Grandmother Spider: Bringer of Light and Wisdom in Cherokee Tradition

For thousands of years, spiders and their webs have intrigued humans. Spiders have been woven into the very fabric of our lives, as in most cultures, there is a strong association between spiders and weaving as they are nature’s most notable weavers. Many American Indian tribes connect the spider as a weaver to women and by association to the creator goddess. While legends vary from tribe to tribe, the spider is a very important symbol. It is a symbol of the Earth clan, and the Cherokee Grandmother Spider, with her weaving basket, brought both light and fire to the world.

Grandmother Spider, also called Spider Woman, is a Native American deity. The Hopi tell stories of how she brought the universe into existence, while the Navajo teach that she was the savior of humankind, and the Cherokee say she is the bringer of light. Regardless of the story, the foundation remains the same. Grandmother Spider is the mother to humans—she protects and nurtures us and guides us along our path, as she is a wise leader who represents all good things.

There are many myths about the creation of the Earth, and it makes sense that we would eventually wonder why and how we are here. Each culture has created its own answer through story. The Cherokee believed humans were living in darkness and despair until Grandmother Spider brought light to the people.

In the beginning, long, long, long ago, when the earth was very new, there was only blackness, and nobody could see anything. The animals kept bumping into each other and groping around wildly. “Hey—watch it! You just stepped on my toe!” Life was difficult, and it was hard to find food because they had no fire.

One day, Raven came swooping down into the forest. He called for the animals to come quickly as he had some big news to share. “I have seen it!” he cawed. “Fire! It is beautiful and full of color.”

“Color?” cried the animals, “What is color?” Because remember, without light, there is no color.

“And heat!” cawed the old man raven. “Heat?” cried the animals, “What is heat?” As there is no warmth without light, the animals only knew the cold of the dark.

Raven said, “The people on the other side of the world have it, and they are too greedy to share it with others. Someone must go and bring it back so we can all enjoy it.”

The animals all stared into the darkness until they said, “And just where did you say this fire is?” Raven replied, “At the edge of the world. It is a long way, but someone must go!”

Possum stepped forward. He was small but quite the warrior and fearless. Possum said he would be glad to steal a little of it. But he knew nothing about fire, so he did not prepare for the journey. Then he set out for the other side of the world. At first, he ran fast, but as the journey went on, he began to slow down. By the time he reached the edge of the world, he was out of breath. But there it was, the bright fire sun hanging in a tree, lighting everything up. Because Possum did not know about fire, he stared at it, mesmerized by its beauty. Poor Possum’s eyes became dark and singed. To this day, Possum’s eyes are sensitive to light, so he only goes out at night.

Possum snuck over to the sun, picked out a tiny piece of light, and stuffed it down into his long furry tail. He turned and ran all the way back home to the animals. When he returned, he was so out of breath he could hardly speak. The animals gathered around and asked, “Where is the fire? Show us the fire!” He turned around and unfurled his tail to show them the fire, but it was gone, and to his dismay, it had burnt off all the fur! He fell over in a dead faint, and ever since that day, Possum’s tail has been bald.

“Now, who will go?” asked the animals. “It must be someone fast!” When Buzzard heard this, he swooped down and said, “I will go! I am swift and can fly high over the mountains and lakes and rivers. I will bring back the fire.” And then he stretched his wings, and off he flew into the dark sky. He flew to the edge of the world, and then he saw it, a ball of light hanging from a tree. He swooped down as fast as he could, but like Possum, Buzzard didn’t know about fire either. Faster and faster, he flew down towards the fire hanging in the tree until he felt the heat.

He had nowhere to put the heat except in his beautiful headdress made of many bright-colored feathers. So he grabbed the heat and went back up higher and higher. It was then that Buzzard noticed his head was becoming quite hot. Buzzard didn’t know that fire could burn, and it burned all the feathers from his headdress! To this very day, Buzzards have red, scorched, and scarred heads from trying to bring the fire back to the animals.

When he got back, he had to tell all the animals what had happened to the fire and his feathers. The animals felt so sorry for Buzzard. After him, many other animals tried—strong ones, fast ones, and wise ones, but they all came back with a scar and without the fire.

Finally, one day, Grandmother Spider came forward and said in a weak and humble voice, “I will go.” The animals cried, “What!?! You will go—hah! You are too little, too weak, too old, and too slow.” Grandmother Spider said, “Yes, I am old, but I have listened to all of your stories about trying to get the fire. I understand fire. And while I may be slow, sometimes it is better to be slow. However, I am not too little or too weak. Strength can be measured in many different ways.”

Unlike the animals before her, Grandmother Spider prepared for her journey. She found wet clay and made it into a small pot that she placed on her back. Then she started off on her journey to find the sun hanging from the tree at the edge of the world. Slowly, step by step, she marched on and on. It was a VERY long time by the time Grandmother Spider found the sun hanging in the tree. She thanked the fire for its light and its heat and then asked if she could have one small coal to place in her clay pot. Fire gave Grandmother Spider a tiny coal, and the people who hoarded the fire never saw her walking away with it.

The clay pot had plenty of time to dry out on her journey there, so it was ready for the fire. She put the pot on her back and started on her long journey back. As she walked, the coal grew bright, firing the inside of the pot to make it strong.

When she returned, Grandmother Spider was greeted by all the animals. They gathered around, inquiring, “Where is the fire, Grandmother?” She replied that they must be patient and gather some dry sticks, logs, and leaves. Quickly the animals did as she asked. Then, she carefully poured out the red-hot coal onto the wood. Immediately it burst into flame. All the animals cheered, “Grandmother Spider has brought us the light and heat!”

Grandmother Spider was wise, so she took some of the sparks from the fire and placed them inside the trees and rocks so others could make fire without having to go all the way to the tree at the edge of the world.

Even though Grandmother Spider was very tired, she knew she had one more thing to do. So she placed two coals in her pot and walked to the top of a tall mountain. She hurled the larger coal up into the sky, where it became the sun, and she threw the smaller piece in a different direction, and it became the moon. She then tossed the sparks from the bottom of the clay pot into the air, and they became the stars in the sky. Finally, she spun a web around the universe.

To this day, she pushes and pulls on the web so that the sun and moon, and stars give us day and night and all four seasons of the year.

Grandmother Spider connects the earth and sky, sun and moon. The Cherokee honor her as the bringer of light, the one who can make magick and transform herself. She is wise and thoughtful and helps those in need. But her tale is not just of the literal light—it is also the light that provides spiritual enlightenment.