Dreamcatcher Legends

1. Dreamcatcher legend of the great spider

A very long time ago, a desperate father sought advice from the Great Spirit. To do so, he went into the forest with his medicine pipe. Deep in the forest, he sat down quietly, smoked his pipe, and listened to the whispering of the wind. “I can help you,” he suddenly heard. “Who is speaking to me?” the father asked, startled. A large spider approached him and sat in front of him on a blade of grass. “It is I who called you. I also know why you are plagued by nightmares. And I have an answer to your prayers,” the spider said. “I will show you my medicine. The confusion in your life does not come from you, for you live a good life. The spirits around you who do not live in harmony want you to perish. They are evil, chaotic spirits that visit you during your sleep.” As the spider told the father all this, she drew two blades of grass together and tied them with spider silk. “Bring me the following things so I can help you,” the spider commanded. The father listened and quickly gathered what was needed. When he had found everything, he returned to the spider.

The spider took the items and first placed the eagle feather into the web. “This feather stands for the air and for the spirits of the air,” said the spider. Then the spider placed the stone into the web and said: “This stone stands for the spirit of the earth.” Next, the spider added the shell and said: “This shell stands for the spirits of the sea. And lastly, I add the pearls; they stand for fire and the spirits of fire.” Then the spider advised the father: “Now take this dreamcatcher, which carries within it the powers of earth, wind, fire, and water. Hang it above your bed and you will sleep well from now on. For peaceful spirits move in a straight line so they can come to you in dreams. But evil, chaotic spirits cannot move in a straight line; they are caught in the web and burn in the first rays of the morning sun.” This legend has been preserved from generation to generation ever since.

Continue to Legend 2 (Lakota Sioux) ↓

2. Dreamcatcher legends of the Lakota Sioux

Dreamcatcher legends of the Lakota Sioux. A very long time ago, the Lakota Sioux medicine man went to a high mountain. There he had a vision of Iktomi, the great trickster and teacher of wisdom, who appeared in the form of a spider. Iktomi spoke to the Elder. As he spoke, the spider took the Elder’s willow hoop adorned with feathers, decorated it with horsehair, beads, and offerings, and began to spin a web while explaining the cycles of life: every living being starts as an infant, grows into an adult, then becomes old and finally depends on others again, just like an infant. The cycle then closes once more. “But,” said Iktomi as he wove his web, “in every stage of life we encounter forces—some good and some bad. If you listen to the good forces, they will guide you in the right direction. But if you listen to the bad ones, they will hurt you and lead you astray.”

When Iktomi had finished his explanations, he gave the web to the Lakota Elder and said: “Look, the web is a perfect circle, but at the center of the web there is a hole. Use the web to help yourself and your people reach your goals, and make use of the ideas, dreams, and visions of your people. If you believe in the Great Spirit, the web will catch your valuable ideas while the harmful ones pass through the hole.” The Lakota Elder passed his vision on to his people. Since then, the dreamcatcher has been used among the Sioux and hung above their beds to sift their dreams. The good in their dreams is caught in the web of life and accompanies them, while the bad passes through the hole in the center.

Continue to Legend 3 (Australian Indigenous peoples) ↓

3. Dreamcatcher legend of Australian Indigenous peoples

Dreamcatcher legends of Australian Indigenous peoples (Source: from the book “Dreamcatcher” by Marlo Morgan)

As we all know, each of us dreams, but not everyone makes the effort to remember their dreams and decode the messages within them. According to the wisdom of ancient Aboriginal legends, dreams are shadows of reality—a reflection of what is real.

According to Australia’s First Peoples, the answer to every question can be found in dreams. The Aboriginal people consult a “soul woman,” also known as a dreamcatcher. In the past, during ceremonies with dances and songs, spider webs were used as a tool. In this way, people asked the universe for guidance through the world of dreams. The soul woman helped the dreamer understand the message within their dreams. According to these teachings, there were ancestral dreams from the time when thought created the world; there were waking dreams such as deep meditation; there were sleep dreams and many others.

Tribe members seek the help of dreamcatchers for many different problems: when they were unsure about their relationship with another person; when they had health issues; or when they did not understand the purpose of a particular experience, they always looked for answers in dreams. For us “changed people,” there is only one way to access our dreams—through sleep. However, “true people” can also enter the dream level of consciousness while awake. Because they do not enter the dream world with the help of mind-altering drugs, but simply through breathing techniques and concentration, they act with full awareness.

Tribe members dream at night only when they have called a dream. Sleep is an important time of rest and recovery for their bodies. During these hours, energies should not be directed toward several plans at once. They believe that we “changed people” dream at night because, in our society, it is not allowed to dream during the day.

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