| Tarantulas, or Theraphosids have recently | | | | mothers apparently told their children that the |
| become relatively familiar creatures in Europe and | | | | outcroppings of white quartz at the top of the |
| the North America. However, despite our | | | | monolith were the bones of disobedient children |
| familiarity with these large relatively harmless | | | | who were more likely to be caught by the spider. |
| spiders, they are not really a sufficient apart of | | | | Another Navajo legend recounts how a Pueblo |
| our history for us to have included them in our | | | | Indian girl who was living with the Navajo was so |
| myths. | | | | lonely she just wandered off into the desert. Here |
| Tarantism as it occurred in Europe during the | | | | she saw a thin wisp of smoke arising from a hole |
| Middle ages had nothing to do with what we call | | | | in the ground, on looking inside she saw 'Spider |
| 'Tarantulas' today. Nevertheless the word | | | | Woman' spinning a blanket. |
| 'Tarantula' stems from Europe and was given to | | | | It goes on to tell how Spider Woman befriends |
| the Theraphosids of America, and other places by | | | | the girl and teachers her how to spin cloth. With |
| Europeans because these spiders reminded them | | | | this new and valuable skill she returns to the |
| of their own 'Tarantula' about which a strong | | | | village, where she teaches the other woman to |
| body of folklore and mythology exists. | | | | spin with the condition that they must leave a |
| This folklore arose in the 14th century around the | | | | small hole in each blanket to remind them that it |
| Lycosa Tarantula spider in the area of Taranto in | | | | was Spider Woman that taught them how to spin. |
| Southern Italy. It started with peasants who were | | | | Needless to say she is now accepted by |
| working in the fields and who thought they had | | | | everybody and is much happier. |
| been bittern by a spider dancing a wild and | | | | Another myth shared in various forms by several |
| frenzied dance to exhaust themselves in order to | | | | Indian peoples is that 'Old Mother Tarantula' saved |
| survive the bite. Later on this dancing evolved into | | | | the first man and first woman from the wrath of |
| a cult and there is much controversy over the | | | | Kukumat. The story goes that the first man and |
| social forces which were involved in its expression | | | | first woman spent so much time bickering and |
| in the following centuries. Apart from this modern | | | | arguing that Kukumat sent a flood to get rid of |
| thought also casts doubt on the role of the | | | | them because he was tired of listening to the |
| 'Tarantula'. | | | | racket they were making. |
| Suggesting that most genuine cases were the | | | | As the flood waters rose the first man and first |
| result of bites by the European Black Widow | | | | woman were eventually saved by Old Mother |
| (Latrodectus Tredecimguttatus) which lives low in | | | | Tarantula who spun a raft for them to escape |
| the vegetation rather than of bites by Lycosa | | | | the flood. |
| Tarantula, which like its Theraphosid cousins lives | | | | Another legend explains how Spider Woman helps |
| in a hole in the ground and is quite shy. | | | | the 12 brothers, who were the children of the |
| However the local people of the various parts of | | | | first man and first woman hunt down Coyote |
| the world, where Tarantulas occur naturally have | | | | who, in not becoming a domestic dog has |
| made them a part of their mythology. One of | | | | disobeyed the hunters. |
| these groups of peoples are the Indians of | | | | When they eventually catch and kill Coyote with |
| Southern USA and Mexico. These mythologies | | | | Spider woman's help she takes the skin as a |
| may not all relate specifically to 'Tarantulas' as the | | | | trophy, which she wears on her abdomen. From |
| terminology is often just translated as spider, | | | | this time on all Tarantulas have a patch of rough |
| however in many cases it is referring to a ground | | | | hairs on their abdomens. |
| dwelling Theraphosid, particularly Old Mother | | | | Another group of Indians called the Zuni have a |
| Tarantula. | | | | legend which states that after Winter Thunder (a |
| A very old belief that is part of several different | | | | bad guy) blew Rainbow boy to bits Spider |
| Indian cultures, is the Pima myth that the world | | | | Woman sent her Spider Girls to rescue Rainbow |
| was created by Chiowotmahke the Earth Prophet. | | | | Boy who by spinning and weaving all his nerves |
| He took the form of a Spider and spun a huge | | | | and blood vessels back together again were able |
| web across the void creating the Earth in the | | | | to bring him back to life. |
| process, he then changed form again to become | | | | After which Rainbow Boy was able to prevent |
| a butterfly. | | | | the other Thunder Beings, Black Whirlwind and |
| As the butterfly he flew down to the Earth and | | | | Black Metal from destroying all the tribes. |
| created mankind. Cave paintings can be found in | | | | In Mexico it was believed that the creation of the |
| California depicting this scene. Also in California, | | | | world was assisted by Tocotl a Spider God, who |
| Chumash Indian mythology states that the Sun | | | | spins a huge hammock to hold the world up. The |
| God Kaqunupenawa rests by day in a hole in the | | | | Mayans believed that after death of the body the |
| ground created for him by 'Spider Woman' while | | | | soul was destined to wander through the many |
| his rays warm the Earth. | | | | dark passages of the underworld until they met a |
| The Navajo used to live in what is now known as | | | | great river which they could not cross on their |
| the Canyon de Chelly National Park, this contains | | | | own. |
| an amazing monolith of rock 800 feet high known | | | | Each soul can only get to the other side of this |
| as 'Spider Rock'. This rock according to Navajo | | | | river with the help of a spider person. The spider |
| legends was the home of 'Old Mother Tarantula' | | | | people spin a web rafts and then one spider |
| or 'Spider Woman'. | | | | person and one soul journey across the |
| Mixed up with this are stories of a spider who | | | | underground river linked in a sort of spiritual bond |
| would climb down from the rock to catch children | | | | so that each is totally dependant on the other |
| and carry them back to the top to eat. Navajo | | | | until they reach safety on the other side. |