Powers and Abilities
- Super Strength - Arachne have incredible physical strength, they are able to throw a fully grown man across a room with no difficulty.
- Super Agility - Able to move with incredible flexibility.
- Super Speed - Able to move faster than any human.
- Web Generation - Like real spiders, they can spin strong webbing in which they imprison their victims.
What can we learn from the myth of Arachne?
If you were good at sports, cooking, or learning, you would thank the gods responsible for that. Arachne’s skill as a weaver was a gift of Athena. Arachne not only never thanked her for it, she thought she was better than the goddess herself! Another key part of the myth is power, both cruel power and kind power.
What are arachnids powers?
Arachnids are associated with great number of mystical and supernatural abilities and connections in mythology and folklore, thus user with this power may have access to: May need practice to change back into original form.
What are Arachnes in supernatural?
Arachnes are supernatural creatures who have abilities similar to those of spiders. A female Arachne. An arachne is a creature that can create strong webs, just like real spiders can do, so they can trap their victims with ease. They are also capable of changing humans into arachnes by biting them, in order to propagate their species.
Why did Arachne turn into a spider?
To add insult to injury, Arachne’s work was better. Humiliated and angry at the unflattering depiction, Athena curses the young Lydian weaver. Some retellings say that Athena threw Hecate’s poison onto Arachne. Others say she used her godly powers. Either way, Arachne transformed into a spider and was condemned to a life of weaving webs.
What was Arachne God of?
Arachne, (Greek: “Spider”) in Greek mythology, the daughter of Idmon of Colophon in Lydia, a dyer in purple. Arachne was a weaver who acquired such skill in her art that she ventured to challenge Athena, goddess of war, handicraft, and practical reason.
What was Arachne's special talent?
Arachne, her name meaning spider in Greek, was a beautiful woman that had a great talent in weaving. Everyone was amazed at her work and one day, Arachne boosted that she had a greater talent than goddess Athena herself.
Is Arachne mortal or immortal?
Arachne was a mortal woman from the country of Lydia in Greek and Roman mythology. She was a great weaver who claimed to be better at weaving than either the Greek goddess Athena or the Roman Goddess Minerva depending on the version.
What does Arachne symbolize?
Key Themes and Symbols Arachne is often associated with spiders and weaving looms because of her background. Like many Greek myths, Arachne's story can be seen as a warning against hubris, or overconfidence and arrogance about one's abilities.
Who Killed Arachne?
When Athena saw that Arachne had not only insulted the gods but done so with a work far more beautiful than Athena's own, she was enraged. She ripped Arachne's work to shreds and hit her on the head three times. Terrified and ashamed, Arachne hanged herself.
What is a half spider half human called?
Appearance. Arachnes pretty much are half-human, half spider, not to be confused by their distant cousins, the arachnecentaurs.
Who won Athena or Arachne?
In great, terrifying anger, Athena tore the tapestry to pieces, smashed her loom, and beat Arachne three times, cursing her in front of everyone.
Was Arachne better than Athena?
Arachne's work was clearly better than Athena's; the goddess even more enraged due to what the weaving depicted, threw Hecate's potion onto Arachne, transforming her into a spider and condemning her to weave for eternity.
Why is Athena scared of spiders?
Athena, in a fit of rage turned Arachne into a spider and ripped her tapestry before anybody saw it. From that point on, the children of Athena fear spiders because they worried that each spider was Arachne coming to take revenge on them.
Why did Athena turn Arachne into a spider?
Athena turned Arachne into a spider for assuming that the gods were “untouchable.” She justified her actions with the assumption that Arachne was too prideful and ungrateful for the gift the gods gave her.
What is the moral of Arachne?
What is the moral of the Arachne story? No matter how skilled people are, they are never any match for the gods. People need to remember their place, and not try to be stronger or wiser or smarter than the gods, or bad things will happen to them.
What is an interesting fact about Arachne?
She was the daughter of a well-known dyer in purple known as Idmon of Colophon. Arachne was believed to be the inventor of nets and linen cloth. Her son, Closter, is attributed to being the first to use spindle in manufacturing wool. Ovid writes in Metamorphoses that Arachne started weaving at a young age.
Who was Arachne in Greek mythology?
Arachne was a skilled weaver who was so boastful about her abilities that she caught the attention of the Greek goddess Athena, who was known as Minerva in Roman mythology. A challenge ensued, showing what happens when you dare the gods and become overly prideful.
What is Arachne's skill as a weaver?
Arachne’s skill as a weaver was a gift of Athena. Arachne not only never thanked her for it, she thought she was better than the goddess herself! Another key part of the myth is power, both cruel power and kind power.
Why is Arachne turned into a spider?
Once again, Arachne is transformed into a spider so she can still weave and spin without breaking her promise to never touch a loom or spindle again. However the myth goes, several key parts remain intact.
How many stories did Arachne weave?
She wove four stories of humans who thought themselves equal to the gods, who were later punished by the gods for their boasting. Not getting the hint, Arachne wove four scenes in which the gods punished and hurt humans without a good reason.
Why did Athena challenge Athena?
She was so proud of her skills that she challenged the goddess Athena to a contest to see who was best. Athena was the goddess of many talents–warfare, weaving, wisdom, crafts, and learning–and she did not take kindly to the challenge. She accepted, hoping to put Arachne in her place and teach her respect. In some versions, Arachne’s constant ...
Why did Athena curse Lydian weaver?
To add insult to injury, Arachne’s work was better. Humiliated and angry at the unflattering depiction, Athena curses the young Lydian weaver. Some retellings say that Athena threw Hecate’s poison onto Arachne. Others say she used her godly powers.
Why do spiders spin webs?
This is how the Greeks explained why spiders are constantly spinning webs both to live in and trap their prey. Some versions of this myth end differently. In one version, Athena shows Arachne how her lack of respect is hurtful. Ashamed by her actions, Arachne takes her own life.
What is the myth of Arachne?
The myth of Arachne can also be seen as an attempt to show relation between art and tyrannical power in Ovid's time. He wrote under the emperor Augustus and was exiled by him. At the time weaving was a common metaphor for poetry, therefore Arachne's artistry and Athena's censorship to it may offer a provocative allegory of the writer's role under an autocratic regime.
Who is Arachne in Greek mythology?
Arachne ( / əˈrækniː /; from Ancient Greek: ᾰ̓ρᾰ́χνη, romanized : arákhnē, lit. 'spider', cognate with Latin araneus) is the protagonist of a tale in Greek mythology known primarily from the version told by the Roman poet Ovid (43 BCE–17 CE), which is the earliest extant source for the story.
How many times did Arachne hit Athena?
She ripped Arachne's work to shreds and hit her on the head three times. Terrified and ashamed, Arachne hanged herself.
How long did Arachne stay in hiding?
She was responsible for crafting the first demon weapons, an act that Death fiercely opposed, forcing her to bide her time and remain in hiding for 800 years. She returns to lead the risen Arachnaphobia, her personal army against Death. The story of Arachne has also been adapted for many plays.
What happened to Arachne after she was hung?
After Arachne hanged herself out of shame, she was transformed into a spider. The myth both provides an aetiology of spiders' web-spinning abilities and is a cautionary tale warning mortals not to place themselves on an equal level with the gods.
Why is Arachne defeated?
She is defeated by Annabeth because of her pride and eventually they are both sent falling into Tartarus, where Percy Jackson kills Arachne. In the novel The Last Unicorn written by Peter S. Beagle, a plain brown spider is bewitched into believing she is Arachne until the witch who enchanted her is killed.
What is the name of the fable of Arachne?
The Spinners, or, The Fable of Arachne (1644–48) by Velázquez. The taxonomical class name Arachnida and the name for spiders in many romance languages are both derived from arachne . The metamorphosis of Arachne in Ovid's telling furnished material for an episode in Edmund Spenser 's mock-heroic Muiopotmos, 257–352.
What did Arachne do to Athena?
Arachne infuriates Athena. One version has it that she was a shepherd’s daughter that was particularly skilled at weaving. Boasting about her skill, she infuriated Athena, who appeared and contested her.
Who was Arachne?
Arachne in Greek mythology was a weaver who challenged Athena and was consequently transformed into a spider. There are three versions of the myth.
Why did Athena turn Arachne into a spider?
Athena brought her back to life and turned her into a spider, in order to let her weave all the time.
What are arachnids associated with?
Arachnids are associated with great number of mystical and supernatural abilities and connections in mythology and folklore , thus user with this power may have access to:
What is the name of the spider in Roka Paramia?
Roka Paramia (Bleach) gains spider-like traits in her released form, Telaraña.
What is the name of the giant spider in the abyss?
Silitha (Darksiders) is a giant spider of the abyss.
Is an arachnid an ectotherm?
As arachnids are ectotherms, user may be vulnerable to extreme temperatures.
What is an arachne?
Arachnes are supernatural creatures who have abilities similar to those of spiders.
How many kinds of venom does an arachne have?
Venom - Arachne possess at least two kinds of venom - one that is lethal, and another that is used to change humans into Arachne. Like spiders, they pass the venom through bites.
Can Arachne regrow its limbs?
Limb Regrowth - Much like actual spiders, Arachne can regrow their limbs.
Overview
In popular culture
Arachne has had a considerable degree of influence on modern popular culture. She frequently appears in modern fantasy books, movies, and television series in the form of a monstrous spider. In Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, she is pictured as a grotesque, half-woman, half-spider monster who nests on people to produce killer spiders.
Biography
According to the myth as recounted by Ovid, Arachne was a Lydian maiden who was the daughter of Idmon of Colophon, who was a famous dyer in purple. She was credited to have invented linen cloth and nets while her son Closter introduced the use of spindle in the manufacture of wool. She was said to have been a native of Hypæpæ, near Colophon in Asia Minor.
Mythology
In Metamorphoses the Roman poet Ovid writes that Arachne was a shepherd's daughter who began weaving at an early age. She became a great weaver, boasted that her skill was greater than Athena's, and refused to acknowledge that her skill came, at least in part, from the goddess. Athena took offense and set up a contest between them. Presenting herself as an old lady, she approac…
Influence
The metamorphosis of Arachne in Ovid's telling furnished material for an episode in Edmund Spenser's mock-heroic Muiopotmos, 257–352. Spenser's adaptation, which "rereads an Ovidian story in terms of the Elizabethan world" is designed to provide a rationale for the hatred of Arachne's descendant Aragnoll for the butterfly-hero Clarion.
See also
• Cultural depictions of spiders
• Marsyas, a satyr who engaged in a musical contest with Apollo and also suffered for his presumption
• Medusa, who was also transformed as a result of Athena's wrath
Further reading
• Harries, Byron (1990). "The spinner and the poet: Arachne in Ovid's Metamorphoses". Proceedings of the Cambridge Philological Society. 36 (216): 64–82. doi:10.1017/S006867350000523X. JSTOR 44696682.
• Hejduk, Julia D. (2012). "Arachne's Attitude: Metamorphoses 6.25". Mnemosyne. 65 (4/5): 764–768. doi:10.1163/156852512X585241. JSTOR 41725255.
External links
• The dictionary definition of Arachne at Wiktionary
• Media related to Arachne at Wikimedia Commons
• Works by Arachne at Project Gutenberg
• Works by or about Arachne at Internet Archive