Arachne



Arachne was a great weaver who boasted that she was better than Athena, goddess of wisdom, weaving, and strategy. Arachne was born from a shepherd's daughter and began weaving at a young age. When Arachne refused to acknowledge that her skill came, in part at least, from the goddess, Athena took offense and set up a contest between the two. Presenting herself as an old lady, she approached the boasting girl and told her that she could never compare to any of the gods and asked her for forgiveness. Arachne told the "old lady" that she speaks the truth and told Athena should come down herself and challenge her. Athena removed her disguise and appeared in shimmering glory. The two began weaving away. After they were done Athena saw that Arachne's work was far more beautiful than hers, she ripped Arachne's work into shreds and sprinkled her with Hecate's potion, turning her into a spider so Arachne realizes her mistake and to teach her to respect the gods, goddesses and their work. Feeling guilty about what she done, Arachne hung herself. Out of pity, Athena brought Arachne back to life as a spider, so she and her children could weave for all time.