Greek Myth of Athena
In a small town in Northern Greece, there once lived a beautiful girl with the name Arachne. Arachne was known for being a very skillful weaver and spinner. However, Arachne was a very vain girl and couldn’t stop boasting about her talent. She claimed that she had learned the skills all by herself and that there was no one else in the world who could weave as well as she could. She even felt that she could compete against Athena, the goddess of skill, and win with ease.
When Athena heard these words, she got offended. She came down to reclaim her title and prove that no mortal could create anything more beautiful than her. Athena decided to disguise as an old lady and appear in front of Arachne. She told Arachne "I am old and have much experience from life, so let me give you one advice: don’t ever mess up with a goddess! No mortal can compete against Athena. Take back your words and kindly ask for forgiveness" Arachne got furious and threw the thread against the old woman, telling her "I don’t need your advice; I know best what I can do! If Athena really dares, then she should come here and compete against me!" At that moment, the old woman transformed herself into the radiant goddess Athena.
Soon the competition started and both contestants were doing really well. Athena wove a tapestry depicting the greatness of the gods and their triumphs, portraying them as wonderful, divine beings. Arachne, on the other hand, chose to weave her tapestry with a very different story. She was making fun of the gods by weaving scenes of gods full of weaknesses and fears. After a short period of time, It was obvious to all that Arachne's tapestries truly were better and this angered Athena.
In a fit of rage, Athena then destroyed Arachne's tapestry, loom, and slashed her face. Arachne, unable to bear anymore punishment decided to commit suicide. Athene then told her "You may be foolish and stubborn, but you seem to love your work. So why don’t you go ahead and spin
When Athena heard these words, she got offended. She came down to reclaim her title and prove that no mortal could create anything more beautiful than her. Athena decided to disguise as an old lady and appear in front of Arachne. She told Arachne "I am old and have much experience from life, so let me give you one advice: don’t ever mess up with a goddess! No mortal can compete against Athena. Take back your words and kindly ask for forgiveness" Arachne got furious and threw the thread against the old woman, telling her "I don’t need your advice; I know best what I can do! If Athena really dares, then she should come here and compete against me!" At that moment, the old woman transformed herself into the radiant goddess Athena.
Soon the competition started and both contestants were doing really well. Athena wove a tapestry depicting the greatness of the gods and their triumphs, portraying them as wonderful, divine beings. Arachne, on the other hand, chose to weave her tapestry with a very different story. She was making fun of the gods by weaving scenes of gods full of weaknesses and fears. After a short period of time, It was obvious to all that Arachne's tapestries truly were better and this angered Athena.
In a fit of rage, Athena then destroyed Arachne's tapestry, loom, and slashed her face. Arachne, unable to bear anymore punishment decided to commit suicide. Athene then told her "You may be foolish and stubborn, but you seem to love your work. So why don’t you go ahead and spin