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I have had several spider synchronicities recently. What follows is what I have found in some brief spider research.
Spiders
In Ancient Egypt, the spider was associated with the goddess Neith in her aspect as spinner and weaver of destiny, this link continuing later through the Babylonian Ishtar and Greek Athena.[4]
Arachne's depiction as a half-spider half-human in Dante's Inferno.
The most notable ancient legend that explains the origin of the spider is the story of the weaving competition between the Greek goddess Athena and the sometimes princess Arachne. This fable was added much later to the Greek mythos when Ovid wrote the poem Metamorphoses between AD 2-8.[5] Arachne was the daughter of a famous Tyrian purple dyer in Hypaipa of Lydia. Due to her father's skill with cloth dying, Arachne was adept in the art of weaving. Eventually, she began to consider herself a greater weaver than the goddess Athena herself and challenged the goddess to a weaving contest to prove her skill. Athena wove the scene of her victory over Poseidon that had inspired her patronage of Athens, while Arachne wove a tapestry featuring twenty-one episodes of infidelity amongst the Gods of Olympus, which angered Athena. The goddess conceded that Arachne's weaving was flawless but she was infuriated by the mortal's pride. In a final moment of anger, Athena destroyed Arachne's tapestry and loom with her shuttle and cursed Arachne to live with extreme guilt. Out of sadness, Arachne hung herself soon after. Taking pity on her, Athena brought her back to life as a spider(using juice of aconite) after the princess killed herself. Athena made sure that the spider retained Arachne's weaving abilities. The Greek Arachne means "spider" (αράχνη)....
...In African folklore, the spider is personified as Anansi, the trickster god and character from later in African mythology. Alternate names include Kwaku Ananse in West Africa and anglicized as Aunt Nancy (or Sister Nancy), a variant specifically found in some of the islands of the West Indies, South America and the United States.[10] And in other cultures, such as the Native American Lakota people's culture, the spider is present as the deity Iktomi, which is occasionally depicted in its form.[4] In Native American mythology, the spider is again seen in the legend about the birth of the constellation Ursa Major. The constellation was seen as seven men transformed into stars and climbing to paradise by unrolling a spiders web.[1] The Navajo has the creation myth of Spider Grandmother. In the story, Spider Grandmother created all things through the shimmering threads that came out of her belly.[11] The Moche people of ancient Peru worshipped nature.[12] They placed emphasis on animals and often depicted spiders in their art[9].
A Tsuchigumo woman (top right), depicted in an 1887 woodblock print by Yoshitoshi.
The Tsuchigumo (translated as "Earth spiders")[13] of Japan, were both a mythical ethnic group, believed to live in the Japanese Alps until at least the Asuka period, and a mythical, supernatural creature faced by the character Minamoto no Raiko, although the term was also loosely used for bandits and thieves. The Tsuchigumo were said to live in caverns beneath the mountains and the Tsuchigumo in the Minamoto no Raiko legend were able to take the visage of a boy or a woman depending on the version of the story. Minamoto is said to have been lured to a house whilst on a search for a mythical, giant skull and was placed under an illusion by a Tsuchigumo in the guise of a young boy. However, Minamoto breaks this illusion by striking out at the boy with his sword after he suspects foul play. Minamoto discovers he is actually covered in a spider's web and after tracking down the boy, learns that he is actually a giant spider, or Tsuchigumo. Additional mythological figures in Japan include the seductive Jorōgumo (literally "whore spider" or "prostitute spider") which is depicted as being able to transform into a seductive woman. In some instances, the Jorōgumo attempts to seduce and/or marry passing samurai and in others is venerated as a goddess dwelling in the Jōren waterfall who saves people from drowning. The name also refers to the spider Nephila clavata....
...In the Vedic philosophy of India, the spider is depicted as hiding the ultimate reality with the veils of illusion.[11] In the epic poem Ovid's Metamorphoses written about 2 millennia ago. Spiders were also depicted in Dante Alighieri's Purgatorio as the half-spider Arachne,[19] and more recently in books such as the fantasy novel Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J. K. Rowling.[20] This book was later followed by a motion picture of the same name, using the giant spider Aragog from the novel as a supporting character and pet of Hagrid, a grounds keeper in the book. Again in titles such as The Lord of the Rings, written by J. R. R. Tolkien, the spider takes its form as the menacing giant spider Shelob, and was featured in the film adaption of the last book of the Lord of the Rings series.[21] Tolkien had previously used spiders in his precursor to the Lord of the Rings series with the book The Hobbit. In The Hobbit, giant spiders roamed a great forested area known as Mirkwood and attacked the main characters of the book, capturing some of them.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
Kachinas, spirits of the dead who link the human and spiritual worlds, play an important role in the mythologies of the Pueblo peoples of the American Southwest, including the Zuni and Hopi Indians. In Hopi mythology, the creator deity is a female being called Spider Woman. Among the Zuni, the supreme creator is Awonawilona, the sun god. The mythology of the Navajo Indians—who live in the same area as the Hopi and Zuni but are not a Pueblo people—focuses on four female deities called Changing Woman, White Shell Woman, Spider Woman, and First Woman.
Animals. Tricksters are often animals. Common trickster figures in Native American mythology include Rabbit in the Eastern regions, Coyote and Spider in the Plains and the Southwest regions, and Raven in the Pacific Northwest.
Although animals appear in many myths and legends, they seldom have purely animal characteristics. They talk and interact with people and often change between human and animal form. According to tradition, in the "myth age"—before people and animals became fixed in their present forms—animals could change their appearance whenever they wished.
www.mythencyclopedia.com/
Anansi, the spider, is one of the most popular animal tricksters from West African mythology. Tricksters are mischievous figures who often oppose the will of the gods, resulting in some kind of misfortune for humans. Like many trickster figures, the wily Anansi can change his appearance to look like a human, a rabbit, a fox, or other animals.
West Africans originally considered Anansi to be the creator of the world. He often acted as a go-between for humans in their dealings with the sky god Nyame, and he supposedly persuaded Nyame to give both rain and the night to people. In most stories, however, Anansi is a crafty and cunning trickster who makes life more enjoyable for himself (or more difficult for others) by fooling humans, other animals, and even the gods themselves, often using his cleverness and knowledge of his victims' ways of thinking to trick them and achieve his purpose.
In one well-known tale, Anansi asks God for an ear of corn and promises to repay with 100 servants. He takes the corn to a village and tells the people that it is sacred. During the night, Anansi feeds the corn to chickens. The next morning, he accuses the villagers of stealing the corn, and they give him a bushel of it to make up for the lost ear.
Anansi next meets a man on the road and exchanges the corn for a chicken. He visits another village and tells the people that the chicken is sacred. That night he kills the chicken, and the next morning the frightened villagers give him ten sheep to replace it. Anansi later exchanges the sheep for a corpse, which he takes to a third village and tells the people that it is the sleeping son of God. When the villagers cannot wake the corpse the next morning, Anansi says they have killed God's son. The terrified villagers offer him 100 of their finest young men, and Anansi takes them to God to fulfill his part of the bargain.
There are many other tales about Anansi. Some of them were brought to the West Indies, South America, and North America by African slaves in earlier centuries. In some parts of North America, Anansi became known as Aunt Nancy or Miss Nancy in African American folklore.
www.mythencyclopedia.com/
Spiders
In Ancient Egypt, the spider was associated with the goddess Neith in her aspect as spinner and weaver of destiny, this link continuing later through the Babylonian Ishtar and Greek Athena.[4]
Arachne's depiction as a half-spider half-human in Dante's Inferno.
The most notable ancient legend that explains the origin of the spider is the story of the weaving competition between the Greek goddess Athena and the sometimes princess Arachne. This fable was added much later to the Greek mythos when Ovid wrote the poem Metamorphoses between AD 2-8.[5] Arachne was the daughter of a famous Tyrian purple dyer in Hypaipa of Lydia. Due to her father's skill with cloth dying, Arachne was adept in the art of weaving. Eventually, she began to consider herself a greater weaver than the goddess Athena herself and challenged the goddess to a weaving contest to prove her skill. Athena wove the scene of her victory over Poseidon that had inspired her patronage of Athens, while Arachne wove a tapestry featuring twenty-one episodes of infidelity amongst the Gods of Olympus, which angered Athena. The goddess conceded that Arachne's weaving was flawless but she was infuriated by the mortal's pride. In a final moment of anger, Athena destroyed Arachne's tapestry and loom with her shuttle and cursed Arachne to live with extreme guilt. Out of sadness, Arachne hung herself soon after. Taking pity on her, Athena brought her back to life as a spider(using juice of aconite) after the princess killed herself. Athena made sure that the spider retained Arachne's weaving abilities. The Greek Arachne means "spider" (αράχνη)....
...In African folklore, the spider is personified as Anansi, the trickster god and character from later in African mythology. Alternate names include Kwaku Ananse in West Africa and anglicized as Aunt Nancy (or Sister Nancy), a variant specifically found in some of the islands of the West Indies, South America and the United States.[10] And in other cultures, such as the Native American Lakota people's culture, the spider is present as the deity Iktomi, which is occasionally depicted in its form.[4] In Native American mythology, the spider is again seen in the legend about the birth of the constellation Ursa Major. The constellation was seen as seven men transformed into stars and climbing to paradise by unrolling a spiders web.[1] The Navajo has the creation myth of Spider Grandmother. In the story, Spider Grandmother created all things through the shimmering threads that came out of her belly.[11] The Moche people of ancient Peru worshipped nature.[12] They placed emphasis on animals and often depicted spiders in their art[9].
A Tsuchigumo woman (top right), depicted in an 1887 woodblock print by Yoshitoshi.
The Tsuchigumo (translated as "Earth spiders")[13] of Japan, were both a mythical ethnic group, believed to live in the Japanese Alps until at least the Asuka period, and a mythical, supernatural creature faced by the character Minamoto no Raiko, although the term was also loosely used for bandits and thieves. The Tsuchigumo were said to live in caverns beneath the mountains and the Tsuchigumo in the Minamoto no Raiko legend were able to take the visage of a boy or a woman depending on the version of the story. Minamoto is said to have been lured to a house whilst on a search for a mythical, giant skull and was placed under an illusion by a Tsuchigumo in the guise of a young boy. However, Minamoto breaks this illusion by striking out at the boy with his sword after he suspects foul play. Minamoto discovers he is actually covered in a spider's web and after tracking down the boy, learns that he is actually a giant spider, or Tsuchigumo. Additional mythological figures in Japan include the seductive Jorōgumo (literally "whore spider" or "prostitute spider") which is depicted as being able to transform into a seductive woman. In some instances, the Jorōgumo attempts to seduce and/or marry passing samurai and in others is venerated as a goddess dwelling in the Jōren waterfall who saves people from drowning. The name also refers to the spider Nephila clavata....
...In the Vedic philosophy of India, the spider is depicted as hiding the ultimate reality with the veils of illusion.[11] In the epic poem Ovid's Metamorphoses written about 2 millennia ago. Spiders were also depicted in Dante Alighieri's Purgatorio as the half-spider Arachne,[19] and more recently in books such as the fantasy novel Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J. K. Rowling.[20] This book was later followed by a motion picture of the same name, using the giant spider Aragog from the novel as a supporting character and pet of Hagrid, a grounds keeper in the book. Again in titles such as The Lord of the Rings, written by J. R. R. Tolkien, the spider takes its form as the menacing giant spider Shelob, and was featured in the film adaption of the last book of the Lord of the Rings series.[21] Tolkien had previously used spiders in his precursor to the Lord of the Rings series with the book The Hobbit. In The Hobbit, giant spiders roamed a great forested area known as Mirkwood and attacked the main characters of the book, capturing some of them.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
Kachinas, spirits of the dead who link the human and spiritual worlds, play an important role in the mythologies of the Pueblo peoples of the American Southwest, including the Zuni and Hopi Indians. In Hopi mythology, the creator deity is a female being called Spider Woman. Among the Zuni, the supreme creator is Awonawilona, the sun god. The mythology of the Navajo Indians—who live in the same area as the Hopi and Zuni but are not a Pueblo people—focuses on four female deities called Changing Woman, White Shell Woman, Spider Woman, and First Woman.
Animals. Tricksters are often animals. Common trickster figures in Native American mythology include Rabbit in the Eastern regions, Coyote and Spider in the Plains and the Southwest regions, and Raven in the Pacific Northwest.
Although animals appear in many myths and legends, they seldom have purely animal characteristics. They talk and interact with people and often change between human and animal form. According to tradition, in the "myth age"—before people and animals became fixed in their present forms—animals could change their appearance whenever they wished.
www.mythencyclopedia.com/
Anansi, the spider, is one of the most popular animal tricksters from West African mythology. Tricksters are mischievous figures who often oppose the will of the gods, resulting in some kind of misfortune for humans. Like many trickster figures, the wily Anansi can change his appearance to look like a human, a rabbit, a fox, or other animals.
West Africans originally considered Anansi to be the creator of the world. He often acted as a go-between for humans in their dealings with the sky god Nyame, and he supposedly persuaded Nyame to give both rain and the night to people. In most stories, however, Anansi is a crafty and cunning trickster who makes life more enjoyable for himself (or more difficult for others) by fooling humans, other animals, and even the gods themselves, often using his cleverness and knowledge of his victims' ways of thinking to trick them and achieve his purpose.
In one well-known tale, Anansi asks God for an ear of corn and promises to repay with 100 servants. He takes the corn to a village and tells the people that it is sacred. During the night, Anansi feeds the corn to chickens. The next morning, he accuses the villagers of stealing the corn, and they give him a bushel of it to make up for the lost ear.
Anansi next meets a man on the road and exchanges the corn for a chicken. He visits another village and tells the people that the chicken is sacred. That night he kills the chicken, and the next morning the frightened villagers give him ten sheep to replace it. Anansi later exchanges the sheep for a corpse, which he takes to a third village and tells the people that it is the sleeping son of God. When the villagers cannot wake the corpse the next morning, Anansi says they have killed God's son. The terrified villagers offer him 100 of their finest young men, and Anansi takes them to God to fulfill his part of the bargain.
There are many other tales about Anansi. Some of them were brought to the West Indies, South America, and North America by African slaves in earlier centuries. In some parts of North America, Anansi became known as Aunt Nancy or Miss Nancy in African American folklore.
www.mythencyclopedia.com/
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