The symbolism of bats varies across traditions and time. Most famous is probably the bat's association with Halloween. This article not only highlights reasons that bats and Halloween partner up, but also shares some others, lesser-known beliefs about bats.
Traditional burning of bright bonfires at summer's end was common around Halloween. The fires were meant to ward off bad energies and soften the chilly air. The bonfires' brilliant light often attracted plentiful insects as well as their natural predator, bats. As such, bats were a common sight at these fall festivals, and are therefore connected with Halloween's magical theme.
In some Native American traditions, the bat was considered a symbol of intuition and vision due to it being highly sensitive to its surroundings. As such, a bat spirit would be invoked when special energy was needed to see though ambiguity, helping medicine people and shamans dive straight to the truth. In addition, the bat was a symbol of communication because it was highly social with their group. However, some groups of Native Americans such as the Creek, Cherokee, and Apache, believe that the bat is a trickster spirit.
The bat is also a totem. In fact, if one's totem is a bat, these people are typically extremely aware of their surroundings and are perceptive on a psychic level, especially in their dreams. In addition, self improvement using the bat as a totem requires 100% commitment to spiritual growth. People often wear either a bat tattoo or bat jewelry as a symbol of their totem.
Another historical belief about the nocturnal bat was that bats could indicate the presence of spirits or ghosts. One superstition stated that if a bat flew around a house three times on Halloween, then death would be coming soon to its inhabitants.
Bats are also closely associated with vampires, who said to sometimes shape shift into bats, fog, or wolves. Modern tradition connects bats with often negative associations, including winged demons. Over the ages, however, bats were not always negatively associated. In fact, bats were sometimes seen as protectors, warding off evil. Perhaps this is true today as well, given the fewer mosquitoes and other bug pests that do not exist thanks to the work of bats.
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