LOOK
WHEN YOU
A synchronic guide of ambivalence
The Praying Mantis
Fig. 1. Max Ernst, Joy of Life (1936), oil on canvas, 285/8" x 36". Penrose Collection, Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, Edinburgh. @ADAGP
When you look at a praying mantis you see ambivalence. Mantises can be found on every continent in the globe with over 2,300 species, mainly belonging to the Mantodea family. The specimens held in Orma J. Smith Museum of Natural History, derive from one native species and three introduced species. The origin of its name starting with praying, originates from the stance of the insect and its similarity to the act. Whereas mantis, descended from the Greek root word, means prophet or seer.
The mantis is notoriously known for its cannibalistic mating habits, which is a common practice for the females to eat their partner during intercourse. Their behavior represents the act of life and death at the same time. Through culture, the mantis is seen to influence artifacts, literature, and art. Specifically during the Surrealism movement beginning in the 1910s, the praying mantis was used as an icon in famous pieces of art and poetry. The species symbolized an intriguing ambivalence, which represented all holy and evil simultaneously. Further, the religious connections expanded understanding of the synchronic image the mantis served. In several different accounts and stories throughout time, the praying mantis represents a spiritual guidance through life. From Arabic folklore of the mantis serving as a guide to the sacred city of Mecca to the African community of the Bushmen of the Kalahari seeing the creature to be a symbol of god. Through these findings the contrasting states of ambivalence are conveyed from the praying mantis.
