[WorldUrbanLegend] The Spider Bite
The legend of spider bites or red spots is a modern urban legend that emerged in Britain during the 1970s.
This legend tells the story of a young woman from a cold northern region, such as the UK or New York City, who goes on vacation to a warm southern place, like Mexico. While sunbathing on the beach, she is bitten on the cheek by a spider. The bite swells, and she hurriedly returns home for treatment. She asks the doctor to drain the pus, but during the draining process, hundreds of small spiders emerge, shocking her into a state of hysteria.
The spider bite legend appeared as a modern legend in Europe during the 1970s but reflects earlier forms of the "boosome serpent" story type. The term "boosome serpent" originates from Nathaniel Hawthorne's 1843 short story "The Egoist, or the Boosome Serpent," and it is used to generalize legends where a creature enters a human body and sometimes breeds within it. In boosome serpent legends, the creature typically needs to be surgically removed, but sometimes it exits on its own or bursts out of the skin.
This urban legend provides a social commentary on the perception that southern regions are less clean and more dangerous than one's homeland. Many people dislike spiders, especially poisonous, hairy, or particularly large ones, which often appear in the legend. The urban legend features spiders hiding in various places, such as cacti, food, hairstyles, and human bodies, making it natural to feel a sense of invasion. Research by Bent Af Klintberg on urban legends explains that as spiders have disappeared from modern urban environments, they have developed into mythic proportions. Analysts also suggest that boosome serpent legends may represent fears or fantasies related to pregnancy.
Other versions tell the story of a young girl who, while sleeping, has a spider crawl across her face and briefly rest on her cheek. The next morning, she asks her mother about the red spot on her cheek, and her mother replies, "It looks like a spider bite. It’ll go away, so don’t scratch it." As time goes on, the spot enlarges and develops pus. The girl approaches her mother again, complaining that the area is growing and hurting. Her mother reassures her, saying, "Sometimes that happens; it’ll burst soon." After a few days, the girl complains again that it hurts and looks ugly, and worried about an infection, her mother decides to take her to the doctor. However, the doctor is not available until the next day. That evening, the girl decides to take a bath to calm down, and while bathing, the pus bursts, and baby spiders pour out into the water.
When sharing this story, there are versions where the location of the incident is set in one's own country rather than abroad (e.g., a woman from Missouri bitten in California). Generally, the locations mentioned when recounting the story are very specific.
