
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. In the final version of the myth, Zeus was the judge in the contest between Arachne and Athena, and whoever lost would not be allowed to touch a spindle or the loom again.
Is Arachne a Greek god?
Arachne, in Greek mythology, was not a goddess. But according to Greek mythology, she was the first spider in history, after being cursed or transformed into a spider by Athena, goddess of craft and strategic warfare. What does Arachne symbolise?
What is the story of Arachne in the Odyssey?
The story of Arachne involves a human weaver who challenges Athena to a weaving contest. While her skills are equal to those of the goddess, her decision to show scenes of the gods as lustful and deceptive men incurred Athena’s wrath. Arachne attempted to hang herself, but was saved at the last minute by Athena.
Who was Arachne and why was she famous?
She was famous for being boastful and for foolishly challenging the Greek goddess Athena to a weaving contest after which she was cursed to live as a spider for the rest of her life. Who Was Arachne? According to Ovid, Arachne was a beautiful, young Lydian woman born to Idmon of Colophon, not to be confused with Idmon, the Argonaut.

Is Arachne Athena's daughter?
2:174:51Athena and Arachne: The Girl Who Challenged the Goddess - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipYou senseless girl how dare you challenge the gods. Athena revealed her identity. And the nymphsMoreYou senseless girl how dare you challenge the gods. Athena revealed her identity. And the nymphs bowed to the goddess. But the daring weaver faced her standing with an inflexible stare do you really
Who won Arachne or Athena?
In great, terrifying anger, Athena tore the tapestry to pieces, smashed her loom, and beat Arachne three times, cursing her in front of everyone.
Who killed Medusa?
PerseusPerseus set out with the aid of the gods, who provided him with divine tools. While the Gorgons slept, the hero attacked, using Athena's polished shield to view the reflection of Medusa's awful face and avoid her petrifying gaze while he beheaded her with a harpe, an adamantine sword.
Who Killed Arachne Greek mythology?
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.
What happened to Athena and Arachne?
Enraged at the perfection of her rival's work (or, alternatively, offended by its subject matter), Athena tore it to pieces, and in despair Arachne hanged herself.
What did Athena do to Arachne at the end of the story?
she was Athena challenged Arachne to a spinning and weaving contest enraged that Arachne dared to compare herself to a goddess. 8. What did Athena do to Arachne at the end of the story? Athena turned Arachne into a spider.
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.
Why was Athena mad at Arachne?
Athena was enraged when she saw how Arachne had depicted the gods. She was even more infuriated when she realized that her own skill was only marginally better than Arachne's. “You are too boastful and rude, Arachne.
Who was Arachne in Greek Mythology?
ARACHNE, in Greek mythology, the daughter of Idmon of Colophon in Lydia, a dy er in purple. She 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 surviving source for the story. In the story, Arachne challenged Athena, goddess of strategic warfare and craft, to a weaving contest. This contest, unfortunately, brought about the downfall of Arachne.
Why did Arachne hang herself?
Arachne was now a disgrace, no one would ever want to buy her work again, and no man would ever marry her. So, she chose to hang herself.
What does Arachne represent?
What does Arachne symbolise? Arachne, her name meaning spider in Greek, was a beautiful woman with a great talent for weaving. Arachne symbolizes spider; hence, the English words Arachnid (an arthropod of the class Arachnida, such as a spider or scorpion) and Arachnophobia (extreme or irrational fear of spiders).
Why was Arachne cursed?
Therefore, we will take a look at the story of Arachne, the woman cursed by the gods to spend eternity as a spider because she was brave enough to challenge them and emerge victoriously.
What caused Arachne to fall?
Cause: Arachne’s pride caused her downfall. She failed to acknowledge the source of her talents, the Goddess of crafts and wisdom – Athena that she even challenged her. She boasted about her greatness with no one teaching her to be that great. Effect: Embarrassed and furious, Athena cursed Arachne.
What did Arachne say to Pallas?
She hardly could restrain her threatening hand, and, trembling in her anger, she replied to you, disguised Pallas: ‘Silly fool,–worn out and witless in your palsied age, a great age is your great misfortune!–Let your daughter and your son’s wife–if the gods have blessed you–let them profit by your words; within myself, my knowledge is contained sufficient; you need not believe that your advice does any good; for I am quite unchanged in my opinion. Get you gone,–advise your goddess to come here herself, and not avoid the contest!’
What herb did Arachne have?
The goddess took some of Hecate ’s herb and sprinkled it over Arachne. This herb would act as a poison, instantly causing Arachne’s hair to fall out, along with her ears and her nose. She grew thick black hair all over her body, and she had eight legs, and from her belly, she had a single piece of thread.
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 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.
Who was the judge in the final version of the myth?
In the final version of the myth, Zeus was the judge in the contest between Arachne and Athena, and whoever lost would not be allowed to touch a spindle or the loom again. Athena won in this version, and Arachne was devastated that she could no longer weave.
Why did Athena turn Arachne into a spider?
Taking pity on her, Athena turned her into a spider so that she could weave for the rest of her life without breaking her oath. back to menu ↑.
What did Athena do when she saw Arachne?
Some say that Athena saw the dead Arachne, felt a surge of pity for the girl and brought her back from the dead, while others say that it wasn’t meant as an act of kindness. Athena decided to let the girl live, but she sprinkled her with a few drops of a potion she had received from Hecate, the goddess of witchcraft.
Who Was Arachne?
According to Ovid, Arachne was a beautiful, young Lydian woman born to Idmon of Colophon, not to be confused with Idmon, the Argonaut. Her mother’s identity, however, remains unknown. Her father was a user of purple dye, famous throughout the country for his skills, but in some accounts, he was said to have been a shepherd. Arachne’s name is derived from the Greek word ‘arachne’ which when translated means ‘spider’.
What was Athena's skill?
Both Athena and Arachne were highly skilled at weaving and the cloth they produced was the finest ever to have been made on Earth. On her cloth, Athena depicted four contests that were held between the mortals (who had challenged the gods like Arachne) and the Olympian deities.
How many times did Athena hit the girl on the head?
Unable to control herself, Athena took Arachne’s cloth and tore it to shreds and then hit the girl on the head three times with her tools.
What is the significance of Arachne?
Symbolism of Arachne’s Story. Depictions of Arachne. Arachne in Popular Culture. In Brief. Arachne was a mortal woman in Greek mythology who was an incredible weaver, more talented than any other mortal in the craft. She was famous for being boastful and for foolishly challenging the Greek goddess Athena to a weaving contest after which she was ...
What did Arachne weave?
Arachne’s weaving also depicted the negative side of the Olympian gods, especially their carnal relationships . She wove images of the abduction of Europa by the Greek god Zeus in the form of a bull and the work was so perfect that the images looked as though they were real.
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.
Who was Arachne in the myth?
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.
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.
What is the black spider influenced by?
It has also been suggested that Jeremias Gotthelf 's nineteenth century novella, The Black Spider, was heavily influenced by the Arachne story from Ovid's Metamorphoses. In the novella, a woman is turned into a venomous spider having reneged on a deal with the devil.
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.

Who Was Arachne in Greek Mythology?
The Offence to The Gods
- She possessed such a talent when it came to weaving that her work became highly famous, and people would travel thousands of miles just to get a glimpse at her tapestries. As her reputation grew, so did her ego. Many would often tell her that her work could even rival the creation of a god, and eventually, she began to believe this was true. The goddess Athenatook great offence t…
The Weaving Content Begins
- The contest began, and both women weaved away furiously. Athena’s weaving represented a contest between gods and mortals. It ultimately ended in the immortals being punished for comparing themselves—quite an ironic piece of foreshadowing. Arachne’s work differed significantly, showing how gods misled and abused mortals, depicting Zeusas seducing countle…
Transformation Into Spider
- Not wishing for the girl to die, Athena said, “Live on, and yet hang, condemned one. The same condition is declared as punishment against your descendants to the last generation.” The goddess took some of Hecate’s herb and sprinkled it over Arachne. This herb would act as a poison, instantly causing Arachne’s hair to fall out, along with her ears a...
Arachne in Today’S English
- The name Arachne is where many of the English words referring to spiders came from, include Arachnid (an arthropod of the class Arachnida, such as a spider or scorpion) and Arachnophobia (extreme or irrational fear of spiders).
in Conclusion
- The details of the transformation do vary, depending on the tale. Some believe that Arachne was turned into a spider, which would continue to weave but in the form of a web. Others believe that Arachne’s lower body became that of a spider, and her upper body remained that of a human, creating a monster in a similar vein to Medusa. The story of Arachne is another warning of the f…