star_wars Posted July 8, 2009 #1 Share Posted July 8, 2009 About 100 years ago in the nearby town of Skrzyńsko a strange occurrence took place. All priests that served in the church mysteriously died within a very short time period. Panic spread as the inhabitants feared that they where cursed or that the devil invaded there church. But after a few months investigators found the source of the unknown deaths; a giant half kilo spider. This spider had a nest on the attic right above the priests dining table. Here he sat while drops of poison dripped into the food of the priests. This poison's strength and current medicine meant certain death to all whom ate it. The spider was on display in the town hall but has been lost since WWII. http://www.sw-gm.com/articles.php?a=305 This is a legend from my mothers hometown, its pretty awesome Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mattshark Posted July 8, 2009 #2 Share Posted July 8, 2009 About 100 years ago in the nearby town of Skrzyńsko a strange occurrence took place. All priests that served in the church mysteriously died within a very short time period. Panic spread as the inhabitants feared that they where cursed or that the devil invaded there church. But after a few months investigators found the source of the unknown deaths; a giant half kilo spider. This spider had a nest on the attic right above the priests dining table. Here he sat while drops of poison dripped into the food of the priests. This poison's strength and current medicine meant certain death to all whom ate it. The spider was on display in the town hall but has been lost since WWII. http://www.sw-gm.com/articles.php?a=305 This is a legend from my mothers hometown, its pretty awesome Interesting story, though I can tell you know it is nothing more than legend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vukxfiles Posted July 8, 2009 #3 Share Posted July 8, 2009 How could he have dropped poison in their food? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fandango Posted July 8, 2009 #4 Share Posted July 8, 2009 How could he have dropped poison in their food? This spider had a nest on the attic right above the priests dining table Could have come through cracks and holes maybe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mattshark Posted July 8, 2009 #5 Share Posted July 8, 2009 How could he have dropped poison in their food? A spider actually can't, spiders produce venom, not poison. It is totally harmless to ingest, it only has an affect if injected. On top of that 99.9999999999999999999999999% of spider venom is harmless to humans, it is not meant to kill us and venom is metabolically expensive to produce, it would be used sparingly and if possible used for prey capture only, not pre-planned poisoning. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vukxfiles Posted July 8, 2009 #6 Share Posted July 8, 2009 I know. That's the weird part of this story. A spider that excretes poison without injecting it into something. But there are many other accounts of giant spiders, there's nothing very unusual to it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fandango Posted July 8, 2009 #7 Share Posted July 8, 2009 A spider actually can't, spiders produce venom, not poison. It is totally harmless to ingest, it only has an affect if injected. On top of that 99.9999999999999999999999999% of spider venom is harmless to humans, it is not meant to kill us and venom is metabolically expensive to produce, it would be used sparingly and if possible used for prey capture only, not pre-planned poisoning. I would agree with the venom part and metabolically expensive to produce but i would have thought that ingesting it over periods of time probably wouldn't do you much good though possibly leading to other complications and possibly death in the long run. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
star_wars Posted July 8, 2009 Author #8 Share Posted July 8, 2009 i know that its just a legend but its an amazing story my grandma always told it to me after killing a spider. and i asked others they confirmed it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mattshark Posted July 8, 2009 #9 Share Posted July 8, 2009 I know. That's the weird part of this story. A spider that excretes poison without injecting it into something. But there are many other accounts of giant spiders, there's nothing very unusual to it. Well the size also presents a problem as spider size is limited by atmospheric oxygen content and by temperature. It could not get that big I would agree with the venom part and metabolically expensive to produce but i would have thought that ingesting it over periods of time probably wouldn't do you much good though possibly leading to other complications and possibly death in the long run. Well no more than anything else. With ingestion it is destroyed by the stomach. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
star_wars Posted July 8, 2009 Author #10 Share Posted July 8, 2009 Well the size also presents a problem as spider size is limited by atmospheric oxygen content and by temperature. It could not get that big Well no more than anything else. With ingestion it is destroyed by the stomach. unless it enters the blood in the veins in the tongue if alcohol can then venom should to Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mattshark Posted July 8, 2009 #11 Share Posted July 8, 2009 unless it enters the blood in the veins in the tongue if alcohol can then venom should to Very different chemicals. Plenty of toxins are only dangerous if injected. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
star_wars Posted July 8, 2009 Author #12 Share Posted July 8, 2009 i know just trying to make it possible Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paranormalcy Posted July 9, 2009 #13 Share Posted July 9, 2009 Although I like the fable/story, it is silly, but also, a 1/2 kg spider would only weigh a pound - that isn't really totally outside the realm of possibility. From The Guinness Book website: "The heaviest spider is Rosi, a female Goliath bird eating spider (Theraphosa blondi), who weighed 175 g ( 6.17 oz) on 27 July 2007 and belongs to Walter Baumgartner of Andorf, Austria." This half-kilo spider would still weigh about 1.5 times more than this existing one, but that's why world records exist, because somebody or something breaks them and becomes the new record-setter. Still I agree I don't believe the venom/poison dripping into the food at all - first as noted, that isn't how spiders roll, the only possible way they could be dropping venom would be if they were injecting their prey above the table, which, given a half-kilo spider, would have to be catching pigeons or mice/rats/bats, and would definitely make noise and just by chance, would leave large drops of mysterious goo on the table, even if the priests didn't see it actually drop - at some point someone had to look up and say "Hmm, I think something is dripping out of the attic". Unless the spider was simply injecting their digestion enzymes and that was what was dripping, but still it's the same situation - you just can't have syrup dripping out of the ceiling above a table, landing perfectly and invisibly into food and drink, each and every time, with no one ever noticing - that is just beyond unbelievable. How did people tell these kind of stories with a straight face, and other people believe them? Interestingly, I also came across this, admittedly from Wikipedia: "It may be possible to target specific pests by engineering genes for the production of spider toxins into viruses that infect species such as cotton bollworms.[83] (??!!! genetically engineered spider venom viruses?! Not sure this sounds like a good idea...) Possible medical uses for spider venoms are being investigated, for the treatment of cardiac arrhythmia,[84] Alzheimer's disease,[85] strokes,[86] and erectile dysfunction.[87] (Joe isn't doing any better - go get the spiders.) Because spider silk is both light and very strong, attempts are being made to produce it in goats' milk and in the leaves of plants, by means of genetic engineering.[88] [89] (Goats' milk, goats' silk, just change one letter, the first web producing hoofed mammal) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mattshark Posted July 9, 2009 #14 Share Posted July 9, 2009 Although I like the fable/story, it is silly, but also, a 1/2 kg spider would only weigh a pound - that isn't really totally outside the realm of possibility. From The Guinness Book website: "The heaviest spider is Rosi, a female Goliath bird eating spider (Theraphosa blondi), who weighed 175 g ( 6.17 oz) on 27 July 2007 and belongs to Walter Baumgartner of Andorf, Austria." This half-kilo spider would still weigh about 1.5 times more than this existing one, but that's why world records exist, because somebody or something breaks them and becomes the new record-setter. I think 1/2 kg is a major leap mate, that is about 3 of the largest spiders. That is one hell of a jump. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aztur Posted July 9, 2009 #15 Share Posted July 9, 2009 Well the size also presents a problem as spider size is limited by atmospheric oxygen content and by temperature. It could not get that big Yeah, the max. size is about a dinnerplate, not much more (still feakishly large, at least too large for my taste). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bloodyfish Posted July 9, 2009 #16 Share Posted July 9, 2009 I heard most bugs are small because their exoskeletons would crush them if they get too big. Not sure if it's true, but it would make it harder to believe. Where is this by the way, the name of the spider sounds Russian but I never heard of the town. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mattshark Posted July 10, 2009 #17 Share Posted July 10, 2009 I heard most bugs are small because their exoskeletons would crush them if they get too big. Not sure if it's true, but it would make it harder to believe. Where is this by the way, the name of the spider sounds Russian but I never heard of the town. No they are small because oxygen content of air is a limiting factor in their growth. The don't breath like terrestrial vertebrates do, in insects and some arachnids air diffuses from the atmosphere into them via spiracles which are small passages through their exoskeleton and lead to a network of tubes called trachea which diffuse O2 through the body. This means that low O2 levels will force a smaller insect and higher O2 levels will allow a larger insect. Spiders have what is called a book lung (as do many other scorpions). This is a formed of folded sacs alternately filled with haemolymph for transportation. Unlike our lungs where we use muscle to breath in and out, book lungs use diffusion from the atmosphere. Although more efficient than spiracles, they are still limited by atmospheric O2. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
She-ra Posted July 10, 2009 #18 Share Posted July 10, 2009 Ewwwwwwwwwwwwwwww RUNS SCREAMING from thread... Why do I torture myself by opening these? Just the story alone (even tho I agree it's legend) gave me the heebie jeebies!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
schizoidwoman Posted July 10, 2009 #19 Share Posted July 10, 2009 (edited) I have to admit that I'm amazed it's got to two pages without the clock spider making an entrance. *considers posting pic* No, I'm not feeling evil enough! Edited July 10, 2009 by schizoidwoman Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paranormalcy Posted July 10, 2009 #20 Share Posted July 10, 2009 I had been reading up on spiders and I didn't come across anything that suggested a Huntsman could get anywhere NEAR that huge! And I'd never heard of the Clockspider until now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Undeadskeptic Posted July 11, 2009 #21 Share Posted July 11, 2009 About 100 years ago in the nearby town of Skrzyńsko a strange occurrence took place. All priests that served in the church mysteriously died within a very short time period. Panic spread as the inhabitants feared that they where cursed or that the devil invaded there church. But after a few months investigators found the source of the unknown deaths; a giant half kilo spider. This spider had a nest on the attic right above the priests dining table. Here he sat while drops of poison dripped into the food of the priests. This poison's strength and current medicine meant certain death to all whom ate it. The spider was on display in the town hall but has been lost since WWII. http://www.sw-gm.com/articles.php?a=305 This is a legend from my mothers hometown, its pretty awesome What a wonderful legend! Yet another example of the gigantic spider species which, I believe are very real indeed. The Jba Fofi of the Congo is a huge tarantula, there are dog-sized spider stories from Australia and Papua New Guinea had reports of soldiers being dragged down and eaten by enormous trapdoor spiders. North American legends are sparse, but there are several from Europe and South America, which leads me to believe they are a widespread species. Trust me, there is indeed a grain of truth in this tale. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Undeadskeptic Posted July 11, 2009 #22 Share Posted July 11, 2009 No they are small because oxygen content of air is a limiting factor in their growth. The don't breath like terrestrial vertebrates do, in insects and some arachnids air diffuses from the atmosphere into them via spiracles which are small passages through their exoskeleton and lead to a network of tubes called trachea which diffuse O2 through the body. This means that low O2 levels will force a smaller insect and higher O2 levels will allow a larger insect. Spiders have what is called a book lung (as do many other scorpions). This is a formed of folded sacs alternately filled with haemolymph for transportation. Unlike our lungs where we use muscle to breath in and out, book lungs use diffusion from the atmosphere. Although more efficient than spiracles, they are still limited by atmospheric O2. Which by no means suggests that a slightly large spider could not have incredibly disproportionately huge legs and be considered gigsntic, or be loosely called a half kilo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drago Posted July 11, 2009 #23 Share Posted July 11, 2009 I was under the impression that spider venom could kill if ingested, provided there was a way for the venom to get into the bloodstream in the digestive tract, such as sores in the mouth or gastric ulcers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mattshark Posted July 12, 2009 #24 Share Posted July 12, 2009 Which by no means suggests that a slightly large spider could not have incredibly disproportionately huge legs and be considered gigsntic, or be loosely called a half kilo. It makes it extremely unlikely as no spider alive is even 1/4 of a kilo. I was under the impression that spider venom could kill if ingested, provided there was a way for the venom to get into the bloodstream in the digestive tract, such as sores in the mouth or gastric ulcers. I'd think it is not likely. Most of it would be destroyed in the stomach and spiders don't produce massive volumes of it in general, hence so few spiders are considered medically important. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KRS-One Posted July 12, 2009 #25 Share Posted July 12, 2009 (edited) I wonder what is more likely... A.) A gigantic spider lived inside a drafty abby in Poland for years and eventually drooled spider venom onto food dishes, methodically killing the priests present. B.) The priests ate some tainted food, got sick and died. C.) Someone just out and out poisoned the priests then blamed it on a giant spider. Edited July 12, 2009 by KRS-One Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now