Why It's A Sign Of Good Luck To Find A Spider On Halloween

For as long as anyone can remember, there has been a fascination with spiders, both scientifically and culturally. As Learn Religions says, the spider is found in the folklore of many different societies and religions. For example, in Greek mythology, Arachne was a weaver who made the goddess Athena mad after she wove fabric much better than Athena ever could. Athena turned Arachne into a spider. (It's also where we get the word arachnid.) In Cherokee folklore, Grandmother Spider is said to be the one who brought light to the darkness by rolling the sun in web and bringing it to the Earth. 

In terms of Halloween, there are various myths and superstitious associated with spiders. As Pointe Pest Control explains, spiders have become synonymous with Halloween, given their association with all things creepy and evil. For example, medieval European folklore considered spiders to be adjacent to witches and hags in the same way black cats and rats are also signs of evil magic. But not all associations are evil, as it's sometimes considered good luck to find a spider on Halloween. 

The association of spiders with witchcraft and evil was also helped by the way spiders live in general. As Pointe Pest Control states, autumn is one of the biggest seasons for spider activity. Spiders tend to propagate more as temperatures fall. Their main source of food, insects, will seek out people's homes and other buildings as shelter from the cold. Because of this, spiders will also end up in houses. Given that Halloween is an autumn holiday, there are probably more spiders present in homes and other buildings around that time of year. 

Aptive Environmental, a pest control company, explains that spiders also love to hide in dark places, such as basements or other nooks and crannies. Given that the habitats of spiders are typically those that humans would find scary or dangerous, this association is made much more naturally. Despite this creepy appearance, most spiders are still generally harmless to most humans, and usually only attack in defense. 

While the spider is known to have negative associations attached to it, not all spider-related superstitions are negative. For example, as Ehrlich (another pest control company) says, many spiders are actually signs of good luck and prosperity. There are some superstitious that describe the spider as a kind of panacea, capable of healing many diseases and maladies. Another superstition says that stepping on a spider creates bad luck, so one should probably watch their step. 

According to Pointe Pest Control, the color of a spider is also important. In European superstitions, finding a white spider signifies good luck, while black spiders signify bad luck if it's hanging above the bed. As Facts.net explains, according to another bit of folklore, finding a spider on Halloween night not only means good luck, but also that a deceased close relative or friend is looking out for you. It might be high time to end the stigma around spiders and finally embrace our eight-legged neighbors.