All kinds of motifs and sculptures can be embodied in stainless steel rings, but for many heavy metal fans and Goths, bats are particularly popular and always have been.
Some might ask just why this is. Is it because of the association of bats with all things spooky and nocturnal, with fictional characters like Count Dracula giving them a place in popular culture (albeit a very different one from Batman!) Or is it more historic than that?
For rock fans, there have certainly been some moments when bats have played their part in iconic scenes and songs associated with the genre:
· The famous incident when Ozzy Osbourne bit the head off a bat on stage
· The extending bat wings costume on Mr Lordi’s outfit in Lordi’s triumphant 2006 Eurovision Song Contest performance of Hard Rock Hallelujah
· Meatloaf’s ‘Bat out of Hell’ album
For Goths, the Dracula-type theme and mood certainly lends itself more easily to the kind of themes they love.
How Have People Traditionally Viewed Bats?
However, bats have a longer cultural history of use as icons, not always spooky or to do with things that go bump in the night.
The Mayans thought of bats as the guardians of the underworld, which sounds pretty cool, while Mexicans today see them as messengers between the living and the dead, a tradition honoured on Day of the Dead, which corresponds with Halloween on October 31st.
In Egypt, they were seen as symbolising rebirth rather than anything particularly spooky.
Elsewhere, bats are seen somewhat differently. Indigenous Australians see them as cunning and crafty animals, similar to how we would regard foxes. Then again, Australian bats are huge and are sometimes dubbed ‘flying foxes’.
The Chinese have a different take again, with bats as symbols of happiness and prosperity, although this may have taken a bit of a knock in 2020. The Japanese take a more nuanced view of bats, and they can be either good or bad omens.
Not everyone sees bats the same way, but everyone is fascinated by them. That is why bat-themed rings will always capture the attention and help the wearer to stand out.
