Spider Woman: What role does she play in Legend? Who is Spider Woman and how is she entwined so deeply in both Laguna and Kiowa legend? I find myself asking how two different peoples can be so closely connected through the myths and legends passed down over many generations. Spider Woman has played a strong role as protector and nurturer. She is held in high regard as a magical being of great empathy and knowledge who always looks out for both the good-spirits and children. Two different peoples with one very strong link. The Beginning: Momaday’s Spider Woman I first came across Spider Woman in the text of “The Way to Rainy Mountain” by N. Scott Momaday. He mentions Spider Woman over the course of several pages as a progressive continuation of the Kiowa Legend. (Picked up on Momaday 22) The story starts out by telling of a little girl who becomes the wife of the Sun. She and the Sun have a male child. When the woman becomes homesick she creates a rope which she uses to climb back down to the earth with the child on her back. She is killed by the Sun who is angered by her disobedience causing the child to fall to the earth. (Momaday 24) This is where the Spider Woman comes in. Overcoming a great jealousy Spider Woman’s curiosity causes her to wonder about the child and after a time …show more content…
she captures him, raising him as her own. (Momaday 26) In this tale she is referred to as grandmother. Since the Kiowa are a matriarchal society, the distinction of grandmother is inferred on woman past the age of conception who are thought to be the most knowledge filled. They are respected above all others. Silko Spider Woman The legends which is told by Leslie Marmon Silko in “Storyteller” also involve the Sun. The first story tells of the Sun having to find his children, the clouds, who have been trapped by a great trickster. (Silko 153-159) It is Spider Woman who gives the Sun the knowledge to outwit the trickster and save his children. This in turn helps save the earth from drought and famine. Again we see Spider Woman as an influential woman that the Sun is shown to hold in high regard. She is earth bound but magical. In another legend Spider Woman helps save the Laguna from the “Kunideeyahs” by aiding the great hunter “Estoy-eh-mutt” (Silko 132-143) who is betrayed and left to die by his wife who he discovers is Kunideeyahs. Spider Woman is said to always help the people. Again we have a elder woman who is revered for her knowledge and insight. She eventually gives him a magical weapon which he uses to kill his wife and save the Laguna people. Similarities Both the Kiowa and Laguna hold the Sun and Spider Woman as supreme beings. I would compare this esteem to our society’s opinion of God and Mother Earth or the Goddess. She is a powerful matriarch who the people consult for her wisdom. Not surprisingly the Kiowa and Laguna are not the only peoples with tales of Spider woman and the Sun god. Spiders throughout Native American mythology have been depicted as the bringer of light. (Cherokee legend) Her webs are seen as a symbol of life. She is always portrayed as an old woman, in spider form, who is magical and very knowledgeable. She is nurturing and insightful helping to balance goodness and dispatch darkness or evil. Some cultures even believe that Spider Woman created the stars by catching the dew and flinging it to the heavens. (Wikipedia) No matter which peoples you are discussing, Kiowa and Laguna are very closely linked by the Spider Woman legend. Differences When examining the similarities of a peoples, we must also look at the differences. The biggest difference between Momaday and Silko tales is how physical or not that Spider Woman is. For Momaday and the Kiowa, Grandmother Spider or Spider Woman has a more physical role raising the child of the Sun God. Even though the hardships of him slitting himself in two tested her will, she overcame the odds raising two sons who were revered by the people. Silko describes Spider Woman as being magical and small like a spider, who has the ability to interact with humankind. Estoy-eh-mutt is changed or shrank so that he can fit into her tiny home. The Sun views her as very small but knowledgeable when he follows her instructions to free his children. These tales seem to say that even when you are small you should not be over looked because you may hold the most important of all information. Lessons of Feminine Power These legends or tales are also a strong lesson in feminine power.
Females may be seen as small but they are not disregarded the way that other cultures have done for centuries. For many Native American cultures females and elder women play an intricate role as leaders and wise women. Though warring and hunting were left to the males, females made the daily decisions on how the tribe of village was run. They had many gender specific roles, but were seem more as equals. Spider Woman is a symbol of feminine power and knowledge. What we as individuals take from these teaching depends on the individual. I have come to see the potential and multi-ranged abilities of females in a new
light. Conclusion Spider Woman is a being of mystery and power. She commands respect and appreciation. She is a mother, grandmother, sister or aunt. She is loving and nurturing as well as protective and intuitive. She embodies everything that is female. Spider woman has been the bringer of light and life. She is of the earth but magical. She is to the Native Americans what the Goddess is to wiccans and Mother Earth is to Humankind. Spider Woman is all encompassing. I chose these stories because of the diversity of her role among the different peoples. When I searched further I discovered that she is entwined in infinite cultures and religions. Though the tales change from people to people the message of maternal protection and guidance is always evident. Spider Woman’s love for others, even other Gods, sends a message that goes beyond race and religion. It is at the heart of every man, woman and child. She teaches us to accept others even if they are different. Kindness and compassion knows no bounds, and the more you give the more you earn in return.
Temptation, guilt, and good intentions: many associate these terms with the Bible but few with Spiderman. Niall Richardson is one of the few. He wrote, “The Gospel According to Spider-Man,” published in 2004 it compares the world of Spider-Man to that of a biblical allegory. Namely, that of Christ being tempted by the Devil after weeks of fasting in the desert. Through his use of biblical imagery and quotations Richardson successfully draws a parallel between the Bible and Spider-Man even though some of his further claims ultimately fall flat.
Origin Story Wonder Woman several times. Here is the story of the origin of the proposal – the Knights women's Amazon written by George Perez, which is the story of a reboot, the following event "Crisis on Earths of Infinity".
Like in Gilgamesh and the Iliad, women help encourage and influence the protagonists to be the heroes and protectors they are meant to be. Adventures and wars
Okay, Sam Wilson is one example; but, we also have Miles Morales who is the new African-American Spider-Man; but, not only that, he is in (was) an interracial relationship with Kaite Bishop. That itself shows a little more diversity as well with Miles. The difference we see here is that although he is essentially replacing the past Spider-Man who was Caucasian, it 's not necessarily mentioned or you don 't necessarily think about it too much. What is important about Spider-Man is that each one has distinct personality traits, they do not attempt to make every single one the same. With Sam Wilson, I somehow think they want to make him old Cap, no matter how hard they deny it. Cap has one single personality and to change it would be to change the entire Captain America character. His name is what he does, what he stands for and what he lives for. With Spider-Man, there is more leeway to do what you want with new characters:
Due to traditional stereotypes of women, literature around the world is heavily male-dominant, with few female characters outside of cliché tropes. Whenever a female character is introduced, however, the assumption is that she will be a strong lead that challenges the patriarchal values. The authors of The Thousand and One Nights and Medea use their female centered stories to prove their contrasting beliefs on the role of women not only in literature, but also in society. A story with a female main character can be seen as empowering, but this is not always the case, as seen when comparing and contrasting Medea and The Thousand and One Nights.
Gender has played specific roles in societies all over the place. Men are usually seen as the dominant gender and therefore appear to be more important to society but women still have an important role. It was not that long ago that women did not have many rights or play an important role at all. In America, laws were put in place to make men and women equal and today many women have filled jobs thought of as a man’s job but there is still a common thought of women being less important in society than men. Before deciding if a woman’s role in society is complimentary or not, the role of all humans must be examined. A woman could appear to have a terrible role but maybe that’s because everybody has a terrible role in that type of society. Same
Although she was created by a man to influence a male audience, Wonder Woman has evolved into an important symbol of the feminist movement. An Amazon is born Shortly after Superman made his appearance in 1939, a noted psychologist by the name of William Moulton Marston wrote an article in Family Circle magazine, praising comic books. According to Les Daniels in Wonder Woman: The Complete History (Chronicle Books, 2000, pp. 22-24. His article caught the eye of M.C. Gains from DC Comics.
On one spring day four black widow spiders (two begin male and 2 begin female) went up a tree in couples of the opposite sex. One couple was foreign to America, the other was not. They were all at their sexual prime and to do a mating ritual called sex. When the foreigners were done the male became very tired and all he wanted to do was sleep, but the much larger female spider flighty and talkative. She wanted to talk of their recent sexual experience, but the male was far too tired and told her to shut-up. Like all women she became “emotionally scared” and in retaliation she killed her much smaller spouse. Not exactly the June Cleaver type of spider is she? On the other side of the tree lie the American Widows. The female does not feel that sexually active, but she spreads her eight legs and submits herself in honour of her idea of a “greater male cause”. The fact of the matter is that the American woman never had the chance to fulfill their mission (which is inborn in all of man) to prosper in life, but they cannot do this seeing that they are confined in the kitchen, busy doing the dishes and saying “. . .yes dear. Would you like another beer?” The role of the American woman (which was to look after the man of the house and the house itself) is vividly exemplified through Linda Loman in Arthur Millers Death Of A Salesman. Of course Arthur knows all about the role of women in American society, how do you think his dishes got done when he was writing this play. Before we start to delve in the juicy core of this essay, let’s get one thing straight. An aggressive and eager woman makes a powerful difference in the evolution of society. Take Lady Macbeth from William Shakspere’s Macbeth. She did wonders for both Scotland and Macbeth. It’s really ashame that he’s own people decapitated him at the end of the play. Look at Eve from the Bible in the book of Genius. Good old Adam couldn’t screwed it up for the rest of mankind without Eve’s guiding hand. And look at the Mrs. Ramsay from Robertson Davies Fifth Business. Without her, poor Dunny probably wouldn’t have joined the army and he would still had his leg that he lost in the war.
People have and always will enjoy a good read. The success of classics such as William Shakespeare’s, Romeo and Juliet, and The Merchant of Venice validate this. Modern authors are no exception to this ideology. In Manuel Puig’s 1976 hit, Kiss of the Spider Woman, the audience is introduced to two characters that inevitably fall into situations of adventure, romance, and deception. These elements are embedded in human kind’s tales all across the ages. The first of the two protagonists, Molina, is an easy-going, homosexual window dresser. Meanwhile, the second of the two protagonists, Valentin, is a non-homosexual, hot-blooded, political anarchist. These two are polar opposites who, in the wilderness of society, do their best to avoid each other’s presence; but being trapped in a prison cell together doesn’t give too much space for options. As the book’s title suggests, there is Spider, and therefore, there must be prey. The question is who is who?
To begin, Lilith is an enigma in many circles, with varying tales and legends ascribed to her. In certain aspects of Jewish folklore, Lilith is believed to have been the original wife of Adam who was exiled from Eden and replaced with the better known Eve because she refused to submit to Adam's male authority (Grolier "Lilith").
Wonder Woman or so-called Diana Prince, her creator is inspired by the feminism. Wonder Woman skills were powerful, including bullet-pinging with bracelets, lassoing, basic psychology, great strength, and athleticism and being half-god. In 1970s TV version, she is always sort of naked. After cultural reset, she has thighs to kick things with, is a feminist act. Female protects the world from male violence with better violence, instead of nurture. Wonder Woman’s aunt, called Casting Robin Wright, visualizes the battle-axe as a battler again with an axe. A female German chemist decides to devastate humans. The above-mentioned are also feminist
The question “Who is Lilith?” has no one answer. Lilith is a demon temptress of the night . Lilith is the first wife of Adam, the first man according to Abrahamic tradition. Lilith is an archetype for independent, obstinate women . She is present in the mythological folklore of almost every Middle-Eastern and European culture to have developed since she first appeared in Sumerian mythology. Some scholars have placed her origin within a set of Sumerian wind and storm demons called Lilitu around 3000 B.C. Some scholars such as Samuel Kramer have (controversially) identified Lilith with the character Ki-sikil-lil-la-ke (“maiden [of Gilgamesh’s father Lila/Lillu ] who screeches constantly; gladdener of all hearts”) as well as Ki-sikil-ud-da-ka-ra (“maiden who has stolen/seized the light”) from the prologue to the Sumerian epic Gilgamesh . Nonetheless it is Jewish folklore that truly developed the character of Lilith and it is this version that is most commonly meant when one refers to Lilith.
"A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings" includes many aspects, which may be described as magical. In the story, an old man with a very poor set of wings is found and kept as a pet for several years. These wings were described by the doctor in the story as "...so natural on that completely human organism that he couldn't understand why other men didn't have them, too" (528). The fact that the old man had wings in the first place seems very acceptable to the characters, and this nonchalance is conveyed to the reader. Marquez also adds to the story the tale of the lady spider. The lady spider has the body of a tarantula and the head of a young girl. She was transformed to this state after sneaking out of her parents home to attend a dance. Witches, wizards, and spells are not used to transform her, simply lightning. The lady spider takes away the old man's mobs of spectators leaving him more ordinary in that he is still around even after his fifteen minutes of fame are over.
The tarantella has a very interesting history. Its name derives from a little southern town of Italy called Taranto. It was believed that if a spider called the tarantula bit the townspeople, the only way to survive its bite was to do a dance called the Tarantella. The locals believed this was the only cure. If the people bitten did not dance they would suffer severe pain, muscle spasms, vomiting; most eventually died.
Women have played many roles in societies since the dawn of time ever changing with time and from society to society. Each society hold a special place and role for women good and bad. Freedoms and equality of women has varied from opression to freedom. I will discuss some specific pieces of art and explain how the art shows the role of women in a specific society. I will tell you of their paril and achivements through time. Giving you a glimpse into the lives of women and how they were percieved by males and society. Some have have reveared women and some have disrespected them but through it all women have found a way to perservear. Women hold a place in history from culture to culture, and we see this in many pieces of art. From the art we can have a glimpse into a culture view of women and how they were treated in society.