Grandmother Spider

Grandmother Spider is a powerful spirit in the mythology of several indigenous peoples of the Western hemisphere. She appeared in legends of the extinct Arawak people in the Bahamas and may have been the principal diety of the pre-Columbian Teotihuacan civilization.

In Choctaw legend she gave humans the gift of fire, enabling civilization to develop. She also taught the people how to combine earth and fire to create pottery and to spin and weave.

In Southwest tribes she is known as the Earth Goddess. In some legends she and the Sun God together created life. In another, she is the sole original being, ancient and lonely. She also is called the weaver of the Web of Life. In one story she created the stars by flinging dewdrops caught in her web into the sky.

The Greeks called this goddess Gaia, the daughter of Chao. She is the earth and married to Uranus, heaven.

To me, Grandmother Spider is the feminine, the giver of life. She is the creative force. 

Four years ago I started making a Grandmother Spider mask to honor her. This project stalled for several years because I couldn’t figure out how to attach her legs. Recently a solution came to me. She is finished and I am proud to present her here.

I’m a bit embarrassed to admit that shortly after putting the finishing touches on Grandmother Spider, I used my Bugzooka to capture a spider in my kitchen. No worry – I released it outdoors.

Copyright 2013 by Shirley Domer