LIV. A.

WHY ARE THE SPIDER AND THE MOUSE ACCURSED?

The Story of Lady Mary, the Mouse and the Spider (a Charm).

After the crucifixion, the Lady Mary went along crying and weeping in pain and grief for that they had crucified her son. Wherever she went all the creatures wept with her, and the flowers in the grass of the field bent low in sign of mourning. A flight of swallows met her in the beautiful meadow, and seeing her crying, comforted her, and said: “Do not weep, for thy son will come to life again three days hence, and will show himself to thee and to the Apostles.” Then the Lady Mary became more comforted, and said to the swallows: “Ye swallows from this day on shall be the cleanest birds on the face of the earth, and the house at which you build your nests will be a happy one, and whoever destroys your nest shall be cursed.” The Lady Mary went on her way, and passing on her way she met a spider weaving his web, and a mouse burrowing in the ground. When they saw her weeping they mocked at her, and said: “In vain dost thou weep and cry. Know that thy son is dead; he will never come to life again, although thou mayest believe it.” But the Lady Mary replied: “My child is the son of God. He will do what he wills.” And she went on her way. She went on until she came to another forest. Fearing that she might lose her way she returned the same way as she had gone. The spider and the mouse, seeing that she had not blessed them, took counsel together to hang her on a rope and to kill her the next time they met her again. And the mouse said to the spider: “Now thou weave a rope and get it ready, and upon that rope we will hang her as soon as we set our eyes on her.” A short time afterwards the Lady Mary returned, and came back to the same spot. Meanwhile the spider had woven a strong rope, and had tied one end to a branch of the tree, and the mouse had digged a deep pit under that tree. But the Lady knew what they had intended, and she said: “Thou, O spider, hast woven a rope for hanging me, thou shalt always dangle on a rope. Thou shalt be unclean and full of vermin, and whoever catches thee shall kill thee. And thou, O mouse, thou shalt be so dirty from this day onwards, that wherever thou diest that place shall become unclean, and whoever sees thee shall kill thee, and whoever will kill a mouse or a spider God shall forgive him three sins.” And as she had said, so it has remained to this very day. From that time on the mouse and the spider have remained accursed.