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Kiss a Spider, Cure a Cough
Spiders have played a large part in the folklore of many cultures. Here are some tidbits to think about and links to peruse.
The ancient Greeks held that a skilled weaver named Arachne challenged Athena to a weaving contest, which she lost. Athena turned her into a spider, and this is where we get the English word "arachnid" from.
http://www.pantheon.org/articles/a/arachne.html
http://www.goddess-athena.org/Encyclopedia/Athena/Arachne.htm
To cure auge (malaria):
"In the West of Scotland the spider was put into a goose quill and sealed up it was then hung round the neck of the ague patient so that it would be near the stomach. Sometimes more repulsively the Glasgow working man had to make a medicine of the spider's web. One pill made of spider's web taken every morning before breakfast for three successive days was thought to bring about a speedy and satisfactory cure."
Black, William George. Folk-medicine: A Chapter in the History of Culture, p. 60. Essex County: 1883.
also mentioned at http://www.historic-uk.com/CultureUK/FolkRemedies.htm
Swallow a spider wrapped in a raisin.
http://www.skell.org/explore/remedy.htm
To cure a cold:
Drop a spider in a thimble, cork it and wear it around your neck.
http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art22809.asp
To cure whooping cough:
"In Norfolk to cure a child of whooping cough a common house spider is tied up in a piece of muslin and pinned over the mantelpiece, and when the spider dies the cough will go."
Black, William George. Folk-medicine: A Chapter in the History of Culture, p. 61. Essex County: 1883.
To cure jaundice:
"...[I]n West Sussex many an old doctor still prescribes in bad cases of jaundice a live spider rolled up in butter to be swallowed as a pill..."
Black, William George. Folk-medicine: A Chapter in the History of Culture, p. 60. Essex County: 1883.
To cure a toothache:
"In Worcestershire it appears that a spider in a nutshell will ward off toothache if worn in a bag round the neck. The theory here seems to be that if the spider is good for one thing it should be good for another, and I do not know that any one, even now, will be able to allege a reason why it should not be as efficacious in curing toothache as in curing ague or whooping cough!"
Black, William George. Folk-medicine: A Chapter in the History of Culture, p. 61. Essex County: 1883.
To cure kidney and bladder problems:
Apply hot, wet cobweb compresses externally.
Berge, Fanny Dickerson. Animal and Plant Lore: Collected from the Oral Tradition of English Speaking Folk, p. 77. Cambridge, MA: 1899.
"Kill the first spider you see in the spring and you will conquer all your enemies.
...
If a spider is seen on any article of dress the wearer will get a new one. The color of the spider indicates the color of the new article.
...
At a wedding if a spider drops on the bride or on anything she is holding it betokens good luck.
...
When visitors are expected go and consult spiders spinning. If the spider continues to spin down the visitor will come if it goes up the visitor has been prevented from coming.
...
A white spider spinning down means good news. A black spider spinning down means bad news.
...
It was a common belief among those of Dutch descent that one who saw a white spider would surely die before nightfall."
Berge, Fanny Dickerson. Animal and Plant Lore: Collected from the Oral Tradition of English Speaking Folk, p. 38-40. Cambridge, MA: 1899.
Little Miss Muffet sat on a tuffet,
Eating her curds and whey,
Along came a spider who sat down beside her,
And frightened Miss Muffet away!
Was Miss Muffet a real girl?
http://www.brookmans.com/history/littlemissmuffet.shtml
The Itsy Bitsy Spider climbed up the water spout! (regional variation: Incy Wincy Spider)
Down came the rain and washed the spider out!
Out came the sun and dried up all the rain,
And the Itsy Bitsy spider went up the spout again!
The origin of this rhyme is shrouded in mystery!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Itsy_bitsy_spider
Will you walk into my parlour?" said the Spider to the Fly,
'Tis the prettiest little parlour that ever you did spy;
The way into my parlour is up a winding stair,
And I've a many curious things to shew when you are there."
Oh no, no," said the little Fly, "to ask me is in vain,
For who goes up your winding stair can ne'er come down again."
Mary Howitt, the author of this poem, was quite prolific, and is credited with dozens of original works as well as translations, notably the stories of Hans Christian Anderson in the 1840s. The full text of "The Spider and The Fly" can be found here.
http://www.maryhowitt.co.uk/
http://www.booksandwriters.co.uk/writer/H/mary-howitt.asp
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