One of the most interesting ranges of silver animal charms seen lately is the rise of dragonfly jewellery, seen in the form of necklaces, earrings, charms and bracelets. Given how fascinating and meaningful the dragonfly is, however, this may not be entirely surprising.
One of the few flying creatures in nature capable of flying backwards, seeing the characteristic darting and dancing of the dragonfly is truly mesmerising, and it has inspired feelings of awe and fear in different groups throughout history.
The initial family name for the dragonfly, ‘Odonata’ comes from the Greek root word for ‘tooth’ as due to how they crushed their prey they must, in fact, have teeth. Dragonflies, therefore, have become a symbol of strength, often hidden or that manifests in unique ways.
The name we are more familiar with comes in part due to a Native American legend, which claimed that dragonflies were in fact once huge dragons that were tricked into changing into a smaller shape and never managed to change back.
Interesting, the positive symbolism for dragonflies does not come from Europe, where historically they were linked with injury, evil and a servant for snakes.
Instead, the positive view comes from rural China, which has continued to the present day and its use in feng shui, particularly in the form of the Hsia Calendar, and several common idioms and expressions.
Dragonflies hunt other insects, and many of the creatures they eat were seen as pests by rural farmers in China, and so dragonflies were seen as bringing harmony and chasing away bad luck, with a dragonfly entering via the front door signifying recovery and positive events ahead.
As well as this, in Japan dragonflies are a symbol of autumn, as the most common time of year for dragonfly sightings in Asia is in September.