The Weaver Deity Creates Spiders

The Weaver Deity, as powerful as they were, knew that they alone could not manage the vast world they weaved into existence to the level of detail they required. To this end, they weaved another set of beings to assist them in ensuring the world would remain functional. They were just like humans and spirits, but were gifted with eight arms and a mastery over thread that only the Weaver Deity could match. “Servants of the Weave,” the Weaver Deity instructed their creations, “You are to descend upon the world I have created and make sure the threads I have bound together do not fray. Should you notice any splitting, fraying, or other instabilities in the world I have created, it is your mission to make sure they are fixed as efficiently as possible.”   And with that, the Servants scattered across the lands the humans and spirits inhabited. They constantly surveyed the connections binding the world and its people together. Any decay in these relationships was undesirable, after all. When these Servants weren’t busy enforcing the world’s connections, they spent their time creating beautiful, intricate webs. These Servants would hang their webs up in the morning, leave them for a day, and consume anything that became caught in them at night. However, the humans and spirits soon became jealous of these Servants. They envied their power that was granted to them directly from the Weaver Deity themself, and blamed them for their problems. The Servants soon called upon their creator to assist them.   “Servants of the Weave, I have heard your prayers,” the Weaver Deity said to them. “I shall make it more difficult for the humans and spirits to find you, so that you may work in peace.”   And so the Weaver shrunk the Servants, so that they never grew larger in size than a dinner plate.   The humans and spirits were unable to harm the Servants for a while, but as time went on, they learned new ways to hunt them down. Servants unfortunate enough to be in their presence at the wrong time often found themselves crushed under their weight. The Servants, having found themselves in danger still, called upon their creator once again.   The Weaver Deity, when they heard the news, was very displeased.   “Servants of the Weave, I have heard your prayers,” the Weaver Deity said to them, twirling their red hair in one hand. “I am incredibly displeased at my other creations’ behavior, and will address it later, but for now, I shall grant you the ability to fight back. Now, your bodies shall have fangs coursing with venom, so that when a creature raises their hand to strike you, you may inject venom into the hand which seeks to destroy you.”   After granting them this gift, the Weaver Deity sent their Servants into the world again, hopeful that harm would befall them no more.   It didn’t take long for a human to try and harm a Servant. But this time, when their flesh neared the Servant’s body, the Servant sunk their fangs into it. The human recoiled and ran away, slowly growing incredibly ill over the next three days. News quickly spread of the Servant’s new ability to harm anyone that attacked them, and humans and spirits alike stopped actively hunting them down.   Ever since, these Servants of the Weave have been known to the mortals as “spiders,” both envied and feared for their mastery over the Weave. Now, one of the first things a human or spirit learns in their youth is to always treat a spider with respect, lest the wrath of the Weaver Deity bear its venomous fangs.

Most Lingguo civilians have respect for spiders and do not treat them with hostility. They are respected and given their own space, and it is discouraged to get in their way unless absolutely necessary.   It is believed one can tell their destiny by looking at how a spider weaves its web.