Hell Moth

Hell Moth is an insect closely related to the butterfly, both being of the order Lepidoptera. It was believed that a Hell Moth will fly out of a person's mouth upon death and flutters around the death's spirit.

In Japan, they belief souls of the dead turns into moth, thus, butterflies and moth are usually known to be closely related to the death. There are various stories dedicated to Hell Moths or Butterflies….

There was a beautiful maiden from a well known family, who will be married very soon. In the morning of the auspicious day, when the bride was happily making up, her mother burst in and exclaimed: “Your groom had passed away suddenly!” At first, the shock was too much for the bride to accept, but after hurrying to the groom’s house to confirm, with grief, she accepted the truth. Soon, he was buried. This maiden would visit his grave every month. With tears that swelled her darling eyes she would weep and whispered: “Oh~ please bring me to the world of death, to reunite with you again…” She buried her tear filled eyes in her palms and whispered tenderly as if it was a silent prayer: “If your heart is still with me, please open your coffin.”

Then, with a mystical glow, it creaked open. Upon seeing the gap, the maiden jumped in without hesitation. On the other hand, the maiden’s mother who was worried that her daughter might seek suicide after her beloved passed away, had followed her ever since she felt the house to visit the grave, and was horrified at the unbelievable sight before her.

The mother rushed over to stop her but only managed to yank on her white skirt, however the coffin had already engulfed the maiden and once again it shut itself. The grave had return to its peaceful state as the coffin drifted off to a silent slumber, leaving the mother crying over her child, or rather her own misfortune.

She held the skirt that was left close to her heart and embraced it, and then an unnatural breeze blew by, taking the skirt with it. The white ghostly skirt stayed afloat on the air, slowly turned misty and millions of pure white butterflies flutter of in a cacophony of whoosh with the breeze. Among them, the mother caught the unmistakable image of her daughter smiling back at her, the maiden waved good bye and disappeared from sight. Finally, the butterflies were nothing but twinkling little stars.