A widow is a woman who suffered the death of her husband.
A widow is a woman whose husband has died . The term comes from vidŭus , a Latin word. The person in question will maintain the status of widower until they have a spouse again and their marital status changes again.
For example: “I was widowed at the age of 36 and I was never in a relationship again,” “The writer's widow announced that she would sue the publisher,” “Because of the war, thousands of women became widows.”
Widows throughout history
Throughout history , widows formed a social group with diverse needs and realities. For many years, widowhood was a social problem since men were usually in charge of providing for the family. In this way, when the man died, the woman was left helpless and required solidarity to survive . On the other hand, in some cases women were able to continue with family businesses, or start new ones.
Over time , it became common for women to also develop their own work or productive activities. Therefore, if they were widowed, they could support themselves since they did not need the material contribution of their husband .
overcome grief
Beyond social changes, certain traditions and rituals regarding widows are still maintained. It is common for women to mourn for a while, wearing black to reflect their pain. After a certain period, it is socially accepted for the person to abandon mourning and even to remarry . The widow, in this way, can rebuild her life and form a new family.
Although this term can be used very easily to label a woman who has lost her other half, both from an administrative point of view and to recognize her in a social group, only those who have gone through a misfortune like this can understand the pain and sadness. despair that brings . In a desired and happy marriage , nourished day by day with dedication and the desire to get closer and closer to the other, a bond is formed like few others, a union that in many cases makes it difficult to distinguish each of the parties; That is why, when death breaks such a strong bond, many people are unable to move on.
A black widow spider is part of the family group Theridiidae.
black widow spider
The specimens that are part of the araneomorphic spider genus are known as black widows , which in turn belong to the Theridiidae family, where more than thirty different species have been discovered. The reason for such a particular nickname is because scientists have observed that the females of some of these species eat the male once mating has taken place.
Within the araneomorph spider genus, the black widow is probably the most popular member, as this name has given rise to many comical analogies and has even become the title of several works, such as books, stage shows, films and songs.
Regarding the bite of the black widow, it should not be taken lightly either, since they contain latrotoxin neurotoxins, which cause the disorder known as latrodectism , and this makes it very dangerous. Although the symptoms of latrodectism may not be immediately apparent, after a few hours the symptoms can become truly unbearable, and about 4% of subjects lose their lives .
Let's look at some of the consequences of this lethal bite: intense pain throughout the body, burning in the feet, muscle spasms, cramps, abdominal rigidity, urinary retention, headaches, vomiting and anxiety. As if this were not enough, some of the symptoms can lead to misdiagnoses : abdominal rigidity, for example, can lead to an unnecessary appendectomy.