Spider Legend
Spiders and spiderwebs have played an important role in Native life and mythology. With it's sticky tensile strength, a spiderweb traps insects upon contact, thus serving both as a security system and as a source of food for the spider (Oberholtzer, 2012, pg.38).
The power of the line is evident in many Cree and Ojibwa legends. The Spider, or the Great-Net Maker, connects the Sky World (spiritual reality) with the Earth World (physical reality) using it's thread in the mythic arrival of the first Cree couple. The story goes that the first Cree couple on Earth descend from the Sky World in a cobweb-like bag, suspended by the Spider. Spider, in Ojibwa stories, keeps the communities food from spoiling by trapping decay-producing flies in it's web (Oberholtzer, 2012).
In both the Cree and Ojibwa cultures, nets and lines appear to have paradoxical functions. Snaring or trapping animals is a negative aspect which is offset by providing food for the community and the release of the animal's spirit. In contrasts, the positive function of catching illness and bad spirits in the nets provides protection for the entire community (Oberholtzer, 2012).
Background Image from Dream Catchers: Legend, Lore and Artifacts by Cath Oberholtzer (2012, pg.39)
The power of the line is evident in many Cree and Ojibwa legends. The Spider, or the Great-Net Maker, connects the Sky World (spiritual reality) with the Earth World (physical reality) using it's thread in the mythic arrival of the first Cree couple. The story goes that the first Cree couple on Earth descend from the Sky World in a cobweb-like bag, suspended by the Spider. Spider, in Ojibwa stories, keeps the communities food from spoiling by trapping decay-producing flies in it's web (Oberholtzer, 2012).
In both the Cree and Ojibwa cultures, nets and lines appear to have paradoxical functions. Snaring or trapping animals is a negative aspect which is offset by providing food for the community and the release of the animal's spirit. In contrasts, the positive function of catching illness and bad spirits in the nets provides protection for the entire community (Oberholtzer, 2012).
Background Image from Dream Catchers: Legend, Lore and Artifacts by Cath Oberholtzer (2012, pg.39)