Spider in the house
A spider in the house has usually been living with you all along, so seeing one says more about what you notice than about what arrived. In German belief, a spider seen in the morning was unlucky and one seen toward nightfall lucky.
What it may mean
You almost never live alone. Surveys of American homes have found spiders in nearly every house, many of them species that spend their whole lives indoors, eating flies and gnats in corners nobody visits. The spider on the bathroom wall did not move in last night; you just met it. That makes the encounter a good moment for noticing how much of your life is shared with things you rarely see: the neighbor whose habits you know only by sound, the routines that run your household without anyone deciding them, the small helpers you take for granted. Seeing what has always been there can change how a place feels.
Depending on how you saw it
A big spider crossing the floor in fall
The large spiders that seem to appear from nowhere toward summer's end and into fall are often males wandering in search of a mate. They were in the house before; now they are on the move. What around you is suddenly visible only because it started moving?
A spider stuck in the bathtub
A spider in the tub did not crawl up the drain. It fell in from above and cannot climb the slick sides. A towel hung over the edge gives it a way out. Which problem have you blamed on the wrong source, when it simply slipped in from somewhere else?
Carrying it outside in a glass
A glass and a postcard make a gentle trap, but many house spiders are indoor species that may not survive a cold night outside. A garage or shed can be a kinder spot. Is there help you have been offering that suits your idea of kindness better than the other person's needs?
A spider in the corner that never moves
Some house spiders spend months in one spot, patching a loose web and catching whatever drifts by. They ask for very little. What has been content in one small place in your home, and does it need anything from you?
Why it happens in nature
Many spiders found in homes belong to species that live indoors all their lives, and they feed on flies, moths and other small insects. The large ones that suddenly show up toward the end of summer and in fall are often adult males wandering in search of females. Very few spiders in the United States are dangerous to people, and most will not bite unless pressed against the skin.
What folk beliefs say
Germany
In Germany it was thought unlucky to see a spider first thing in the morning but fortunate to see one toward nightfall.
Source: Cora Linn Daniels; C. M. Stevans (eds.), Encyclopaedia of Superstitions, Folklore, and the Occult Sciences of the World, vol. 2 (1903), vol. 2, p. 703. View the page
England (Yorkshire)
In Yorkshire, no one would kill a spider, because of a legend that a spider wove a web over the manger and so protected the infant Jesus from harm.
Source: Cora Linn Daniels; C. M. Stevans (eds.), Encyclopaedia of Superstitions, Folklore, and the Occult Sciences of the World, vol. 2 (1903), vol. 2, p. 703. View the page
Madagascar
In Madagascar, killing a spider or destroying its web was believed to make a person disliked.
Source: Cora Linn Daniels; C. M. Stevans (eds.), Encyclopaedia of Superstitions, Folklore, and the Occult Sciences of the World, vol. 2 (1903), vol. 2, p. 702. View the page
To reflect on
What has been sharing your home or your days all along without your noticing?