Edgar Allen Poe and the Death’s Head Hawkmoth

danielj

April 28th, 2006 at 12:00 am

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Poe story featuring a Sphinx Moth
Dear Bugman,
I came across your wonderful site while looking for information about the "Death’s-Head" Sphinx moth. Are you familiar with Edgar Allan Poe’s story "The Sphinx"? Every sphinx moth fan should read it (it’s short, and great fun):
http://www.eapoe.org/works/tales/sphinxc.htm
Having been intrigued by the story, I wanted to learn more about the moth, and was lucky enough to stumble upon your site. Although none of the postings mentioned the death’s head markings that Poe describes in his story, the photo dated 6/25/2005 of a snowberry clearwing in flight looks just right (see attached photo pulled from your site). Is the skull-like form we see in the photo particular to this kind of sphinx, or do they all have these markings when seen from this angle? Is there, in fact, a particular sphinx moth that’s commonly called the "Death’s-Head?" Presumably the moth that Poe represents would have been common in the Hudson River Valley in the 1840s. Thanks! I’m so glad to have stumbled, in this roundabout way, upon your site.
Jennifer L. Roberts
Assistant Professor
Department of History of Art and Architecture
Harvard University

Hi Jennifer,
Please say hello to our dear friend and mentor, Stephen Prina and tell him Daniel and Lisa Anne miss him in Los Angeles. In answer to your question, we read The Sphinx many years ago but should give it a re-read. We are also terribly fond of The Gold Bug. The Death’s Head Hawkmoth is an old world species, Acherontia atropos. The thoracic markings do look remarkably like a skull. The moth has been prominently featured in several films including Silence of the Lambs and Angels and Insects, the fabulous A.S. Byatt adaptation. Because of its iconography, it has a long history of appearances in literature. Here is a link with images and some information.

Dear Daniel and Lisa Anne,
Thanks so much! I will say hello to Stephen just as soon as I’m back within range (I’m currently on sabbatical up at Stanford, so I won’t see him until the fall). I’m sure we must have a few other mutual acquaintances — I specialize in post-wwII stuff (recent book on Robert Smithson) and try to keep up with the various critical personalities in LA. I’ve seen neither of the Death’s Head Hawkmoth movies (although I have /read/ Byatt’s Angels and Insects). Sounds like a good excuse for an Acherontia Atropos Film Festival. Keep up the great work on the site!
Jennifer