The fictional world of Harry Potter showed one enormous, deadly spider crawling out of the box as if it was coming to get you. If you are a Potterhead, you might remember that the movie featured Aragog, the giant spider from the Chamber of Secrets, raised by Hagrid. That horrific scene might have been stuck in your memory for years and definitely succeeded in inducing intense fear of spiders among some of you.
Well, it is hard to deny the fact that spiders look scary.
Not everyone is lucky, like Peter Parker, to get bitten by a radioactive spider and turn into a superhero like Spiderman. And some of the spiders might not only seem petrifying but also are super venomous.
So, if you feel a chill down your spine at the sight of spiders, you are not alone! Because they do come across as eerie creatures. And as if they were born to dominate and terrorize humans for eternity.
Word of caution – Here is one terrifying fact about these dangerous, creepy eight-legged critters – Some larger species of spiders also thrive on human flesh. *Gulp in horror*.
Now getting stuck in nasty encounters with these bad guys for real would be horrible. But even in your dreams, they can be equally terrifying! Just visualize being caught up in unnerving dreams amidst these predators! Not good, but it definitely has some interpretation of its own.
What Do These Dreams Mean or Convey?
You will be surprised to know that some dreams about spiders have positive meanings too! Well, good for you and anyone else who has been experiencing dreams about spiders lately.
Since it is a dream, there has to be a hidden message or representation of certain ongoing scenarios in your current life. Moreover, these dreams involving sinister-looking spiders could symbolize many things and situations in different mythologies, religions, and cultures around the world.
This article will help you figure out what dreams about spiders mean in different mythologies.
General Dream Meanings Featuring Spiders
If you are phobic of spiders in general, seeing them in your dreams most probably is a representation of that fear from your real life.
Spiders are also associated with spider webs used by them to catch prey. In your dreams, these webs symbolize a trap. The trap either represents that you feel stuck or suffocated due to certain situations in life: or it could also signify someone deceiving or tricking you.
Talking about the positive connotation, spiders and their webs in your dreams might also symbolize something that brings good luck to you, like dreamcatchers. They represent hope and creativity.
Seeing old cobwebs in your dreams might indicate that you are moving on to better things and opportunities in life. They symbolize leaving the past behind and a start to new beginnings. Another positive interpretation of spider dreams is that they symbolize rebirth and creation.
Spiders are courageous and patient creatures who have the ability to reconstruct the entire web in a span of a few hours. They are not afraid to recreate the whole web again. So, spiders in your dreams can also represent perseverance, bravery, and power.
Here are some commonly seen dream scenarios about spiders:
Dreaming of Spiders Biting You
This dream might symbolize hidden emotions or feelings that you are trying to avoid or run away from. It might symbolize that you are attempting to escape or refuse to address them since they are too painful or heart breaking.
Dreaming of Giant Spiders
It means that you have been ignoring major issues in life. It is, in a way, a warning sign that tells you to be mindful of avoiding such problems. The reason is they can later cause bigger troubles in your life.
So, these dreams signal you to act sooner rather than later. And nip the seemingly harmless problems into the bud before they flare up and get nastier.
Dreaming of Killing a Spider
The meaning of this dream depends on you. If you are terrified of spiders, this dream signifies that you have managed to get rid of major difficulties in your life. On the other hand, if you are someone who likes spiders, this dream can have a negative connotation associated with regret, sadness, or guilt.
Spider Dream Meanings According to Different Mythologies
Different mythologies have interpretations of certain types of dreams based on their socio-cultural and historical background. Let’s look at how the spider dream is interpreted in major world mythologies.
1. African Mythology
In African mythology and folklores, spiders are considered creatures of deceit. Aunt Nancy or Kwaku Ananse of the Ashanti is a famous rouge spider god from the West African fable predominantly from Ghana, well-known for his tricks and witty legends.
He is known to have cunningly defeated a leopard by driving him into a pit and gluing his paws by weaving a spider web on it, making it weak and defenceless. Unfortunately, the interesting stories of this witty spider started fading when the Europeans began the slave trade in Africa. However, these legends luckily survived through word-of-mouth narrations and even became popular across the Atlantic ocean in the Caribbean islands.
2. Greek Mythology
In Greek mythology, spiders symbolize excess pride. Mortal, Arachne was a weaver in Greek mythology. She is represented as half-spider and half-human in Gustave Dore’s illustration based on the famous Greek myth involving the goddess Athena.
Athena was the famous Greek goddess who represented handicraft and war. Arachne being a proud and skilled weaver, challenged Athena. So, they both end up competing in a weaving competition. Arachne apparently creates a far more superior quality art piece, tapestry, featuring infidelity showcased by the Greek gods of Mount Olympus.
This makes Athena extremely angry. So, furious Athena destroys Arachne’s art piece as a punishment for her complacency. Athena curses Arachne to live with massive guilt all her life. As a result, Arachne ends up becoming extremely sad and committing suicide by hanging herself.
However, Athena’s sympathy brings Arachne back to life in the form of a spider.
According to Ovid, the spider was a significant creature during the reign of Miletus, as many seals depicting emblems with spiders have been found dating back to 2000 BC.
3. Native American Mythology
In Native American mythology, especially as per the legends and folklore popular in the Lakota tribe, spiders represent treachery in some myths. However, there are certain narratives according to which spiders symbolize creation and origin. The creature is called Unktomi in native American culture.
Ursa Major or the Great Bear, one of the authentic 48 constellations recognized by Ptolemy, is considered to have originated from a spider. Legend states that seven men traveled to paradise by navigating a spider’s web and ended up becoming seven stars in the northern sky.
According to the Navajo or the Southwestern native American culture, spiders represent creation personified as the spider woman. The spider woman is believed to have taught Navajo tribespeople to weave intricate webs just like a spider. She replicates or mirrors the skill of creating amazing webs by actual spiders.
Further, they also believed that the earth is nothing but the spider woman or the spider grandmother weaving existence and creation. She also acted as a protector of the earth by casting a web and trapping anything that was a potential danger to her creation.
Spiders, therefore, symbolize patience and endurance in native American mythology. The Ojibwe tribe linked spiders with spider webs and dreamcatchers that protected the tribe from nightmares and negative energies.
Many native American tribes believe that it is a bad omen to kill a spider.
The Hopi tribe is believed to have used spiders as creatures that represented clans within the tribe. One such popularly known clan was called Kookyangwngyam/Koking-wungwa.
4. South American Mythology
During the prehistoric period in Peru, the Moche people in South America adored and deeply respected nature. Out of their reverence for the natural world, they created several artworks featuring a bunch of animals and insects. Spiders were notably one of the most used animals for depictions in these art pieces.
On the Nazca plain in southern Peru, the Nazca culture’s inhabitants carved out a sizable spider, among other intricate geoglyphs. In the Lambayeque Region of Peru, an adobe temple dedicated to the Cupisnique culture’s spider god was found.
It is referred to as Collude, and is a part of the Vent Arron temple complex. The Cupisnique spider god was related to textiles, war, power, and hunting nets. In one picture, there are spider gods clutching nets with severed human heads.
5. Japanese Mythology
In Japanese myths, the Japanese spider is generally called a Friend in the Morning, Foe at Night.
According to a famous Japanese superstition, you are destined to experience happiness and good luck if you happen to see a spider during the daytime. However, it would bring bad luck if the same creature is seen at night.
The Tsuchigumo is a mythical creature pitted against Minamoto no Raiko. The Tsuchigumo HAS unique, supernatural powers to either take the form of a boy or a girl. Legend states that Minamoto no Raiko, while on the lookout for a giant skull, ends up in a broken-down house after seeing a fake floating skull.
Minamoto no Raiko and his ally, Watanabe no Tsuna, killed the Tsuchigumo triggering the creation of huge spiders from its belly.
Another Japanese mythological figure is the prostitute spider called the Jorōgumo. This spider has the unique power to turn into a seductive woman. According to many Japanese myths, the Jorōgumo seduces and tries to marry passing samurai. In some narratives, she is respected and celebrated as a goddess in the Jōren Falls. She lives there and saves people from drowning.
Conclusion
So, it seems like a spider is not that bad a creature after all. Our article now confirms that dreams about spiders can have different meanings and interpretations based on different contexts set by the mythologies around the world as well as situations in your personal life.
Hope you enjoyed reading it! Tell us about more interesting interpretations of dreams involving spiders in the comments below.
