The Spider Queen

Summary

Not long after Frewin crafted the first members of the diferent species, he began having issues with the spiders, who kept preying on the new races. Spiders of this age were about a meter/yard tall and two meters/yards long. The new races weren't yet able to defend themselves yet, so he went and tried to solve the issue himself. Being Frewin, he wanted to solve the issue with as little bloodshed as possible, so he went to the palace of the Spider Queen to figure out a solution. There he found hundreds of spiders wearing elegant silks of all colors, but was denied an audience with the Queen as she was busy preparing for a silk collection festival, as there was a shortage of good silk at the palace. Frewin couldn't wait or more people would die, so he offered to help her with her issue. For this he was granted an audience. He offered the queen the ability for all spiders to make their own silks if they stopped preying on his new races. The Spider Queen then pointed out that the spider's best source of food would be gone and her people would go hungry. Frewin hadn't thought of this, and tried to figure something out. Eventually a fly flew inside through an open window, and the Queen made a comment about how they were everywhere. This gave Frewin an idea, and he promised the Spider Queen that they would never go hungry again if they allowed him to make two adjustments to their form, one of them being the ability to make their own silks. The Queen agreed, and Frewin made the two changes, one being that they could make their own silks, including one kind that was sticky, and the other being that they were shrunken down so that even a single fly would be a full meal for them. However, people are still afraid of spiders, in case they become great predators once more, they will be ready.

Spread

The myth is very common in the forests and canyons, but is rarely heard of outside of those regions. Most desert-dwellers explicitly disbelieve this myth if they ever hear it. Frewin will often tell it if he goes on a storytelling adventure, and it is a popular bedtime story.

Variations & Mutation

The insect is rarely the same between tellings, and where it comes from is often changed as well. Some tellings specify which direction Frewin goes, usually West or North. Sometimes the Queen doesn't notice the insect at all. Sometimes all the spiders' silks are white.

Date of First Recording

Gravi 23, 207

Date of Setting

Thyr 001

Related People

• Frewin