Cause: Arachne's pride caused her downfall. She failed to acknowledge the source of her talents, the Goddess of crafts and wisdom - Athena that she even challenged her. She boasted about her greatness with no one teaching her to be that great. Effect: Embarrassed and furious, Athena cursed Arachne. This curse transformed her into a spider. This is how the Greeks explained why spiders are constantly spinning webs both to live in and trap their prey.