Superstitious beliefs about earwigs (Dermaptera)

Earwigs are amongst the most misunderstood animals in the world. A widespread belief accuses them of entering human ears and causing severe damages to ear and brain. Although there is no evidence for any asscociation between earwigs and (human) ears, the common names of these insects in nearly every European language refer to that fact. The myth is probably originating in the scriptures of Pliny the Elder. References in old Germanic indicate the origin of the naming as far back as the beginning of the first millenium.