Hello fellow artists,

Do you like to interpret images? There are numerous interpretations of the symbolism of spiders. Which will you choose for this picture?

Knowing the language of images will give you greater control over your art work, increase your ability to explain your art work to others and enrich your understanding of your culture.

From Wikipedia: "The spider symbolizes patience for its hunting with web traps, and mischief and malice for its poison and the slow death this causes. It symbolises possessiveness for its spinning its prey into a ball and taking it to its burrow (for burrowing species)."

From Crystalinks, which has summarized the symbolism of spiders from around the world --

"They symbolize fate, female energy, creative energy, wisdom, creativity, new life, entanglement, caution, divine inspiration, starting a project, becoming pregnant, being industrious, warning signals, illusions.

A lot of the symbolism associated with Spider can be seen in her form. Her body is made up roughly of a figure eight which, laid on it's side, is the symbol for infinity. Infinity is like the wheel of life, constantly flowing in a continuous cycle from one circle to the other. She is also associated with death and rebirth, not only with the shape of her body but with the eating of the male after mating. She is both a feminine and lunar energy. Her constant building of new webs have been tied by some to the waxing and waning of the moon. The glistening web also has very strong symbology, signifying the tapestry of the universe and the infinite possibilities of creation.

Native Americans: she is a grandmother figure whom is a link between the past and the future and who brought people the gift of fire. Some tribes believed the spider was the weaver who created the world and saw her as a symbol of creative female energy.

India: Spider is sacred to Maya who was known as the 'weaver of illusion.'

Greece: it was sacred to Athena who was a goddess of wisdom and a moon goddess

Egypt: spider represented Neith, the Divine Mother and also a moon goddess.

It is also believed the first true alphabet was formed from the patterns and angles in Spiders web which has her considered the teacher of language and writing. This makes her a strong guide for those who use symbols and writing in performing magic."

A larger version of "Spider Web Morning" is in my photo album.

For more about interpreting symbols in art, see this blog's Symbolism Information Package.

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