The Cicada
Resurrection, The Musician, Changing of the Seasons
“Birth. Life. Death. Repeat.” These were some of the last words shared along with an image of cicadas escaping their shell by a friend of mine the evening he passed in late August. The admiration he had for this insect wasn’t a secret to the people who knew him well. Riley was a musician, a leader, and a philosopher. He saw the world through a progressive lens that often challenged the status quo. Trying to make sense of the hole that was left in the worlds of many after his passing, I spent the next month tattooing cicadas on the group people who I had grown into an adult with and that were also grieving his loss. While I wouldn’t say that the cicada is a symbol that I’ve tattooed a lot of over my career, it seemed that Riley’s last shared thought and the month that followed of tattooing would point me in the direction of the cicada to be my first article in symbolism. I would have never imagined that this image would not only end up being my guide through grief but would also reveal that it is a symbol of resurrection, the musician, and the changing of the seasons which seemed all too relative to Riley and the situation my friends and I now found ourselves in.
The cicada begins its life hatching from an egg as a nymph and burying into the ground where it spends its day to day consuming the juices from the roots of trees. These nymphs are characterized by their pale color, hunched back, long front legs, and prehistoric features. After spending most of its life in the earth the cicada emerges from the ground where it splits its skin and rises from its former shell. From there it goes forth to darken in color and evolves into a singing, winged insect. This process has been studied and interpreted by many ancient cultures including the Mayans, Chinese, Grecians, and Americans. The observation of the physical stages the insect goes through formed their beliefs around the cicada being a symbol and a catalyst of resurrection. Jade amulets would be carved into the shape of cicadas and were placed on the tongues of the deceased during sympathetic magic rituals in both Chinese and Mayan cultures. The Chinese would use brown jade for these amulets because they believed it represented the “Yang” element and was used to ward off evil spirits while allowing the deceased to be resurrected. In North America the Oraibi people would use medicine made from cicadas on wounds received during battle because it was thought that the insect produced immortal powers and regeneration. Across the map the cicada’s transformation has been interpreted to represent the process of death and rebirth.
Another defining quality of the cicada is it’s long admired song. After they emerge above ground male cicadas flex a rib like structure to produce a loud vibration in order to attract females. The Greeks believed the cicada to be a symbol of melody, poets, and music. They formed various myths around the cicada’s song including that of Eunomis, who after breaking a string on his lute during a contest, a cicada landed on the instrument and saved the day by singing the final note in high C. The god of music, Apollo, was also said to have control over cicadas. Arguably the most notable observation of the cicada’s song was told by Plato in “Phaedrus.” Socrates described cicadas to be reincarnated musicians who had been so carried away with the chorus that they forgot to eat and drink until they passed away. Plato called the cicada “the prophet of the muses” because of it’s representation of song. He believed music invoked a state of trance which would empty the mind, allowing you to speak directly to deities. The Grecians viewed musicians as shaman-like figures because of their use of song and the effect it had on the mind. In the Americas the cicada was one of the most valued insects to the Hopi tribe and was characterized by a flute player image called “Maahu,” which is commonly mistaken as Kokopelli. The hunched backed flute player is one of the most common cave paintings across the southern United States is believed to mimic the hunch of the cicada. It was thought that the cicada’s song was similar to that of instrument called a leena, or a flute. This attraction and the interpretation of the insect’s song not only has made it a lasting symbol of the musician but also speaks to the musician’s importance to society.
The process of the cicada emerging from the ground to sing happens every year around the time of the summer solstice, signaling the changing of the seasons and movement through time. The Hopi and Cherokee tribes believed that the cicada rose from the underworld to sing it’s song which evoked magical heat power and was important to promote the growth of their crops every year. What was thought to be a trying journey from the underworld caused some religious sects to make prayer sticks that were made by piercing cicadas onto wood. They would carry these prayer sticks with them during times of migration in hopes that they would bring warm weather. The cicada is considered a clan ancestor for some tribes and is honored by positioning the image at the top of totems. Athenians also recognized their connection to the cicada in an ancestral manner. They believed they were both “born of the earth” and because of the bug’s unique lifecycle Athenians would fasten golden cicadas to their hair to acknowledge that they were aboriginal. The cicada’s repetitive journey from the earth and through the seasons brought these groups of people hope for rebirth, growth, and renewal.
The process of life and death is a burning question in the back of the mind of humanity. Some people theorize that there is a process of resurrection, trance, and rebirth after we pass but we may never truly know. The image of the cicada has ignited the thought of this cycle since humanity began observing it. Through this image we visualize an idea of life after death, understand how music can deeply connect us to the divine, and how struggle can nurture and propel us forward into a warm beginning. By the end of studying this image I realized that even my group of friends had instinctually carried on in the tradition of the cicada by honoring the deceased with our own symbolic ritual. Reflecting on what this image represents it couldn’t be more fitting. In the end it makes me wonder if Riley knew the parallels that he held with the cicada or if it was something he was just naturally drawn to. I want to thank Riley for his contributions in life and this final guidance in death. “The goal is to manifest higher than before.”
Rest in Peace, Riley Gale
