|
Arachne
Arachne was a young lady, a princess, who offended Athena and faced punishment. Her story acts as a warning-- it shows what happens to those who choose to offend the gods.
Arachne was very gifted in the art of weaving. She was insulted, though, when people assumed she had gained her skill by learning from Athena. Arachne had trained herself, and she did not want Athena to be given credit for her hard work. Being confident in herself, Arachne publicly commented that she was a better weaver than Athena.
Athena was very offended by Arachne's comment. She decided to disguise herself as an old woman and meet Arachne, so she could warn Arachne not to offend the gods. This plan backfired, though, because Arachne told the disguised woman that she would rather challenge Athena in a weaving match than back down. She said she would accept whatever consequences the gods gave her if she lost the battle ("Encyclopedia Mythica").
Athena then revealed herself, and they began the contest. While Athena weaved the scene of herself giving gifts to people in the city of Athens, Arachne showed scenes of Zeus' wrongdoings in her tapestry .
While her work was beautiful, it angered Athena, as the subject matter offended her. She touched Arachne's forehead and forced her to feel the guilt for her actions. Arachne, being mortal and feeling shame, chose to hang herself.
Athena eventually took pity on Arachne. She didn't think that the challenge would cause such terrible things to happen. She decided to bring Arachne back to life, but as a spider rather than a human ("Encyclopedia Mythica").