Spider Spider on the Wall
© Virginia Marin
Old wives' tales are superstitious stories and beliefs which pass from generation to generation. They are usually spread by credulous old women, though certain affiliations seem amalgamated by specific beliefs. For example, fishermen and seamen strongly believe in this one--a warning of an impending storm at sea:
Red sky at dawning, sailors take warning.
Old wives' tales are deeply embedded in country folk, certain cultures and religious groups as well as specific regions such as Appalachia and the bayous of Louisiana. The religious body of Snake Handlers, for example, have very definite beliefs regarding this practice, while certain cultural beliefs of Native Americans are highly mystical.
There are many old wive's tales concerning spiders. It was widely believed, at one time, that certain fevers could be cured by wearing a spider in a nutshell around the neck, while a common cure for jaundice was to swallow a large, live house-spider rolled up in butter--the butter serving only as a taxi cab! This is still practiced today in voodoo.
In Ireland of old, eating a buttered spider was considered to be a cure-all for ague, a violent fever accompanied with chills--possibly a malarial fever.
Need extra money? Don't be too quick to kill that spider. A spider on a person's clothing is a sign of good luck or that money is coming one's way. If one has itchy palms from a spider's presence, he can expect to receive money by noon of the next day. And a very small spider has always been known as a money-spider. Measure this one with your centimeter ruler. Since its unit of measure is so terribly small, don't plan on a huge wind-fall.
The tale is told that Frederick the Great set his mug of hot rum down to look for a hankie. To his dismay, upon returning, he found that a large spider had spun a web over his mug of rum. Poor spider. Into the hot mixture it had fallen. The old wives' tale that stems from this incident is: If you see a dead spider in your cup, the cook will die. Thank godness for Orkin!
Should this one be taken seriously? If a spider weaves a web between you and where ever you are going, walk around the web. If you brush the web aside you will walk into harm's way.
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