Arachne
Introduction:
Arachne had achieved excellence (arete) in her weaving. However, she was not satisfied
to be known as the best mortal weaver. She believed she was a better weaver than any of
the gods. She lost her sense of perspective, and forgot that she was human. She became
arrogant and insolent, even to the old woman who gave her advice. This is an example of
excessive pride or hubris, which leads to catastrophe. The Greeks called this abdication
of the rule of reason ‘ate. Therefore, when Arachne’s emotions controlled her actions, she
brought destruction upon herself. The appropriate nature of the punishment adds to the
appeal of this myth.
The Myth:
Arachne’s only claim to greatness
Arachne’s only claim to greatness was her weaving. Neither her humble birth, nor her
country of Lydia was remarkable in any way. Yet, through her extraordinary ability as a
weaver, Arachne had earned great fame among her own people and among the
neighboring countries as well. The nymphs of Mount Tmolus often left their vines, and
the nymphs of the Pactolus River their streams, just to admire Arachnes’s work. They
enjoyed observing every aspect of her performance, from the spinning of the soft mass of
wool into yarn, to the designs she made with her shuttle. They marveled at the completed
tapestry. Everyone thought that only grey-eyed Athena, the patron goddess of arts and
crafts, could have taught Arachne to be such a skillful weaver.
Yet, Arachne was a particularly proud and independent young woman. She arrogantly
denied that she had ever received any aid from the grey-eyed Athena, the patron goddess
of arts and crafts, could have taught Arachne to be such a skillful weaver.
Yet, Arachne was a particularly proud and independent young woman. She arrogantly
denied that she had ever received any aid from the grey-eyed goddess. In fact, she
boasted that she was far superior to Athena in the art of weaving. “Let battle-stirring
Athena appear and contest her skill with mine,” Arachne challenged. “If she wins, I shall
accept whatever punishment or shame she chooses to impose upon me.”
The grey-eyed daughter of Zeus was outraged at Arachne’s disrespect. “I deserve praise
from mortals, not their contempt,” she exclaimed. “My powers of revenge surely will
achieve what my gifts have not.”
Determined to restore her own authority and reputation, Athena decided to punish
Arachne. She transformed herself into a white-haired old woman, who hobbled along
with the support of a staff. In this disguise, she appeared before Arachne and spoke
kindly to her.
“Young lady, I hope I may interrupt you. Old age deserves respect. Long years bring a
person broad experience. Therefore, do not ignore my advice. Strive for fame and glory
against other mortal women, but recognize and accept the superiority of the immortals. If
you humbly beg the goddess Athena’s pardon for your arrogance, she will forgive your
misconduct.”
Arachne’s eyes blazed with rage. Her weaving shuttle dropped to her lap in her
temptation to strike the presumptuous stranger. However, her judgment somewhat
controlled her temper, and she let her words express the feelings her hand resisted.
“You old fool!” she exclaimed scornfully. “Your idle, prying tongue betrays the curse of
old age. Maybe your own daughter or your son’s wife will bother with your wise words,
but I have no interest in your guidance. No advice of yours will change my mind. I shall
continue to do just as I please. As for the Great Goddess, why hasn’t she appeared? Why
has she delayed our contest? Let Athena accept my challenge, the sooner, the better.”
“Oh, she is coming,” asserted the old woman, and as she spoke, she became transfigured
with a divine radiance. Emerging from her disguise, Athena commanded awe and
reverence from all who saw her.
Only Arachne remained fearless, yet even she self-consciously blushed against her will.
However, she remained stubborn, and in her defiant determination to win the contest,
Arachne hastened her own fate. No longer did the goddess try to dissuade Arachne with
helpful advice. No longer did this great daughter of Zeus evade the challenge.
The contestants immediately settled into their preparations. Carefully they set up their
looms, tying the long fine, vertical warp threads to their loom beams and dividing these
threads with reeds. When they had completed this task, they tucked up their skirts in
order to permit quick, unhampered movements, picked up their threaded shuttles, and
began to work. Each weaver moved her shuttle swiftly and skillfully through the threads,
enjoying the labor she performed so well. Each wore wispy clouds shimmering with
sunlight and a magnificent rainbow shining in a thousand blending colors. Finally, each
weaver artistically wove into her tapestry golden threads which accentuated brilliantly the
stories she portrayed.
The grey-eyed daughter of Zeus depicted the twelve Olympian gods enthroned above the
Areopagus in Athens. There the immortals debated the merits of the argument between
Athena and Poseidon over which of them should be considered the city’s patron god. In
her tapestry, the Lord of the Sea had just struck a rock with his three-pronged fish spear,
the trident, splitting it and causing a fountain of salty waters to spring forth from the
fissure. He based his claim to the area upon the value of this miraculous gift. The goddess
Athena pictured herself armed with her crested golden helmet, her breastplate and shield,
and her shining spear. She had just struck the earth with her spear, causing a leafy green
tree, completely covered with olives, to emerge fully grown. She based her claim to the
area upon the value of her miraculous gift. Although the deathless gods admired both
gifts, they decide that Athena’s gift was more useful than Poseidon’s and, consequently,
awarded the city to her.
The goddess decorated the four corners of her tapestry with four miniature scenes, each
depicting the terrifying fate of arrogant women who had been disrespectful to the gods. In
one corner, the gods punished two women by transforming them into snow-covered
mountains. In the second corner, golden-throned Hera transformed another woman into a
crane, while in the third corner, Hera, again, punished a female by transforming her into a
stork. In the fourth corner, the gods punished a man’s daughters by turning them into
marble steps leading up to a temple. With these illustrations of divine retribution, Zeus’s
great daughter Athena hoped to warn Arachne about what she could expect for her pride
and presumption.
Meanwhile, Arachne used her great talent to ridicule the immortal gods. With dazzling
artistry, she depicted Olympian Zeus’s many love affairs. Among them were his
transformation into a bull for Europa, into a swan for Leda, into a golden shower for
Danae, and into the husband, Amphitryon, for Alcmene. As if this were not enough to
document her point, Arachne also illustrated the romantic exploits of Poseidon, the
Earthshaker, and those of far-shooting Apollo and of loud-roaring Dionysus.
When each had completed her tapestry, Athena inwardly appreciated Arachne’s
remarkable skill, but she could not tolerate the mortal woman’s disrespect. Because
Arachne had taunted the gods with her scornful sense of humor, Zeus’s grey-eyed
daughter tore apart her tapestry and struck her three times upon her forehead with the
shuttle.
Arachne, in defeat and despair, knit a rope around her neck and tried to hang herself.
However, the Great Goddess took pity upon her and prevented her suicide by catching
her falling body. Yet she did not release Arachne from further punishment. “Live, wicked
wretch,” grey-eyed Athena commanded, “but hang forevermore. Let my curse remain
even upon your children and their children to the end of all your race.”
As she left, Zeus’s great daughter sprinkled Arachne with juice taken from the leaves of a
poisonous aconite plant. As the drops touched Arachne, they completely altered her
appearance. Her flowing hair shed and fell to the ground. Her nose and her ears vanished.
Her head shrank, and the rest of her body diminished also, until all that remained of her
was a large belly with spiny, jointed fingers where her legs and arms had been.
Thus, like the other mortal women who had offended the gods, Arachne found herself
transformed. As a spider, she would weave eternally.