Dragonflies, one of the two suborders that are joined in Odonata, have been the subject of myths and legends for centuries and in some places you will still hear shrill stories about them, lingering from the old days, that they bite, sting, bring bad luck, sew your lips and eyes shut, or enter your ears and penetrate your brain. Their folk names indicate the ambiguous reputation they have come to enjoy specifically in Europe over time: variably they are called Devil's needle, Darner, Serpent Doctor, dubbed finger cutter, horse killer, ear stick, and eye pisser.