This little guy took up residence in my patio umbrella, not my belfry, this morning. Fortunately, I’m not a superstitious French Peasant or my day would be doomed to misfortune.
Because bats flew at night and had eerie, leathery wings, the peasants of 1650 France linked them with witches, demons, and the Devil. The creatures were very familiar to rural folks and often seen hunting insects at dusk. Farmers knew the bats reduced swarms of gnats and flies, but the fear of them outweighed the benefits.
Peasants dreaded having a bat fly into the house, it was a sign of impending death or misfortune. Oddly, if hung in a stable or barn, a dried bat could also protect against bad luck. Powdered bat or bat’s blood was used as a folk cure and as a charm against evil spirits.
Our little visitor is safe from black magic potions. He clung to the screen of my she-shed before Bob nudged him with a broom and he flew off into the trees. My biologist extraordinaire and brother-in-law says this is a silver bat, probably migrating through Illinois. These bats are tree dwellers and can be aggressive if handled.
This little guy took up residence in my patio umbrella this morning. Fortunately, I’m not a superstitious French Peasant or my day would be doomed to misfortune.
Because bats flew at night and had eerie, leathery wings, the peasants of 1650 France linked them with witches, demons, and the Devil. The creatures were very familiar to rural folks and often seen hunting insects at dusk. Farmers knew the bats reduced swarms of gnats and flies, but the fear of them outweighed the benefits.
Peasants dreaded having a bat fly into the house, it was a sign of impending death or misfortune. Oddly, if hung in a stable or barn, a dried bat could also protect against bad luck. Powdered bat or bat’s blood was used as a folk cure and as a charm against evil spirits.
Our little visitor is safe from black magic potions. He clung to the screen of my she-shed before Bob nudged him with a broom and he flew off into the trees. My brother-in-law and biologist extraordinaire says this is a silver bat, probably migrating through Illinois. They can be aggressive if handled — no worries there.
PS – a belfry is the tall tower section of a building, such as a church, which left unused could attract bats. The term, bats in the belfry, refers to craziness or confusion in a person’s mind. It’s a fairly recent term, first popularized in American in about 1890.
Jeanne Meeks ~ Fiction Author 