The Superstitious Spider

My friend Virginia at First50 posted a photo of a beautiful spider she saw the other day, and commented about how much she dislikes them in her house. I admit, I'm with her. I will try to move them out if I can, but often they don't suffer a good fate in my house. Her post prompted me to think about spiders and our reactions to them.

It's well to be wary of this guy, a black widow. (public domain photo)

Many people have arachnophobia--a fear of spiders. (Remember the movie by that name? I've never watched it as my imagination is perfectly fine at concocting horrible scenarios). I have heard, however, that spiders can bring good luck. Superstitions about spiders abound.

For example:

Seeing a spider busy spinning its web means money is coming your way.

Crushing a spider can mean either good luck or bad, depending on where you live. In Russia, squashing a spider means you will be pardoned from 40 sins. But in other countries, you may have bad luck until you have swatted 53 flies. Presumably that's the number the spider might have eaten had it lived? Crushing a spider outside means rain will come.

The sad remains of a tunnel spider's web on the porch. Larry might be getting some bad luck, as he knocked this down with the power washer yesterday.

In Britain, spiders are generally considered good luck. Killing a spider might mean you will be poor for the rest of your life. An old story from the England/Scotland border relates this reason for not killing spiders: A minister visiting an old Border woman in her last illness, observed a spider near her bed and attempted to remove it, when the invalid desired him to let it be, ad reminded him that when our Blessed Lord lay in the manger at Bethlehem, a spider came and spun a beautiful web which protected the Babe from all the dangers which surrounded him---cold and frost and the searchers and soldiers of King Herod. ( from A Pocket Guide to Superstitions of the British Isles by Steve Roud). A different version of this story tells that Mary hid in a cave with her baby, and a spider spun an intricate web over the entrance, leading Herod's soldiers to believe no one had entered the cave for some time.

Another way for a spider to bring you money is to find one crawling on you--even better if it's in your pocket, although I think that would be unnerving.

public domain photo

Spiders can predict visitors too: A web over your front door means visitors are coming--or ir could mean your lover is unfaithful!

Walking into a spider web means we may soon see a friend.

It's good luck to see spiders moving about, but try not to see one light on the floor, or bad luck will follow.

I wrote the following on Virginia's post, following her "Spider" prompt:

Superstitious Spider

Spider, tell me if you can, will I be rich, or poor?
Weave your web so fine and fair across my open door
as you so often try to do
to tell me if my man's untrue.
Bring my friends to visit me,
And then I promise,  I'll let you be.


Thanks for the inspiration, Virginia!

Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.