The Spinning Contest

Nymph

     Arachne, a young arrogant maiden from Greece, was deeply talented in weaving.  So arrogant that she believed she no god, not even the goddess Athena, could beat her.  Hearing this, Athena comes down to Earth and challenges Arachne to a weaving contest, which Athena loses.  Filled with wrath, Athena changes Arachne into a spider, something that would weave for the rest of its life.

     Perhaps the most important moral of this story for humans is to not challenge, or not even compare yourself to the gods and goddesses.  This becomes apparent when Arachne compares herself with the goddess Athena, saying that she is much better than the goddess.  After hearing this, Athena, to show her displeasure, turned Arachne into a spider.  This moral was important in Greek culture because it allowed the gods to be seen as omnipotent beings, much better than the humans.

     This Greek myth attempts to answer the life mystery of spiders, or arachnids.  It tells us where the word arachnid comes from, and why spiders weave.  It shows us that spiders were created as a punishment of Arachne.  Thus, her name is forever embedded in our English language (Arachnid is from the Greek word "Arachne" which means 'spider').

     An important virtue that Greeks treasure is to stop being arrogant, or to be modest.  The tale tells that we must not be overconfident in our talents, that we have received as gifts from the gods.  The story 'commands' us to be humble and reminds us that others could be better in one way or another, or else you can end up receiving punishment.  When Arachne is asked whether she has learned her craft from Athena, she declines and says that Athena could learn a lot from her.  Although the nymphs and Athena herself continually try to persuade Arachne to pray to Athena for forgiveness and become modest, Arachne refuses, saying that she is the best, even better than the gods.  As she becomes more and more pompous in her ability to weave, Athena ends up releasing her fury on her.  Thus, one should become modest in his or her abilities and talents.