Kwaidan: Stories and Studies of Strange Things Lafcadio Hearn

Insect Studies

Hearn studied and wrote extensively on insects.[5] The last section of Kwaidan contains three essays on insects and their connection to Chinese and Japanese beliefs.[6]

  • Butterflies: Personification of the human soul.
  • Mosquitoes: Karmic reincarnation of jealous or greedy people in the form of Jiki-ketsu-gaki or "blood-drinking pretas".
  • Ants: Mankind's superior in terms of chastity, ethics, social structure, longevity and evolution.

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