Both the
dragonfly and the
damselfly, with their long bodies, bear a slight resemblance to a
darning needle. In many European countries, these insects were associated with the
devil. One folk belief, which made its way to America, said the devil would instruct one of these insects to
sew your
eyelids shut, if you were a child who misbehaved or
sinned.
Source:
Boyd, Stephen. "Odonata; Dragonflies and Damselflies." Google cache of . <http://216.239.57.100/search?q=cache:9oe- Tc25D2QC:www.discoverlife.org/nh/tx/Insecta/Odonata/+devil%27s+damselfly&hl=en&ie=UTF-8> (26 January 2003)
Lauseng, Nancy. "Dragonflies of Myth and Legend." Hennepin Parks Web Site. 9 Janaury 2002. <http://www.hennepinparks.org/themes/2002_lauseng_dragonflymyths.cfm> (26 January 2003)
Peterson, Martin. "European Dragonfly Folklore." Martin Peterson Personal Web site. 5 November 2002. <http://home.swipnet.se/~w-90582/dragonfly/folklore.html> (26 January 2003)