- spider. Killing a spider is supposed to bring bad luck:
Gin ye want tae live and thrive
Let a speeder rin alive.
However, keeping a spider in captivity could be good for the health; a letter from Sir Robert Moray to the Earl of Kincardine (1658) recommends as a cure for fever:
Put a great spider into a box made of 2 wallnut shells and hang it about the neck so as it may be about the slot of the breast.