Old Spider, a creation myth of the traditional Nauru islanders of Micronesia
In the beginning there was only Areop-Enap, Old Spider, and the sea.
Old Spider found an enormous clam that swallowed him up.
Inside Old Spider found two little snails. He asked them to pry open the clam open but they could not.
Old Spider found a worm named Rigi and cast a spell of strength on him.
Rigi heaved against the shell.
Sweat poured from Rigi, making a sea. The salt water killed the clam and opened the shell.
Old Spider made the lower shell into Earth and the upper shell into the sky. One snail became the Moon. The second snail became the Sun.
Rigi had drowned in his own sweat. Old Spider wrapped him in silk in the sky to become the Milky Way.
Published on April 5, 2020