For the Ancient Greeks and Romans they sang ecstatically, were sacred to Apollo and related to the dionysiac bacchae and maenads.
From this, we know that he was aware of their periodic lifecycle, their resurrection from the earth, their progression to winged form and their song.
[4] These cicadas are not simply decorative; they add a profound metaphor, transcendent musical motif and a liminal aspect to the dialogue of Socrates and Phaedrus.
Cicadas were once humans who, in ancient times, allowed the first Muses to enchant them into singing and dancing for so long they stopped eating and sleeping and died without noticing.
In the dialogue, Socrates affirms that nymphs and local divinities or spirits of place inhabit the countryside; talks of the Muses and nature gods such as Pan; in addition he indulges in an extended exegesis of his own dæmon; waxes lyrical, connecting divine inspiration to religion, poetry, art and love; all of which are informed and set in poignant relief by the cicada chorus.