Now I’m remembering that awful rhyme from when I was a sproglet:
Ladybird, ladybird fly away home,
Your house is on fire and your children are gone,
Ice Swimmersays
From the web pages of Norstedts publishing house I found this.
English translation:
According to old tales, one would get through Heaven’s gates if one would set a captive ladybird free. The ladybird would thus be a symbolic key.
The ladybird was early on linked to Virgin Mary, who according to the Catholic faith had the ability to unlock the gates of Heaven. Mary is also connected with the seven virtues and the number of spots on the little round beetle is seven. Thus, people thought that Virgin Mary could sen her little helper, the little maid in the sky to open the realm of the Heaven.
Ice Swimmersays
The original text was written by biologist Lars-Åke Janzon.
Seven-spot ladybird(?) bathing in sunlight. In case somebody hasn’t seen this yet: SATW’s take on the names of the ladybird in various languages.
The Swedish name for seven-spot ladybird seems to be sjuprickig nyckelpiga (seven spot key maid).
Mary’s Chicken? Okaaaay.
What is a key maid?
Now I’m remembering that awful rhyme from when I was a sproglet:
Ladybird, ladybird fly away home,
Your house is on fire and your children are gone,
From the web pages of Norstedts publishing house I found this.
English translation:
According to old tales, one would get through Heaven’s gates if one would set a captive ladybird free. The ladybird would thus be a symbolic key.
The ladybird was early on linked to Virgin Mary, who according to the Catholic faith had the ability to unlock the gates of Heaven. Mary is also connected with the seven virtues and the number of spots on the little round beetle is seven. Thus, people thought that Virgin Mary could sen her little helper, the little maid in the sky to open the realm of the Heaven.
The original text was written by biologist Lars-Åke Janzon.
Huh. So if you buy a tub of ladybirds for your garden and let them go…you’re good?
I wonder how Simon/Pete figures in all of this? Or does this all work only when Pete has gone fishing.