophers of the ethical tradition of thought. An enigmatic figure, Socrates authored no te ...

and his student of rhetoric Phaedrus engage in

repartee Wit is a form of intelligent humour, the ability to say or write things that are clever and usually funny. Someone witty is a person who is skilled at making clever and funny remarks. Forms of wit include the quip, repartee, and wisecrack. Form ...

in an idyllic setting on a riverbank in the shade of a tree occupied by a chorus of cicadas. These cicadas are not simply decorative; they add a profound metaphor, transcendent musical motif and a liminal aspect to the dialogue of Socrates and Phaedrus. It is in ''Phaedrus'' that Socrates states that some of life's greatest blessings flow from maniaPlato's Phaedrus, R. Hackforth, 1952, Cambridge U. Press specifically in the four kinds of mania: (1) prophetic; (2) poetic; (3) cathartic; and (4) erotic. It is in this context that Socrates' Myth of the Cicadas is presented. The Cicadas chirp and watch to see whether their music lulls humans to laziness or whether the humans can resist their sweet song. Cicadas were once humans who, in ancient times, allowed the first Muses to enchant them into singing and dancing for so long they stopped eating and sleeping and died without noticing. The Muses rewarded them with the gift of never needing food or sleep, and of singing from birth to death. The task of the Cicadas is to watch humans and report who honors the Muses and who does not. In the dialogue, Socrates affirms that

nymphs A nymph ( grc, νύμφη, nýmphē, el, script=Latn, nímfi, label=Modern Greek; , ) in ancient Greek folklore is a minor female nature deity. Different from Greek goddesses, nymphs are generally regarded as personifications of nature, are ...

and local divinities or spirits of place inhabit the countryside; talks of the Muses and nature gods such as Pan; in addition he indulges in an extended

exegesis Exegesis ( ; from the Greek , from , "to lead out") is a critical explanation or interpretation of a text. The term is traditionally applied to the interpretation of Biblical works. In modern usage, exegesis can involve critical interpretation ...

of his own dæmon; waxes lyrical, connecting divine inspiration to religion, poetry, art and love; all of which are informed and set in poignant relief by the cicada chorus.

Notes

References

* Clausen, Lucy W. (1954). ''Insect Fact and Folklore''. Macmillan, New York. * Craig, Owen (2001).
The Summer of Singing Cicadas
' (February - Scribbly Gum - ABC Science Online). * Riegel, Garland (1994).

''. Melsheimer Entomological Series. Third issue, November 1994. * Egan, Rory B. (1994).

'. Third issue, November 1994. * Myers, J.G. (1929). ''Insect Singers: a Natural History of the Cicadas.'' Routledge. * Ramel, Gordon (2005).
The Singing Cicadas
'. * Dalby, Andrew (2003)
''Food in the Ancient World: from A to Z.''
Routledge. * Daniélou, Alain (1992). ''Gods of Love and Ecstasy: The Traditions of Shiva and Dionysus.'' Inner Traditions. , * Lawlor, Robert (1991). ''Voices Of The First Day: Awakening in the Aboriginal dreamtime.'' Rochester, Vermont: Inner Traditions International, Ltd.

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