Water Spider

spirit-animal · United States · North America

In the Cherokee story of how fire came to the people, Water Spider (Dilsdohdi, Kanane'ski Amai'yehi) volunteered when raven, hawk, and the other animals failed. She spun a bowl-shaped web, carried a burning coal across the water on her back, and brought fire to the world; her reddish mark recalls the ember she bore. Recorded by James Mooney.

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