Arachne

Arachne is an enemy in the Castlevania series. She is a mythological monster that resembles a woman from the waist up and a spider from the waist down. She spews nets of webbing that ensnare and slow down the player, also reducing their jumping ability until they wear off. Some variants also have the ability to spew poison.
==Origins==
In Greco-Roman mythology, Arachne was a great weaver who boasted that her skill was greater than that of Athena, goddess of wisdom and strategy. Arachne refused to acknowledge that her knowledge came, in part at least, from the goddess. Offended by Arachne's arrogance, Athena set a contest between the two weavers. The goddess was so envious of the magnificent tapestry and the mortal weaver's success, and perhaps offended by the girl's choice of subjects (the loves and transgressions of the gods), that she destroyed the tapestry and loom and slashed the girl's face. Ultimately, the goddess turned Arachne into a spider.
Arachne simply means "spider" (ἀράχνη) in Greek, and the mythical Arachne's weaving abilities are a nod toward the spider's web-spinning capabilities.
==Appearances==
===Castlevania (N64)/Castlevania: Legacy of Darkness===
Arachne is first introduced via a memorable cutscene that takes place shortly after entering the Tunnel. After discovering the lifeless body of a villager who drowned in poisonous water, the protagonist soon arrives to another river shore where they come across with what appears to be a beautiful maiden bathing in the noxious waters. Looks can be deceiving, though, and as the lovely figure emerges from the water, her true nature is revealed: a horrifying  monster that features the torso of a woman from the waist up and the repulsive body of a giant tarantula from the waist down.
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Arachnes come armed with tridents. They infinitely spawn in certain areas and usually attack by surrounding the player while keeping a medium distance until they engage in close combat. They keep harassing for lengthy sections of the tunnels and frequently spew out squirts of poison from the spider head's mouth.
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|-|Legacy of Darkness=
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Exclusive to Legacy of Darkness, Queen Algenie appears as the boss of this area. She can pull the player in with her web and rapidly drain their life. She also attacks by giving birth to a myriad of small webbed creatures. After sustaining enough damage, she will ditch the egg sack she's attached to and start attacking with her limbs and by spewing poison.
<tabber>First form=
|-|Second form=
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===Castlevania: Circle of the Moon===
In Circle Of The Moon, Arachnes appear in the Catacomb along with Grizzlies once Death has been defeated. They pace back and forth and occasionally shoot spider webbings at Nathan. If one of these connects, he will get ensnared and his mobility become severely reduced for a few seconds, most likely setting him ready to be punched by the werebear and probably sent flying out of the room.
A stronger variant makes a return in the twelfth room of the Battle Arena in an overall more precarious situation, as three of them appear along a trio of Succubi. Needless to say, fighting a Succubus requires the player to make good use of their surroundings, and being slowed down by one of the Arachnes' webbings will leave Nathan at the vampiresses' mercy.
Note: Second stat listed is when encountered in the Battle Arena.
===Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow===
Arachnes are only found in the Study. They wait for Soma to approach and then shoot a barrage of needles at him. If he attacks quickly or gets too close, the Arachne will backdash away from him.
Gaining dominance over her soul grants Soma the Ensnaring Net ability, which allows him to shoot forth a spider web to ensnare enemies.
===Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia===
Arachnes are only encountered in Tristis Pass. They remain stationary until approached, at which point they will exclaim: "Looks delicious!", and proceed to attack. They do so by spewing little blobs that cause poisoning on contact, and can also jump backward to avoid attacks.
They drop Silk Thread, of which five are required to complete Monica's second quest: "Silkworm's Tragedy".
Upon death, an Arachne's abdomen will burst open and let out several spiderlings that will start crawling on the ground; these are harmless, however, and will be crushed if the player steps on them.
==Item Table==
==Gallery==
===Artworks===
Cv64-offart24.jpg|Arachne artwork posing as a human from Castlevania (N64).
Cv64-offart25.jpg|Arachne artwork from Castlevania (N64).
Lod-offart10.jpg|Queen Algenie (Queen Arachne) from Legacy of Darkness.
===Screenshots===
AoS 024.png|Arachne enemy list entry from Aria of Sorrow.
A Common Enemy in Evil - Nocturne - 68.png|Arachne-like night creature from the Nocturne animated series.
A Common Enemy in Evil - Nocturne - 69.png
Freedom Was Sweeter - Nocturne - 72.png
==Trivia==
*A hat called Arachne Hennin was introduced in Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin. Its description, however, appears to allege its creation to the mythological Arachne rather than the spider-like enemy.
==See also==
*Spider Man
Category:Animal-Type Enemies
Category:Female Monsters
Category:Greek Monsters
Category:Poison Enemies
Category:Aria of Sorrow Enemies
Category:Castlevania 64 Bosses
Category:Circle of the Moon Enemies
Category:Legacy of Darkness Bosses
Category:Order of Ecclesia Enemies