Читать книгу The Element Encyclopedia of Magical Creatures: The Ultimate A–Z of Fantastic Beings from Myth and Magic - John Matthews - Страница 107

Ants are considered sacred among numerous cultures, and are especially prized for their industry, thrift, providence and forethought. In Chinese lore, the ant is considered a righteous creature and represents orderliness, patriotism and subordination to authority. However, since white ants can damage the rice crops, the god of war is sometimes invoked against them.

Among the Hindu, the ant is an example of the transience of existence, and is associated with the cult of the dead. In Zoroastrianism, the ant belongs to the dark forces of Ahriman and is the enemy of agriculture. In classical Greek tradition, the formidable Myrmidon warriors were said to be descended from ants or, according to Strabo, they were men transformed into ants after a plague had decimated the island where they lived. Among the Native American people, ants are respected for their patience, planning, building skills and aggression coupled with stamina. The ant is also said by them to have developed its narrow waist through self-denial, having provided food for the people who were forced underground during a cataclysm in the pre-modern

King Solomon once came with many men on a flying carpet to the Valley of the Ants, and they discovered to their horror that these insects were as large as wolves. However, the ants were equally terrified by the sight of the king’s flying carpet and the people on it, for they had never before seen human beings. A queen governed these ants, and when she discovered the exalted status of her visitor, she ordered her subjects to pay their respects to the king. When King Solomon landed and stepped from his carpet, all the ants sang out in unison: ‘Long live the king of all the animals and insects. Praise the Lord!’ Then the King of the humans and the Queen of the ants greeted one another cautiously. Solomon asked if there was anything they feared. ‘I fear only God,’ replied the Queen, ‘In case of danger my soldier ants would gladly sacrifice their lives on my behalf.’ On another occasion, Solomon heard how the ants had dug a pit so that an elephant fell into it, where it was consumed. They did this because the elephants had boasted that it was the duty of the ants to avoid their feet. Solomon admonished the elephants, telling them henceforward to respect the insects.

world. Quetzalcoatl, the Central American god of the elements, turned himself into an ant to steal maize, which the insects had hidden in a mountain, in order to bring it as a gift to humanity. The Pima tribe of South Arizona divides itself into three groups: Red Ants, White Ants and Black Ants, each of which has its own laws and customs, venerating the respective insect. Among the tribes of West Africa, ants are messengers of the serpent god, while for the Ibo of Nigeria the white ant or termite is sometimes represented as a spiritual ally that can be invoked to destroy the crops of personal enemies. Among the people of China, Persia, India and Greece, ants are also the guardians of treasure. Biblical tradition associates the ant with wisdom: ‘Go to the ant thou sluggard; consider her ways and be wise’ (Proverbs 6: 6) and ‘There be four things which are little upon the earth, but they are exceeding wise; the ants are people not strong, yet they provide their meat in the summer’ (Proverbs 30: 24–5).