Markata Matha

Markata Matha is an ancient goddess, the Mother of Spiders. Her name comes from the Snaskrit words meaning Spider Mother and from what little is known about her, seemed to be connected to the lost civilisatioin of the Indus Valley. Whispers state that she is the mother of Acrhnea, Caileach, the Norns and Lolth, as well as the grandmother of actual spiders. What remains of her origin is scarce and seems by sages that have studies her, refers to her plucking of the strings of fate, life and death.

Summary

Markata Matha was mentioned in barely surviving parchments & temple decorations in the the Indus Valley Civilisation known as Harappan. She seems to be one of the eldest goddesses know, excluding the Ancient Egyptian & Sumerian civilisations who existed at the same time. It seems that she was seen as a deity of the weaving of Fate, Spiders, Life and Death. Depicted as a young woman with eight arms and two legs allowing her to work the strands of fate, usually dressed in white breesy clothing made of tightly spun spider silk, and adorned with golden accessories.
Thought of as the Grandmother of all modern spiders, and mother to some of the Indo European goddesses of Fate and Spiders. Exactly who the father deity of these is unknown, but what is mentioned is that she killed and ate him after fathering the goddesses. This has led to the belief that is why many breeds of modern sipders eat their mates after that act of fertilisation. Her known children is Cailleach - the Celtic goddess of spiders, The Norns - the triplicate (maiden, mother, elderly lady) goddesses of Fate, Arachnea - the mother of spiders in the Greco Roman civilisations, and Lolth - the evil spider Goddess of the Drow.
So far none of these goddesses have ever mentioned Markata Matha, and unlikely will unless in exceptional circumstances.
Also any spider deities outside of Indo European region seem to have no link to her, and no link can truly be established further afield in the Middle East nor the Far East. Given time there may be some link established.
Scholars who are aware of her has mentioned that she has meant to have appeared here and there in Europe and the Middle East hiding away in ancient ruins, larger cities, and regions where spiders are abundant. Some have speculated that Markata Matha is making a slow steady pace across regions where the strands of fate pull her, and where her children are threatened. She seems to take a delight in the strands of fate tied to mortals and affecting the outcomes as she sees fit.
The only aspect of this seems to be her showing an interest in Lolth the most and seems to try to thwart the latter's machinations where possible. The reason is uniknown but one minor part of the myth states that her children had been fathered by different male deities and Lolth's father was a god of darkness.
A nother minor part of her myth is that she is thought to be appearing in central Europe looking for at creature named as the Spider Queen. Those that have observed her during her interactions concerning the Spider Queen seems to point to Markata Matha is concerned as to what damage the Spider Queen can do. Some of these scholars think it may be that the Spider Queen may represent or actually be Makala Matha's Avatar in the flesh.

Spread

Markata Matha's name has appeared throughout a few stories around the Indus Valley and only recently has her name came to some prominance outside this region. Her story has been passed down through word-of-mouth along the Silk Road. Many of these stories concern her asking mortals how their lives have turned out and in some near event being revealed to them where they have good or bad fate. Also, the stories sometime mention she is looking for Lolth and information conerning both the latter and the Spider Queen.
These stories have gone back for centuries, and only recently similar stories have appeared in eastern Europe in the past one or two years. These seem to coincide with a creature named by a group of Black Elves and the Duke of Eschbach, Grimmaz Fyrwin, & his comrades Reolus Rhine & Anselma killed in the Black Forest.

Cultural Reception

In most cultures, Markala Matha is seen as either a dead god of a dead civilisation or as something to explain a possible person with mutation of the limbs. Most deny that such a deity would be walking the Earth trying to influence mortals through Fate, or try to deal with gods of other pantheons. A rare few seem to suspect that is what really is happening and hope that such an evil creature as Lolth has a possible foe much more powerful than the former.

Date of First Recording

3300 B.C.

Date of Setting

Unknown at present