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