Athena and Arachne:
Athena: goddess of Wisdom
** Taught the Grecians (people from Greece) the arts: ex. Pottery and Weaving
Arachne: a student of Athena
** A spectacular weaver
The Story:
-
Arachne boasted she was a better weaver than Athena
Athena disguised herself as an old woman and approached Arachne about
her boasting
Arachne challenged Athena to a weaving contest
** Contest Begins**
Both women have beautiful tapestries
Arachne still believed her technique and work was better than Athena’s;
Athena demanded an apology for Arachne’s ignorance
Arachne refused to apologize and Athena slapped her across the face
Arachne was turned into a spider and forced to weave forever
(1) Explains how spiders became known as arachnids
(2) Explains why spiders hate the goddess Athena