ChristStory Bestiary

ANT

Industry & Prudence

As one of the smallest of God's creatures, ants are symbols of the frailty and brevity of human life. Their tiny appearance gives us a hint of our cosmic insignificance. The idea that God endowed this little insect with enough wisdom to store up food during the summer and to appear to live in cities is often called upon by Christian teachers to promote humility, modesty, and industry in their listeners. Charles Spurgeon once wrote that God's ability to help His children is greater than our ability to provide enough food for one small ant -- surely we would overwhelm the creature with our generosity while scarcely noticing the lack of a mere handful of grain (Morning and Evening: Daily Readings by Charles Spurgeon). While Westerners admire the industrious nature of the ant, the people of India find its constant activity a symbol of the needless fretting and scurrying about of unenlightened individuals. Although a lone ant is indeed weak and of little account, an army of ants is nothing to be laughed at.

Aesop recorded several fables involving ants. In 'The Ant and the Dove,' an ant which the dove had mercifully saved from drowning, proved himself a valuable ally by stinging a birdcatcher as he attempted to set a trap for the dove. 'The Ants and the Grasshopper' shows ants mocking a starving grasshopper for singing the summer away instead of storing up food for winter. 'The Philosopher, the Ants, and Mercury' is a fable about a philosopher who, upon witnessing a shipwreck and the loss of all on board, rails against the unfairness of Providence whom he believes killed many innocent passengers in order to punish the single guilty party on board. While he was thus occupied, the philosopher was bitten by an ant and angrily trampled the entire colony. Mercury then appeared, pointing out that he had dealt as bitterly with the ants as Providence had with the ship's passengers.

Ants are Old Testament models of prudent foresight, industry, and wisdom. Because they gather food in due season, Proverbs calls these insects one of the four things "which are little on the earth, but...exceedingly wise" (Prov 30:24-28). The sluggard is advised to stop sleeping and follow their example (Prov 6:6-11). To New Testament readers the admonishment to imitate the ant's habits appears to be at odds with Christ's teaching to "take no thought for the morrow" (Mt 6:34 KJV). However, in his Treatise on the Cardinal Virtues, Thomas Aquinas resolves this apparent incongruity by concluding that, "Every time has its own fitting proper solicitude; thus solicitude about the crops belongs to the summer time, and solicitude about the vintage to the time of autumn... The ant is solicitous at a befitting time, and it is this that is proposed for our example." He also quotes Augustine in saying that the Lord condemns only those "who oppose themselves to God for the sake of these things" (De Serm. Dom. in Monte ii, 17). Augustine's "ant of God" gathers to himself the things of spiritual nourishment during the sunshine of his life so that when misfortune and bereavement visit he has the necessary spiritual consolations to sustain his faith (Expositions on the Book of Psalms, Ps 67).

The third century Physiologus recommends the ant as a model for Christians on several accounts: it doesn't beg from its neighbors; it displays prudence and wisdom by storing food; and it shows discretion by gathering only wheat which is a symbol of the true doctrine and avoiding barley and rye which represent false teachings. This early work also describes a pitiful creature called the "ant-lion" which was thought to be the offspring of an ant-mother and a lion-father. It "perishes for lack of prey" because, consisting of the front part of a carnivorous lion and the rear part of a vegetarian ant, it is unable to acquire suitable nourishment (Job 4:11).

Anthills are associated with the mouth, stomach, digestion, and vulva of the earth which primitive peoples believed brought forth humankind. Anthills or ants were thought to have taught humans speech and all the necessary skills for survival. Ants are used in fertility and puberty rites in some cultures. Infertile women may sit on anthills to increase their odds of becoming pregnant. During initiation rituals, teenagers are sometimes forced to endure ant bites either as a purification or a test of courage. Some shapeshifters must be on an anthill in order to change forms.

Ants are revered in many religions. Clement of Alexandria rebuked the Thessalians for worshiping ants (Exhortation the Heathen, Chapt. 2). In classical mythology these insects are attributes of Zeus and Ceres. Hindus and Jains consider black ants sacred and feed them on special occasions. Hopi creation myths claim that the first humans were ants. The Aztecs believed that ants gave Quetzalcoatl the gift of corn. Tagalog legend states that the ant visited heaven and begged God for the gift of poison which the snake also enjoyed. However, upon receiving this gift, the ant raced back to earth in an unseemly manner, eager to to employ this new power. Therefore, God reduced the potency of the ant's poison to a mere sting lest he gleefully cause a great slaughter upon the earth.

After Aegina was destroyed by plague, Aeacus begged Zeus to repopulate his island. The Greek god responded by turning a colony of ants into hard-working men who were afterwards known as Myrmidons. These men had various ant-like characteristics. They diligently farmed the soil and followed their leaders into battle with great fury and unquestioning loyalty. Achilles led the Myrmidons into battle during the Trojan War. Today, the term "Myrmidons" may be applied to those who carry out vicious and inhuman commands.

Many superstitions revolve around ants. In some areas they are considered good omens; in others they are bad ones. These insects are observed as an aid to divination. In America ants are believed to presage rain, prosperity, and hard winters. In Bambara wells are dug on top of anthills since ants are thought to know where the best water is. The stings of ants are believed to drive off demons. The Aruntas of Australia think that a medicine man's powers will be destroyed if he is bitten by a bulldog ant. In Morocco ants were once eaten by victims of lethargy in the hopes that they would become lively once more. A wiggler may be said to "have ants in his pants." The Zuni consider ants their allies and expect them to hide the footprints of their warriors. These insects are thought to be vengeful creatures, sending sickness and misfortune to those base enough to destroy their nests.

Ants are symbols of wisdom, foresight, prudence, industry, diligence, patriotism, community, order, virtue, and subordination. However, because of their ceaseless activity and storing instincts, some people consider ants symbols of excessive or unnecessary industry, lack of inner peace, and an unseemly attachment to material things.

All scripture quotes are from the NKJV Bible unless otherwise indicated.