#tarantella

[arlechinav-blog]

The Literal vs. Folkloric Interpretation of Spider Bites in Mediterranean Spirit Traditions

June is Spooder Season! aka Tarantella Season so I will be doing dives on Tarantella all month. Here comes a fun one.

One of the things that I find most entertaining about Tarantella is how little people actually knew about it in the last few decades. When humans don't know the answer to something we are inclined to fill in the blanks with a best guess and that has had some hilarious results as that knowledge gets filled in later. For quite a while the prevailing theory around Tarantella is that the ritual evolved as a method of working spider venom out of a person's body by making the body sweat. That theory was held for a disturbingly long time. And as research emerged that showed that this does not actually work, the goal posts started to be moved. Instead of it being a method of working out spider venom in general, it was supposed to be the venom of one particular very rare spider that hadn't been tested for.

The identity of the one spider whos venom could be treated in this manner started to shift. Hopping from native spider to spider, continually being proven wrong, until somebody came up with the brilliant idea that perhaps this ritual involved a now extinct species that nobody could test. And this was around the same time that somebody finally said that it cures a spiritual spider bite. Not a real one. Which was collectively met with the question, "WTF is a spiritual spider bite?" (I am definitely paraphrasing, summarizing, and generalizing the history of beliefs and anthropologist nonsense involved in Tarantella's history but that is perfectly in keeping with the folklore vibe of this blog. It is a story! Enjoy it. lol)

Folklore is fun in that lots of things can be true simultaneously, even contrary things. The world does not have to make sense. That being said, I am going to try to explain WTF a spiritual spider bite is and how Tarantella relates to both material world spiders as well as spiritual spiders. If you guessed that this is cultural code for something, give yourself a treat.

All of this confusion is brought to you by two deities. Dionysos & Eros. Or better yet, the cultural coding that they represent and come from. These were ideological seeds that were planted a very long time ago and we are still enjoying the fruit.

Eros is a little prick. Not as an insult but as a cultural function. A pricking from the arrow of Eros is to be injected with certain overwhelming feelings and urges. These feelings are externalized as not coming from inside you but from without. There may be many reasons for this but the one I am going to hone in on is the idea that humans are not responsible for their actions if those actions came from somewhere else. A very respectable person can be pricked by Eros and do some socially unacceptable things (maybe not morally wrong but still not thought of very highly) without losing the esteem of their community because the community sees those acts as not coming from them but from Eros.

This is also true for Dionysos to an extent. And honestly, how much or how little your fellow humans are willing to look the other way while you do things that seem at odds with the rules of civilization also comes down to how much those people like you. So this is not a get-out-of-social-pariah-jail-free card. Just a running concept functioning in the background that gives people a little leeway now and again.

Moving onto Dionysos and the quintessential spiritual snek. Snakes are code for a lot of different things depending on the surrounding context but the one that concerns us most here is snake as a spiritual envoy and snake bites as vectors of possession. The (folkloric) natural desirable state is to be cool and dry. Or at least not covered in your own bodily fluids as that can lead to dehydration and loss of spiritual potential. So there are a lot of beliefs about the exchange of fluids and the properties of liquids.

All of the modern vectors of possession involve some kind of liquid. The transference of venom or just saliva from a spider or a snake into a human body, or the mishandling of blood, or a suspicious form of running water. These are believed to carry spirits from the spiritworld into our world and more specifically into our bodies. Things like rabies and epilepsy were often filed together under the same umbrella as the prick of Eros or of Dionysian madness. These were things that caused a person to act contrary to their established nature. And this ideological loophole allowed people to continue to engage and be treated with respect even though they had behaviors that would be considered impolite.

Getting back to spiders and what this all has to do with spiritual spooder bites... The arrival of summer brings Tarantella season. This is a warm if not outright hot weather phenomenon connected to some aspect of agricultural field work. The bite of the spider is encoded as the pinch of unrequited love or lust. A hopeless feeling that makes it impossible to concentrate, that gets under your skin and causes you to act contrary to your regular nature (which, of course, is that of an upstanding and reasonable human).

We would all be very respectable people if not for the constant meddling of the spiritworld! ✊ And I would have perfect spelling if not for the constant meddling of the spiritworld too! 🤭 (This can work for a lot of things.)

Tarantella can be described as a broken-hearts-club. Those who suffer from a great burning spiritual affliction that causes them such great distraction that they will humiliate themselves in the name of love. Many Tarantella threads (spirit songs) have lyrics relating to tragic romance, the loss of a loved one, the pain of loneliness, an inability to marry a sweetheart, or even about cheating rascals who broke hearts. There is a bit of a spectrum to it. Some songs are just very sweet and romantic but intoned in a tragic voice.

The purpose of Tarantella is not to cure an actual spider bite by sweating the venom out. That is the kind of nonsense you get when you look at a folk practice and take everything literally instead of as encoded culture. The purpose of Tarantella is to replace that pain in your heart with Dionysos. Because if the person you loved has died, he is not coming back to life but that pain will be there forever if you don't DO SOMETHING about it.

However! The spider is very real. The pain in a Tarantata's heart was probably there before the spider bit them but the bite is the catalyst that tips the balance. The Tarantata has been chosen as a Bride and she must dance to confront that pain and find healing. There are so, so, so many layers to this and I am simplifying it a lot but this is still a good place to begin building an understanding from. All of the behaviors of the Tarantata are a part of the expected cultural coding that gives them the time and space to process these incredibly powerful emotions.

I am pretty sure that I already explained somewhere on this blog that Tarantella is also a misnomer. The spooder gets all the credit but literally any biting creature can set off a Bride. I frequently name 7 vectors of possession, the seven little ambassadors of Eros and the spiritworld. But those are just the 7 most common culprits. There have been cases of dog bites setting off a Tarantata's lifelong journey as a Bride of Dionysos (or St. Paul--whatever name you chose).

#tarantella #trance work #dance ethnology #dionysos #cults #spiritwork

[strawberry-requiem-art]

walk walk fashion baby~✨

it took me forever but i finally finished it of most of the outfits that Rosa tends to wear ;U;

taglist:

@arrthurpendragon @allaboutocs @ocappreciationtag @marvelocsdaily @marveloccommunity

#spidersona #ocapp #ocfairygodmother #marvel oc #across the spiderverse #rosa morena #tarantella #spiderverse oc #astv

[justagirlwholovestrees]

who gave this man the right to be so fine

#matthew lillard #scream franchise #1990s #mad love #hackers #tarantella

[alliwanttodoiscollectpoetry]

Alise Vérsella

#alliwanttodoiscollectpoetry #poem #poetry #poems #poet #poets #anthology #tumblr poetry #poem of the day #poetry blog #Alise Vérsella #tender is the body #female rage #poemsdaily #literature #book worm #tarantella #dancing #hysterics #rage #poems and quotes #poetry excerpt

[farewell-persephone]

#Tarantella #Gothic country #music #AND THERE'S NOTHING QUITE LIKE THAT #BEYOND THE BLONDE AND BLAZING GRASS #YOU'LL SEE THE ROCKS THEY KISS THE SKY #YOU MIGHT GET LOST BUT THAT'S ALRIGHT #Bandcamp

[gothabilly-kitty]

#tarantella #this way to the egress #Spotify

[tallywallyscribbles]

Tarantella ✨

#tarantella #my art #culture #italian #Sicilian

[fuckyeahnickburkhardt]

Spinetod: Revealed as a soccer mom.

@thehomohomosapiensapien (Friend): *frustrated confusion hands*!!!

#grimm #liza posts #tarantella

[persa-tra-i-miei-pensieri]

Balli di gruppo time ☺️

#pensieri per la testa #persa tra i miei pensieri #fotografia #foto #me #selfie #io #balli di gruppo #serata #ballare #outfit #serata danzante #ballo di gruppo #piazza #tarantella #cicirinella

[ghenghenga]

Guarda "Il diluvio universale, Falvetti, Part. 7" su YouTube

La tarantella della morte

#musica #tarantella #morte #Youtube

[garland-on-thy-brow]

Nice!

#tarantella #music but not opera

[weirdlookindog]

This Way to the Egress - Tarantella

#this way to the egress #tarantella #Youtube

[strawberry-requiem-art]

I redid my spidersona Rosa’s design to make it seem more retro and I forgot to upload it here. It took me forever to do but here again is Rosa Morena aka Tarantella!

Again she’s a spider woman from the retro futuristic Earth-5619 of Nueva Manahatta. It’s heavily inspired by the 1950s and 60s along with golden age superhero’s and atom punk! Her spider powers are also based on the Rose-Haired Tarantula and she also has plant-based powers too!

Tag List:

@fyeahmarvelocs @marvelocsdaily @marveloccommunity @arrthurpendragon @ocappreciationtag @allaboutocs

#spidersona #spider man oc #marvel oc #ocapp #ocfairygodmother #my art #rosa morena #tarantella #my ocs

[viagginterstellari]

Tarantella - Leni, 2022

#travel #italy #sicily #original photographers #photographers on tumblr #street photography #dancing #dancing in the street #street musicians #tarantella #holiday #b&w street photography #monochrome

[theserpentpharmakiea]

Movement, Meditation and Trance Dance Intro Class 6 Part

Regular price$150.00 USD

Are you drawn to dance? Do you feel that you are in need of moving your body more? Are

you needing to release your energy?

What is trance dance? What are the practices used for? Is this a practice that can be used

for healing?

If this sounds like you, and if these ate the questions that you have and are interested to

learn more, then consider joining my new class on Movement Meditation and Trance

Dance.

In this 6 week course we will discuss the different practices of trance dance around the

world, what trance dance is, how it’s used, healing with trance dance, how to build your

own practice using trance dance and movement meditation in healing, magic, and much

more.

During this practice we will dedicate our practice to a specific intention as well as 3 guides

we feel called to work with. These guides are, a spirit guide or one of the divine, an animal

spirit, and a plant spirit. We will use the practices of our mind, body, and soul to learn to be

at one with these guides, build a relationship, and a regular practice.

Class 1: what is trance?

Class 2: the basics of movement are in trance dance?

Class 3: connecting to the spirit of the divine.

Class 4: what is your trance dance animal spirit?

Class 5: the work of a Plant Charmer, what is your plant spirit ally?

Class 6: Putting your trance dance into practice

Each class will be roughly 1 hour long. Every one must wear comfy clothes, nothing super

baggy. Come ready to move and sweat.

If you gave a yoga mat you are encouraged to bring one. Bring plenty of water!

Cost for class series is $150

Schedule:

May 11, 18 and 25 (4:30pm)

June 1, 8 and 15 (4:30pm

#ecstatic #ecstatic dance #italian folk magic #folklore #ancestors #italian folk medicine #ancestral healing #irish witch #irish witchcraft #folk magic #witchcraft #streghe #dance #folkways #folk dance #working with spirits #spirit dance #tarantella #pizzica #Tarantismo #trance #trance dance

[mishalogic]

CAVALLINI Adagio e Tarantella Corrado Giuffredi, clarinet

Classical piano music for the moment ... Misha

#youtube #classic music #entertainment #piano #tarantella #Australia #Tumblr