Arakhne stood next to her loom, admiring her finished work. No matter what she did, it seemed that with every tapestry she crafted her skill only improved and she became even more admired for her skill. She had come from a small village of no importance and she did not have bloodlines within her to make her regal but, in truth, she thought herself to be better than even the goddess Athena if the gods existed.
The nymphs all came from hiding, just to watch her work, and her finished pieces had been known to make even the harshest of men weep at their beauty. If Athena, the goddess of art, war and wisdom existed she might have given Arakhne this gift for weaving, but Arakhne had improved upon it. So she refused to yield to an idea than many generations had upheld. She was not entirely sure the gods existed and she was certain that the benefit in the idea of gods was that it explained what people did not understand.
Athena did not come to her and tell her how to weave. She was no disciple of Athena's and when she had prayed for her mother to live had Arakhne received an answer to those prayers? No, her mother had died and that more than anything made her believe that the gods were a lie. So no matter how many elders came to her telling her she should yield to Athena and thank her for the gift of weaving, Arakhne did not listen. She mocked their beliefs with a bitterness that she knew came from the experience of her mother's untimely death.
The nymphs, who had at a distance been admiring her new work, quickly hid themselves. Arakhne did not notice their disappearance since she was too caught up in her own thoughts.
An old woman, with silvered temples and a stooping back, slowly made her way to the young woman, to Arakhne. When the old woman saw the tapestry, a spark ignited in her eyes but the small fury was soon quieted as she turned to Arakhne. So, this was the one she had heard of. The woman who abhorred the old ways and did not give proper reverence to the gods. The old woman leaned more heavily on the cane as she called to Arakhne.
"Your fame is well known, Arakhne." She said this quietly before continuing, "You are the best weaver in all of humanity, are you not?"
Arakhne slowly turned to this new voice, and sneeringly replied, "In all of the world, there is no weaver who is greater than I."
The old woman's face puckered at this statement and she said, "You would do well to yield to the gods who have gifted you." She said this with the greatest of caution and warning, as though the old woman feared for Arakhne's safety.
"You old fool!" she proclaimed, "You have lingered too long and you mind is addled with age. Go tell someone related to you who cares for your advice rather than bother me with it."
Arakhne paused before continuing, "Do you have any idea how many old women have come to see me and have told me the same thing. The gods exist and you should honor them but not one of them could get Athena to challenge me. The way I see it, either she doesn't care or she doesn't exist." Arakhne made a shooing motion at the old woman as she said, "So be gone or bring your goddess to me in challenge for no doubt I could win."
A brilliant flash of light briefly blinded Arakhne as she heard a powerful, feminine voice exclaim, "Behold, she has come!"
Arakhne stood resolute, convinced of her beliefs and that in a contest she would win. The slightest coil of fear snaked up her spine, making the hair on her neck stand up. The old woman had been Athena in disguise and now Arakhne would have to compete in the contest again Athena. Arakhne would have to win the contest because she could never yield to Athena.
Arakhne blushed at the sight of Athena and, for a moment, almost condemned herself for having such foolish pride.
On Athena's face, there was no room for compassion or mercy. There was only the spirit of competition and indignation in her eyes. Both readied themselves before the loom and, for a moment, Arakhne felt at peace with herself. Weaving was something she had done all her life and she had always been the best.
First, Athena created a scene of the gods with Zeus in the middle. The figures were crafted with perfection and the colors were vivid, so life-like that they looked more real that the world around two weavers. Then Athena, thinking that she should show this so-called rival her future, crafted a tapestry with four compartments. Each compartment showed the punishment of someone who, in their boldness, had given insult to the gods. Humans were changed into mountains and statues to give example to why one should always show reverence to the gods.
Arakhne saw these and thought to herself, "the gods are not perfect." She began to create images of Zeus and his many love affairs. She showed how Zeus had tricked Europa by transforming into a bull, and Leda who had been seduced by Zeus in the shape of a swan. She included many smaller details in reference to his casual love affairs and forced couplings with human women because there were far more than just four in the tapestry.
She also made a tapestry of other gods' failings and there was not a single god exempt from the tapestry
Arakhne wove that was unscathed by an observation of a flaw.
Seeing the tapestries of Arakhne, Athena flew into a passionate rage. Arakhne quickly stepped back from her loom as Athena seized the tapestry and tore it into pieces. Then, Athena in her rage turned to Arakhne because it was more than just anger at the scene. The goddess was envious of Arakhne's skill and it made her thoughtless to the fact that Arakhne was mortal. Athena cracked Arakhne once on the head with enough force to fatally injure her.
Athena stood over Arakhne and said, "No, you will not be given such as easy death. You will live, but you will not escape punishment. Your descendants will also bear this punishment and all will know to honor the gods."
When Athena said this, Arakhne suddenly felt her body painfully contracting and splitting until she realized that she was tiny. She multiple pairs of eyes could see her form with eight black legs and mandibles. If she could have cried she would have, for as a spider she would weave in order to live, not for fame.
Author's Note: In this story, Arakhne does not give proper reverence to the gods for the gift of weaving and she goes so far as to disrespect the god and also does not respect her elders. I added in the doubts about Athena existing since if Arakhne knew about the punishments gods inflict on people who think they are better than the gods, then why would she do something to disrespect Athena? This way it is more than just Arakhne being disrespectful and bold with her proclamation that she is the best, but it is also a punishment for her lack of faith. The thing with this story is that if Arakhne had lost the contest or won the contest, Athena would have still punished her. The lesson to be learned from this story is to not be so full of pride that one will not yield when a god challenges their ego.
Chapter Two: Escape
Back to Coverpage
Baqck to Introduction
The Transformation of Arachne by Naso, Publius
Ovidius. Metamorphoses.
Trans. Samuel Garth, et al. New York: Globusz. 2 Mar. 2009 <Web Source>.
Arachne by Susan Seddon Boulet
unknown <Image Source>
Trans. Samuel Garth, et al. New York: Globusz. 2 Mar. 2009 <Web Source>.
Arachne by Susan Seddon Boulet
unknown <Image Source>