Myth of Arachne, the spider woman - Greeka.com Discover the myth of Arachne, the spider woman The offence to the gods Arachne in Greek mythology, was a Lydian woman, thought by some to be a princess, who was highly gifted in the art of weaving. Born to Idmon, a famous dyer in Lydia, Arachne was no ordinary weaver and the very act of her weaving was sheer magic and a sight to behold. Soon news of Arachne's artistry spread far and wide and it is said that nymphs from the forests left their frolicking and gathered around Arachne to watch her weave. So moved were they by her skills that they remarked that she surely must have been trained by none other than Goddess Athena, the goddess of weaving. The weaving contest All this adulation was more than Arachne could handle and being an ordinary mortal who was quite vulnerable to human failings, she became quite arrogant about her superior skills. She was annoyed at being regarded as a pupil of Athena and began bragging about her skills, proclaiming herself to be far more superior to even Athena.

Now, when the goddess of weaving heard of Arachne's bold claims, she was upset, but nonetheless decided to give the young woman a chance to regret her folly. Disguised as an old woman, Athena appeared before Arachne and warned her of the consequences of provoking the wrath of the gods, but Arachne was not a bit remorseful and challenged Athena to a contest, declaring that if she lost, she would accept any punishment that Athena would decide for her. That time Athena revealed her true form and accepted the challenge. The stage was set for a battle in which a god and a mortal pitted their artistic skills to decide who the better artist was. The nymphs who had come to watch Arachne weave shrank back, horrified at Arachne's audacity, but Arachne was unshakable and stood her ground. And so the contest began, Athena at her loom and Arachne at hers, each working with threads of gold and a splendid array of colors to decide who would outdo the other in this ultimate trial. What unfolded next was a feast for the eye. Athena created a tapestry replete with scenes from the history of the gods.

She portrayed Zeus at the center of the Olympic pantheon as well as her own contest with Poseidon and her victory, which ultimately made the people of Athens name their city after her. At the corner of her tapestry, she artfully depicted humans who had dared to defy the gods and who had been punished without a trace of mercy. As for Arachne, she deliberately chose scenes that depicted the infidelities and amours of the gods. She vividly portrayed Zeus and his string of indiscretions. She showed how Zeus had turned into a swan to rape the Spartan queen Leda; a bull to entice Europa; an eagle to abduct Aegina; as a shower of gold to seduce Danae; and as a satyr to seduce Antiope. Arachne's work of art, according to the Latin narrative, featured twenty-one scenes of the various misdemeanors of the mighty gods, including Poseidon, Apollo, Dionysus and others. The transformation into a spider Although Arachne had shown little respect for the gods by choosing a subject that made a mockery of the supreme deities of the Olympus, even Athena had to admit that her work was brilliant and flawless.

That, however, was not enough to calm down Athena who was incensed by Arachne's humiliating portrayal of the gods. At last, Athena destroyed in anger Arachne's tapestry and loom. Arachne, like many other foolish mortals, had dared to question the supremacy of the gods. She had, in her arrogance over her art, been blind to the consequences of challenging the gods. Still in anger, Athens transformed Arachne into a disgusting insect. She turned her into a spider ("arachni" in Greek), proclaiming that Arachne and all her descendants would henceforth hang forever from threads and be skillful weavers. An interesting fact that relates myth to history is that the art of weaving is said to have originated in Anatolia, a part of modern Turkey and spiders have been a constant source of inspiration for man to perfect his weaving skill. The story of Arachne from Greek myhology has also been immortalized by science and the taxonomical class name for spiders is Arachnida. Share it! Athena or Minerva: Goddess of Wisdom Athena or Minerva: Goddess of Wisdom Athena was the Greek goddess of wisdom, battle, craftsmanship, and justice.

Her Roman name was Minerva, and she was also called Pallas Athene. The owl, olive tree, snake, and rooster were her symbols. She owned the aegis, which is a shield engraved with a picture of Medusa (a Gorgon so ugly that anyone who looked at her was turned to stone). This shield did not turn people to stone, but it did paralyze her opponents with fear. Nike, the goddess of victory, often accompanied her into battle. The Birth of Athena Athena was the child of Metis (the original goddess of wisdom) and Zeus (the king of the gods as well as the god of storms and the sky). Zeus swallowed Metis while she was pregnant with Athena because there was a prophecy that said if Metis bore him a son, that son would overthrow him. Since Metis was immortal she gave birth to Athena inside Zeus. Zeus began to get terrible headache. To get rid of the headaches Hephaestus (the god of the forge) chopped his head open. Athena popped from Zeus's head wearing full battle armor. At first, Zeus was afraid. He thought she was his son, but his fears were assuaged when he found Athena was female.

She later became one of his favorite children. Athena and Her Friend, Pallas Athena is sometimes called Pallas Athene because she had a mortal friend named Pallas whom she liked very much. The two girls were wrestling one day and Athena had the upper hand. Athena, not knowing her own strength, accidentally killed Pallas. When she realized what she had done, Athena was grieved. She told everyone to call her Pallas Athene in memory of her friend. She also made a statue of Pallas, which was called the Palladium. It was stored on Mount Olympus until Electra, a young woman with whom Zeus was in love, took refuge from Zeus on it. In a fit of rage, Zeus threw both Electra and the Palladium off Mount Olympus. The City of Athens Is Named Athena and Poseidon (the god of the sea) once competed for the naming of Athens. Poseidon struck a stone with his trident, and a saltwater spring gushed forth. Athena touched a stone, and an olive tree sprung up. The people of Athens liked Athena's gift better, so they named their city for her. In a fit of rage, Poseidon flooded the area around Athens.

As his anger abated he let the waters recede. He was thought, ever after, to hold a grudge against Athena. For example, he once kissed his lover in Athena's temple, which was disrespectful. Athena turned Poseidon's friend into Medusa in revenge. The only thing on which they ever cooperated was the chariot. Athena invented it, and Poseidon made horses to make it work. Athena and Hephaestus Athena had grey eyes and was a virgin. She was divinely beautiful. Once Aphrodite (the goddess of love) made Hephaestus fall in love with Athena. Aphrodite did this because, although Hephaestus was her husband, she did not like him. (She was having a lasting affair with Ares.) She was mad at Hephaestus because he had caught her and Ares together. Athena easily repulsed Hephaestus, and designed her escape so that he had a child with Gaia (Mother Earth) instead. Though Athena was very wise, she was also vain. For example, she discarded the flute, which she invented, because she thought it made her look ugly.

Arachne Athena once had a weaving contest with Arachne, a young woman who was very proud of her skill with the loom. Arachne boasted she could weave better than Athena. Athena heard this and offered to compete with her. Arachne was afraid, but did not back down. At first, Athena used the sky as her loom, but then she took pity on Arachne and used a normal loom instead. Arachne wove pictures of Zeus's infidelities, and Athena wove a picture of the contest between herself and Poseidon. Arachne's work was wonderful, but Athena's work was better. When Arachne saw this, she tried to hang herself in her loom, but Athena stopped her and turned her into a spider. Athena and the Trojan War One day, when Hera (the goddess of marriage) , Aphrodite , and Athena were attending a wedding, Eris (the goddess of discord) threw and apple among them that was inscribed, "for the fairest". Hera, Aphrodite, and Athena argued about who would get the apple all the way back to Mount Olympus where they asked Zeus to judge.

Zeus did not want to get involved so he told them to ask Paris (the son of King Priam of Troy) to resolve the quarrel. Paris did not want to get involved either, but Zeus forced him. Each of the goddesses attempted to bribe him; so it was more choosing what he wanted most than deciding who was the most beautiful. Hera offered to make him the ruler of the most powerful kingdom in the world, Athena offered to make him an invincible hero on the battlefield, and Aphrodite offered him the love of the most beautiful woman on Earth. Paris chose Aphrodite. The most beautiful woman on Earth was Helen, who was married to a king in Greece (the King of Sparta). When he got the chance, Paris abducted Helen and refused to give her up, which started the Trojan War. Athena was not happy with Paris for picking Aphrodite over her; so she took the side of the Greeks. Athena attacked Ares (the god of war) during a battle in the Trojan War because she was angry with him for breaking his word. He had promised herself and Hera that he would fight on the Greek side. She threw a stone at him and wounded him.

When Aphrodite ran to his side, Athena punched her, more from spite over her winning the golden apple than for protecting Ares. Athena gave Odysseus (a really smart mortal who was one of her favorite Greeks) the idea of the Trojan horse, but lesser Ajax repaid her kindness by raping the seer Cassandra in Athena's temple when the Greeks conquered Troy. When Athena learned of this, she asked Poseidon to create storms for the Greeks while they sailed home. For once, Poseidon obliged. Weirdly, Athena punished lesser Ajax's town for centuries after he died, but lesser Ajax did not himself suffer for his deed. Athena in Modern Times Though Athena did not get a planet named for her, her name is commonly used in fiction. For example, Minerva McGonagall in the Harry Potter books is named after the Roman version of Athena. Athena is nearly always fully dressed in Greek art, which is rather unusual compared to depictions of the other immortals. Her festival is called the Panathena. Written by Kate Rayment Athena: Greek Goddess of Wisdom Athena Goddess of Wisdom Birth Athena was the daughter of Zeus and Metis .

But there was a problem, Zeus checked up on Metis and found out that if he had a son by her this son would be mightier than him (you know, the same way he was greater than his daddy and his daddy was greater than his grandpa). So he tricked Metis and ended up swallowing her when she turned into a fly and figured she was no longer a threat. However, Metis was pregnant with Athena and when Athena was born, this turned into quite a problem. Soon Zeus was plagued with killer headaches and he ran to Hephaestus (Smith God) and begged him to open his head. Hephaestus did as he was told, and out popped Athena, full grown and ready for battle! Other versions peg her father as Pallas (who later attempted to ravage her and she killed him without hesitation and took his name and skin). Some say her daddy was Itonus, a King of Iton. Some say her biological father was Poseidon, but that she begged to be adopted by Zeus. No matter what the story is, she never has a real mother. Athena's birth "is a desperate theological expedient to rid her of matriarchal conditions" says J. E.

Harrison. She was the Goddess of Wisdom, and the daughter of the Titaness who basically personified it. By having her born only from Zeus, it gave males authority and power over something that had previously only been a female realm. Zeus swallowed Metis, and so was able to assimilate her crafty wisdom. Athena did not have any loyalty to a mother figure, which probably played a major role in her self-description as misogynist . Realm Athena was, as I said earlier, the Goddess of more things than I can shake a stick at. But they can be pretty easily summarized into three things. She was the Goddess of Wisdom, Goddess of Military Victory (war with good tactics and winning strategies, not just fighting, like Ares), and Goddess of Crafts. I need to elaborate a little more on that last one, just so you can understand her coolness. Athena invented the flute, the trumpet, the earthenware pot, the plough, the rake, the ox-yoke, the horse-bridle, the chariot, and the ship. Now that's just the "guy" stuff.

She was also the first teacher of the science of numbers, and all women's arts: weaving, cooking, and spinning. If you are looking through paintings and you think you might have found something that is Athena, here is some of her iconography: the aegis (shield/fringed cloak, sometimes with the head of Medusa on it), a shield (again, sometimes with the head of Medusa), bronze armor, a helmet (this is very common), and a spear (also very common). Athena was also one of the three Virgin Goddesses on Olympus, something you might want to read more about . The Naming of Athens I am telling this story here (briefly) because it is important to Athena (I think), but there is a much better version of this, for your reading pleasure, in the Myth Pages . So! Wayyyyyy back in the day the city of Athens belonged to Poseidon. He had claimed it by coming in, striking a rock with his trident and establishing a spring. But the spring only gushed salt water, and so it wasn't very useful, even if it was kind of pretty.

Many years later, during the reign of Cecrops (a half-snake dude who was the king there), Athena came in and planted an olive tree, thus claiming the land for herself. Poseidon was totally pissed off, and challenged Athena to mortal combat (he would have got his ass kicked) and Athena was about to accept except that Zeus stepped in and stopped them (he probably didn't want Poseidon killed). Instead they went before the Gods with Cecrops presenting the evidence. The Gods voted. All the males voted for Poseidon and all the Goddesses voted for Athena, except for Zeus - who refused to give his opinion. Therefore, Athena won the decision by one vote. Poseidon was pissed, and - like the stupid boy he was - threw a temper tantrum and flooded another one of Athena's cities (called Athenae on the Thriasian Plain). So Athena moved to Athens, took residence there and named that city after herself too. But, to help Poseidon's ego, the women of Athens were deprived of their vote, and men were no longer to carry their mothers' names. Love and Kids and Virginity Athena was loved by most everyone, and was a very loving person herself.

But she loved everyone in the filial sense (like a sister), and was completely uninterested in sex. There were tons of Gods who would have given their eyes to marry her, but she was completely disgusted by the idea. Once, during the Trojan War, Athena had to ask Hephaestus to make her a set of armor and weapons. She offered to pay him, but Hephaestus insisted that his only payment would be love. She completely missed the sexual innuendo and agreed. When she came to Hephaestus' smithy to pick up her stuff, he came at her and tried to ravage her. Obviously that didn't happen. Don't think to badly of Hephaestus though, it really wasn't all his fault. Poseidon had played a joke on him and told him that Athena was on her way to the smithy hoping to make violent love to him. Athena totally ran away from the unfortunate Hephaestus, but she didn't move quite fast enough and he ejaculated on her leg. Athena was completely grossed out, and wiped it off with a piece of wool that she then dropped on the Earth.

That would be Gaia , and she was fertilized by the semen on the wool. Gaia was revolted at the very idea of it, and so she refused to bring the child up. Athena was fine with this and decided to bring the kid, who she named Erichthonius ("Earth-born"), up herself. There is more to this story (involving love, suicide, and people getting turned into stone), but if you want to know it, you better check it out in the Myth Pages. Unfortunately it is not there yet, so you're just gonna have to wait. Kindness and Temper In general, Athena was a really nice goddess. She was very modest, like Artemis , but much more generous. Athena, like Artemis, was surprised by an enraptured onlooker while bathing, but she didn't kill him or transform him or rip him to shreds or anything. She laid her hands over his eyes and blinded him, but gave him inward sight and the ability to understand the birds' signs to tell the future. As a result, Teiresias (that was his name) was highly respected and revered from then on. So that wasn't bad at all.

Athena was, as I said, generally cool. But every once in a while she got all pissy (as gods tend to get) and lashed out. Once, was a rather minor incident when she invented this double stemmed flute. She was really excited about it, and went around playing it everywhere. That is, until someone happened to mention that she looked absolutely ridiculous with her cheeks puffed out like that to play. She was furious and threw the flute onto the ground where it was picked up by Marsyas , but that's another story. The one time Athena really lost it for something petty was in the story of Arachne, and that story isn't even really Greek. Arachne was this Lydian princess who was a fabulous weaver. She was so good that people said she was better than Athena. Athena heard and was all like, "Excuuuuuuse me? Please girl, I was weaving before humans existed," and challenged Arachne to a weave-off. They both made beautiful tapestries, and both were completely flawless, except Arachne's made fun of the Gods.

Athena was bitter and very pissed and ripped Arachne's work to shreds in a cold, vengeful rage. Arachne totally didn't mean to upset her heroine and hung herself, but Athena remembered herself, and saved the girl by turning her into a spider and giving her the ability to weave forever. In a variation on the same theme, Servius reports that Athena loved this Attic chick, but the girl (Myrmex) went out and betrayed Athena's trust by claiming to have invented the plow herself, when it was really Athena. See, if they were both mortal, there would have been all this drama, someone would have gone home crying ... but Athena just turned the girl into an ant for being so presumptuous and that was the end of that. Names and Stories Athena is often referred to in mythology, but if you don't know her names, sometimes these references can be hard to catch. She is often called Pallas, or Pallas Athene. This name comes from a childhood friend she had, a nymph, who she accidentally killed when they were having a mock battle. Athena was distraught and carried her friend's name with her forever more. The name, Pallas, means Maiden.

And as Athena is often referred to in this form - which can refer to her Virginity, her Youthful Strength, or her Independence - you should definitely know what it means. Often you will find references to her as "gray-eyed", a reference which seems linked only to Athena and may have something to do with her wisdom. There is one weird reference by Pausanias about Athena having blue eyes. That comes from a Libyan story that Athena was the daughter of Poseidon and Lake Tritonis, and because of that has blue eyes like her father. But this story is not generally accepted, and you aren't going to find a blue-eyed Athena anywhere except on one statue next to a specific Temple of Hephaestus, so don't worry about it. Sometimes she is called "bright-eyed" but that is common to all Gods. In Cylarabes there is an Athena called Pania. This name, I am guessing, comes from her discovery of the flute. In Athens they called her Athena Ergane (Worker) and were very devoted to her because of her crafts. The story of her patronship of Athens is really cool, and I told it above .

She was called Athena Aethyia (Gannet, a type of bird), and I don't know why yet, but there was a Rock dedicated to this where the hero Pandion died. Tritogeneia was another name of Athena's. It could have come from three different sources. Geneia means "born" in Greek, and so it could be a reference to the idea that Athena was born from the Lake Tritonis. It also could have been from tritô, the Aeolian word for "head", therefore "head-born" - which would make a lot of sense. The other idea is that the trito was from the root meaning "three" and that she was the third child (she was the third Olympian daughter of Zeus after Artemis and Apollo). Okay - there are SO many epithets of Athena that I don't have room or patience to discuss all of them in detail, but here's a list I copied directly out of Robert E.

Bell's Women of Classical Mythology: A Biographical Dictionary (BUY IT!): Acraea, Aethyia, Ageleia, Agoraea, Alalcomeneis, Alcimache, Alcis, Alea, Amublia, Anemotis, Apaturia, Areia, Asia, Assesia, Axiopoenos, Boulaia, Budeia, Chalinitis, Chryse, Cleidouchos, Colocasia, Coryphasia, Cydonia, Ergane, Glaucopis, Hellotia, Hippia, Hippolatis, Hygieia, Iasonia, Itonia, Laosos, Laphria, Larissaea, Lindia, Longatos, Magarsia, Munychia, Narcaea, Nedusia, Nice, Onca, Ophthalmitis, Optiletis, Oxydercis, Paeonia, Pallas, Pallenis, Panachaea, Pareia, Parthenos, Phrygia, Polias, Poliuchos, Polyboulos, Promachorma, Pronaea, Pylaitis, Saitis, Salpinx, Sc

iras, Soteira, Telchinia, Triton, Xenia, Zosteria.

Arachne (Greek mythology) - Credo Reference Topic Page: Arachne (Greek mythology) Definition: Arachne from The Hutchinson Unabridged Encyclopedia with Atlas and Weather Guide In Greek mythology, a Lydian woman who was so skilful a weaver that she challenged the goddess Athena to a contest. Athena tore Arachne's beautiful tapestries to pieces and Arachne hanged herself. She was transformed into a spider, and her weaving became a cobweb. Summary Article: ARACHNE from Gods, Goddesses, and Mythology Image from: Arachne, from the 12th canto of Dante's "Purgatory" in The Bridgeman Art Library Archive The story of Arachne, a woman turned into a spider by the goddess Athena, was a warning to ancient Greeks to respect their deities. Arachne was the daughter of Idmon, who in some accounts was an aristocrat, in others a dyer. They lived in the ancient Greek city of Colophon in Lydia (part of modern Turkey). The region was famous for its textiles, and Arachne grew up to be a superb weaver of tapestries.

She resented any suggestions that she owed her talents to Athena, the goddess of weavers. Arachne's arrogance so displeased Athena that the goddess disguised herself as an old woman and warned the girl to recognize Athena's superiority. Arachne refused to do so, however, and told the crone that she would challenge Athena to a weaving contest. On hearing this, Athena revealed herself to Arachne, and the two immediately set to work on different tapestries. Athena's embroidery pictured her own triumphant exploits and detailed the fates of other mortals who had dared to challenge the gods. Arachne's work satirized the gods, in particular the lust for mortal women displayed by Poseidon, Apollo, Dionysus, and most of all by Zeus, who often deceived his victims before seducing them. Angered by Arachne's temerity as well as her skill, Athena touched the girl's forehead, causing her to feel such guilt that she hanged herself. Shocked by this turn of events, Athena sprinkled aconite (another name for the highly poisonous monkshood plant) on Arachne's body, transforming her into a spider.

Arachne in art Two of the 100 surviving works by Diego Velázquez (1599–1660) show the Spanish painter's fascination with the legend of Arachne. One is a portrait of the woman herself. The other, dated 1657–1658, is entitled Las Hilanderas ("The Women Weavers") in Spanish and The Fable of Arachne in English. The foreground of this fascinating canvas depicts Arachne in the process of weaving her fatal tapestry. This part of the painting is a partial copy of an earlier masterpiece, The Rape of Europa by Titian (c. 1489–1576). The women with Arachne in the foreground are mysterious and unidentified; in the background, Athena is wearing an armored helmet—a reminder that she was the goddess of war, as well as of the arts. Velázquez's masterpiece now hangs in the Prado Museum in Madrid, Spain. This detail from a painting by Diego Velázquez shows Arachne busily weaving the tapestry that will cost her life.

Sources and interpretations The best-known source for the myth of Arachne was written by Roman poet Ovid (43 BCE–17 CE) in his Metamorphoses, a work that contains numerous different accounts of mythical characters whose lives were transformed by the gods. In Ovid's version it is clear that Arachne's problem was one of pride or hubris, an exaggerated belief in one's own abilities. Yet in other versions the theme is more one of Athena's envy of a mortal whose skills are at least comparable with—and possibly even greater than—her own. In one version of the legend, Athena became so jealous of Arachne's tapestry that she tore it in two, causing Arachne to hang herself in terror. The Arachne myth can be interpreted on a variety of levels. It is a story of the dangers of pride or envy, but also of the consequences of failing to respect the gods. It also attempts to explain a natural phenomenon—spiders' ability to weave their webs. After her transformation, Arachne hid from Athena by weaving the rope on which she hanged herself into an intricate web.

Finally, the story can be interpreted in the light of economic rivalry between the city of Athens and the region of Lydia. Historical and archaeological evidence suggests that, in the second millennium BCE, Lydia was the largest exporter of dyed woolen cloth in the Mediterranean. In this reading of the story, Athena is Athens, while Arachne symbolizes her native Lydia. See also: ANIMALS; APOLLO; ATHENA; DIONYSUS; GREECE; POSEIDON; ZEUS. Further reading Howatson, M. C. The Oxford Companion to Classical Literature. New York: Oxford University Press, 2005. Ovid, and A. D. Melville, trans. Metamorphoses. New York: Oxford University Press, 2008. Citation Greek Stories about Athena-Athena, Arachne and the Weaving Contest Athena, Arachne and the Weaving Contest Athena, Arachne and the Weaving Contest In a small town of Ledia, in Northern Greece, there once lived a beautiful maid with the name Arachne.

Arachne was famous in town for being a very skillful weaver and spinner and every day many girls and nymphs were stopping by to see her weave. However, Arachne was a very vain girl and couldnât stop boasting about her talent. She claimed that she had learned the skill all by herself and that there was no one else in the world who could weave as delicately as her... she even felt that she could compete against Athena , the goddess of skill, and win her with ease. When Athena heard these words, she got disappointed and decided to disguise as an old lady and appear in front of Arachne. "My dear", she told Arachne, "I am old and have much life experience, so let me give you one advice: donâ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 donâ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.

On her sight, everybody in the room kneeled down in awe- not so Arachne, who couldn't wait to compete against her. Soon the competition started and both contestants were doing really well. Athena was weaving the Parthenon and her contest with god Poseidon. Arachne, on the other hand, was making fun of the gods by weaving scenes of gods full of weaknesses and fears. Arachneâs work seemed to be perfect technically, yet it was not beautiful because it was showing disregard of the gods. When Athena saw this, she became very offended and told Arachne: "You may be foolish and stubborn, but you seem to love your work. So go ahead now and spin forever!" Immediately, Athena sprinkled her with the juice of magical herbs and the body of Arachne transformed into a small and ugly animal, which is known as the spider nowadays . Since then, the spider is cursed to be trapped inside her own web, weaving constantly and endlessly... but having finally all her works destroyed by humans! This story proves that the Greek gods and goddesses were subject to human emotion. Search Spiders in Greece - Should You Be Worried? Spiders in Greece - Should You Be Worried?

Recent Blog Posts Spiders in Greece - Should You Be Worried? There’s possibly a Greek myth to explain just about everything and spiders are no exception. The supposed origin of the spider comes from Greek mythology and the story of Arachne, from whom we get the class of creatures the Arachnids. Arachne was a simple peasant girl but believed her weaving skills were the better of Athena who was the goddess of weaving and is said to have invented the loom. She presented Athena with a cloak and boastfully said she doubted Athena had anything as fine. Athena managed to control her anger after threatening to kill the girl and suggested a competition. Each was to weave a quilt and the town would vote on which was the best. Unsurprisingly, with her influence over frightened townsfolk, Athena won but decided that instead of killing the girl she would turn her into a spider so she could continue her weaving yet not be a threat to Athena. We’re not sure which species Arachne became but with her brazen confidence it’s likely to be one of the few venomous spiders in Greece. Which of the following do you think descended from the talented, brave but ultimately foolish Arachne?

The Black Widow – Latrodectus Mactans You may think that this is a spider of America and you’d be surprised to hear that it’s one of two species, the other being the wolf spider, that are the most geographically widespread across the globe. Known in Greece as the katipo, it’s reasonably large with a body growing up to about 1.5cm and instantly recognised by the red or orange hourglass shape on its abdomen. It’s the kind of spider you’ll find where you’d expect to find them; in sheds, under floors, in garages etc. but generally shies away from people unless protecting its eggs. Dispelling the myth, females rarely eat the male after mating – only in times of food scarcity although the myth and the name may have come from the fact that all males die shortly after mating having become biologically unnecessary after transferring their sperm. Being bitten by one is manifested by a pinprick feeling which develops into intense pain shortly after. The pain is likely to spread and be accompanied by fever, shivering, a swinging variance in salivation, swollen eyelids, changed cardiac patterns and rigidity in the muscles, especially in the abdomen.

Fewer than 5% of those bitten die and they are usually the elderly, the very young or those with health problems. The Mediterranean Widow Spider - Latrodectus tredecimguttatus This is a beautiful and instantly recognisable spider with distinctive orange markings on its abdomen. It’s bigger than the Black Widow and shares the same characteristics and habitat. Symptoms of a bite include delayed intense pain, severely watering eyes, sweating, muscle spasm, breathing difficulties and irregular heart rate, nausea and vomiting. As with the Black Widow, deaths are under 5% of those bitten and again it’s usually the weak who succumb. Locally it’s known as roka. The Mediterranean Recluse Spider - Loxosceles rufescens This is better known as the violin spider on account of the violin shaped marking on its back. It is also known rather boringly as the Brown Spider. Quite non-descript in appearance, it can easily be mistaken for common garden spiders but packs a far nastier bite. It has a cousin; the Recluse Spider which is equally dangerous but confined to the USA.

For the concerned, you’ll be pleased to hear it only makes a web for the protection of its eggs and is a wandering hunter, usually at night. It shies away from humans and large animals and there are few documented cases of bites and no fatalities recorded despite its cocktail of cyto, haemo and neurotoxins injected into its prey. It grows up to 2cm in length so you can’t miss it despite its drab appearance. Greek Scorpion – Mesobuthus occitanus occitanus Whilst not a spider, it seems worthwhile to include this very nasty scorpion in our list. Up to three inches long and a sandy brown colour, it is often difficult to spot until it’s too late. The scorpion hunts insects and small lizards at night, and its poison causes localised swelling, intense pain, circulatory problems and in extreme cases shock and death. It has been reportedly responsible for many deaths with one attack accounting for five deaths out of 28 people bitten; a strike rate of around 16%. Consider yourself lucky though for the same scorpion inhabits North Africa where for some unknown reason its venom is many times more potent.

Precautions Common sense will see almost all visitors to Greece avoid the spiders and scorpions. Don’t go rooting around in stores or garages without gloves and long sleeves and avoid stretching out on the ground at night. If you are bitten, you should try to keep the limb as still as possible to prevent the venom spreading and swelling, secure in a sling / splint if that helps. Do not apply pressure or a bandage to the area / limb as this can encourage the venom to spread or restrict bloodflow. and seek medical advice immediately. In areas where the spiders and scorpions are prevalent, most doctors and many chemists will have an antidote or certainly medication to lessen the effects of the bite. For the arachnophobes, bear in mind that only a very small number of locals and even fewer tourists are bitten by these creatures each year and that only a very small percentage succumb to the bites. By following common sense, Greek spiders and scorpions will not trouble your sunshine break at all. So don't let the spiders put you off visiting and booking car hire in Greece with Rhino!

You may also be interested in; ATHENA MYTHS 4 WRATH - Greek Mythology Roman Name Minerva Perseus and Athena holding head of Medusa, Apulian red-figure krater C4th B.C., Museum of Fine Arts Boston ATHENA was the Olympian goddess of wisdom, war, heroism and crafts. This page contains tales of the goddess' wrath which was, for the most part, directed at those who had violated the sanctity of her shrines. The most famous of these stories include the curiosity of the Kekropides (Cecropides), the transformation and beheading of the Gorgon Medousa, and the shipwreck of Aias Oileïs (Oilean Ajax). (1) WRATH SACRILEGE AGRAULOS (Agraulus) A princess of Athens (southern Greece) who opened the secret box containing the infant Erikhthonios against the express orders of Athena, and proceeded to slander the virgin goddess. In anger, Athena caused the girl to become inflamed with jealousy over the wooing of her sister by the god Hermes. When she tried to obstruct him, he transformed Agraulos into a stone.

AIAS OÏLEUS (Oilean Ajax) A prince of Opuntian Lokris (central Greece) who raped the Trojan princess Kassandra within the goddess' holy precincts at the fall of Troy. To avenge herself upon Aias and the Greeks, who failed to punish him, Athena sent a storm to devastate their fleet. Aias was shipwrecked and drowned, while his people, the (historical) Opuntians, were compelled to appease the goddess for 1000 years with the despatch of sacrificial maidens to the Trojan land. [See Athena & the Trojan War: Shipwreck of Ajax ] AUGE A princess of Arkadia (southern Greece) and a priestess of Athena, who birthed her illegitimate son within the sacred precincts of the goddess. As punishment for the sacriligeous act, Athena made the land barren until the king had the girl exiled and sold into slavery. "CROW" A bird familiar of Athena, who angered the goddess either by revealing the secret of the baby Erikhthonios to the daughters of Kekrops, or by reporting to her as an overly keen tell-tale that the girls had opened the secret chest.

In either case the goddess punished him by turning his white feathers to black and banishing him from her company. IODAMA A priestess of Athena in Koroneia, Boiotia (central Greece) who was turned to stone when the goddess appeared before her wearing the Gorgoneion (Medousa's head) displayed upon her breast. Presumably the girl was so punished for some religious sacrilege. ILOS (Ilus) The first king of Troy (Asia Minor) who was blinded by Athena when he removed the Palladium from the burning shrine of the goddess. It was forbidden for a man to gaze upon the image. ISMENE A princess of Thebes in Boiotia (central Greece) who had intercourse with her lover in the sacred precinct of Athena. The goddess urged the hero Tydeus to slay her for this infraction. KEKROPS, DAUGHTERS OF (Cecrops' Daughters) Three princesses of Athens (southern Greece)--named Aglauros, Herse and Pandrosos--who were entrusted by Athena with a chest containing her foster-son, the infant Erikhthonios. She forbade them to open it, but they were overcome by curiousity and did so anyway.

As punishment for the sacrilege she drove them mad and they leapt to their deaths from the heights of the Akropolis. LOKROI (Locrians) The people of Opuntian Lokris (central Greece) were struck down by a deadly plague sent by Athena, as punishment for the desicration of her Trojan temple by their king Aias. An oracle declared that they must thenceforth despatch two maidens to Troy regularly for a thousand years in order to appease the goddess. MEDOUSA (Medusa) A beautiful nymph who Athena transformed into a hideous monster with serpents for hair. Some say it was because she had intercourse with Poseidon in the goddess' sacred precints, others that she had claimed to be more beautiful than the goddess. Athena also later assisted the hero Perseus in his quest to bring back the Gorgon's head. TEIRESIAS (Tiresias) A seer of Thebes in Boiotia (central Greece) who accidentally came across the goddess Athena bathing in a mountain stream. As punishment for seeing her naked she took away his sight, but in recompense also bestowed him with gifts, since his crime was not a deliberate one.

(2) WRATH HUBRISTIC BOASTS ARAKHNE (Arachne) A girl of Kolophon in Lydia (Asia Minor) who in her hubris dared challenge the weaving goddess to a contest of skill. She lost, and as punishment for her sacriligeous boasts and offensive portrayal of the gods in her art was transformed into a spider. MEROPIS A princess of the island of Kos (Greek Aegean) who Athena transformed into an owl as punishment for despising the gods and mocking the goddess for her grey eyes. (3) WRATH PATRON GODDESS ALKINOE (Alcinoe) A princess of Korinthos (southern Greece) who was cursed by Athena into betraying her own husband as punishment for refusing to pay a spinner named Nikandra the wages which were her due. (4) WRATH OTHER AIAS TELAMANIOS (Telamonian Ajax) A prince of the island of Salamis (southern Greece) who fought in the Trojan War. When he lost the contest for the Arms of Akhilleus to Odysseus, Athena drove him to madness when he threatened to slay some of the Greek leaders.

[See Athena & the Trojan War: Madness of Ajax ] HARMONIA A queen of Thebes in Boiotia (central Greece) who, at her weddding to King Kadmos was presented with a cursed necklace and robe by the gods Athena and Hephaistos. The two divinities cursed her as punishment for her mother Aphrodite's immoral behaviour: for Harmonia was the child born of the goddess' adulterous affair with Ares. LAOKOON (Laocoon) A priest of Poseidon at Troy (Asia Minor). When he would reveal the secret of the Trojan Horse to his comrades, Athena sent two giant serpents forth from the sea to destroy him and his sons. [See Athena & the Trojan War: Death of Laocoon ] TEUTHIS A prince of Arkadia (southern Greece) who in the course a quarrel with Agamemnon at Aulis, wounded Athena in the thigh with a spear. Teuthis was sent home, and the goddess then afflicted his people with a wasting disease until she was properly appeased.

CLASSICAL LITERATURE QUOTES ATHENA WRATH : THE CECROPIDES & THE CROW Gaea, birth of Erichthonius, and Athena, Athenian red-figure calyx krater C5th B.C., Virginia Museum of Fine Arts LOCALE : Athens, Attika (Southern Greece) For the PRELUDE to this story see Athena & the Birth of Erichthonius VERSION 1 Pseudo-Apollodorus, Bibliotheca 3. 14. 6 (trans. Frazer) (Greek mythographer C2nd A.D.) : "Athena brought him [Erikhthonios] up unknown to the other gods, wishing to make him immortal; and having put him in a chest, she committed it to Pandrosos, daughter of Kekrops, forbidding her to open the chest.

But the sisters of Pandrosos opened it out of curiosity, and beheld a serpent coiled about the babe; and, as some say, they were destroyed by the serpent, but according to others they were driven mad by reason of the anger of Athena and threw themselves down from the acropolis." Callimachus, Hecale Fragment 1.2 (from Papyri) (trans. Trypanis) (Greek poet C3rd B.C.) : "Pallas laid him [Erikhthonios], the ancient seed of Hephaistos within the chest, until she set a rock in Akte (attika) for the sons of Kekrops; a birth mysterious and secret, whose lineage I neither knew nor learnt, but they themselves [the daughters of Kekrops] declared, according to report among the primeval birds [the crows], that Gaia (earth) bare him to Hephaistos.

Then she [Athena], that she might lay a bulwark [the Akropolis] for the land which she had newly obtained by vote of Zeus and the twelve other immortals and the witness of the Snake [Kekrops], came unto Pellene in Akhaia [to fetch the rock]. Meanwhile the maidens that watched the chest bethought them to do an evil deed ((lacuna)) . . and undoing the fastings of the chest . . [rest of papyrus text missing]." Callimachus, Hecale Fragment 1.3 (from Papyri) : "We crows alone are rejected of the gods: for never did I vex they heart, O Lady [Athena] . . ((lacuna)) but I would that I had been voiceless then [i.e. reavealing the secret of Erikhthonios]. So much she abhors our voice and suffers not our race to call upon her name. Mayst thou never fall from her favour: ever grievous is the anger of Athene." Pausanias, Description of Greece 1. 18. 2 (trans.

Jones) (Greek travelogue C2nd A.D.) : "It was to Aglauros and her sisters, Herse and Pandrosos, that they say Athena gave Erikhthonios, whom she had hidden in a chest, forbidding them to pry curiously into what was entrusted to their charge. Pandrosos, they say, obeyed, but the other two (for they opened the chest) went mad when they saw Erikhthonios, and threw themselves down the steepest part of the Akropolis." Pseudo-Hyginus, Fabulae 166 (trans. Grant) (Roman mythographer C2nd A.D.) : "When Minerva [Athena] was secretly caring for him [the infant Erikhthonios], she gave him in a chest to Aglaurus, Pandrosus, and Herse, daughters of Cecrops, to guard. A crow gave the secret away when the girls opened the chest, and they, driven made by Minerva [Athena], threw themselves into the sea." Suidas s.v. Drakaulos (trans.

Suda On Line) (Byzantine Greek lexicon C10th A.D.) : "Drakaulos : Sophokles in Tympanistai uses the word. Since Athena seems to place the snake among them, for the daughters of Kekrops. Because they dwell in the same courtyard, as you would expect, as Kekrops, who is of double nature. Because one of them, spending the day with the goddess, dwells on the Akropolis with the Drakon." VERSION 2 Ovid, Metamorphoses 2. 550 ff (trans. Melville) (Roman epic C1st B.C. to C1st A.D.) : "To learn the latest news a garrulous Crow flapped quickly after him [Apollon's Raven], and when it heard his journey's aim, ‘To no good end,’ it said, ‘You make your way. Heed my prophetic tongue! See what I was, what I am now, and ask did I deserve it. Frank good faith you'll find was my undoing. Once upon a time a baby, Erichthonius, was born without a mother.

Pallas [Athena] hid the child safe in a box of wicker wood and gave the box to Cecrops' three unmarried daughters, with strict instructions not to pry inside. I hid among the delicate foliage of a large leafy elm and watched to see what they would do. Two, Pandrosos and Herse, impeccably observed their trust; but one, Aglauros, called them cowards and untied the fastenings, and there inside they saw the baby, and beside him stretched a Draco (Snake). I told the goddess. All the thanks I got was to be banished from Minerva's [Athenas] sight, reduced to rank below the bird of night [the owl]! My punishment might well warn birds to watch their tongues and take no risks. No doubt you think I pestered her, and not that she chose me: asks Pallas then herself! Of course she's angry, but not too angry to admit the truth . . . I [the crow] was given to Minerva [Athena], her companion without stain.

But what good was it, if Nyctimene, she who was made a bird [the owl] for her foul sin, supplants me in my place of privilege?’" Ovid, Metamorphoses 2. 748 ff : "She [Agraulos] looked at him [the god Hermes when he had come to woe her sister Herse] with those hard eyes that spied not long ago fair-haired Minerva's [Athena's] mystery [i.e. the baby Erikhthonios], and asked a golden fortune for her services, and pending payment forced him from the house. The warrior goddess [Athena] turned her angry eyes upon the girl and heaved a sigh so deep that breast and aegis shuddered. She recalled it was Aglauros whose profaning hand laid bare that secret when the oath she swore was broken [i.e.

opening the forbidden box] and she [Aglauros] saw the infant boy [Erikhthonios], great Lemnicola's [Hephaistos'] child, the babe no mother bore; and now she would find favour with the god and with her sister too, and grow so rich with all that gold her greed had planned to gain. Straighway she [Athena] sought the filthy slimy shack were Invidia (Envy) dwelt [and summoned her to lay her curse upon the girl] . . . Tritonia [Athena] filled with loathing, forced a few curt words : ‘Inject your pestilence in one of Cecrops' daughters; that I need; Aglauros is the one.’ . . . Into the room of Cecrops' child she [Invidia] went and did as she was bid. On the girl's breast she laid her withering hand [and infected her with jealous heart] . . .

She sat herself outside her sister's door to bar Cyllenius' [Hermes'] access [but was turned by the angry god into a stone]." ATHENA WRATH : MEDUSA Perseus, beheaded Medusa and Athena, Athenian red-figure hydria C5th B.C., British Museum LOCALE : Kisthene Island (perhaps in the Red Sea) I. METAMORPHOSIS Ovid, Metamorphoses 4. 790 ff (trans. Melville) (Roman epic C1st B.C. to C1st A.D.) : "Her [Medousa's] beauty was far-famed, the jealous hope of many a suitor, and of all her charms her hair was loveliest; so I was told by one who claimed to have seen her. She, it's said, was violated in Minerva's [Athena's] shrine by the Lord of the Sea (Rector Pelagi) [Poseidon]. Jove's [Zeus'] daughter [Athena] turned away and covered with her shield her virgin's eyes. And then for fitting punishment transformed the Gorgo's lovely hair to loathsome snakes.

Minerva [Athena] still, to strike her foes with dread, upon her breastplate wears the snakes she made." II. BEHEADING Pseudo-Apollodorus, Bibliotheca 2. 46 (trans. Aldrich) (Greek mythographer C2nd A.D.) : "It is affirmed by some that Medousa was beheaded because of Athena, for they say the Gorgon had been willing to be compared with Athena in beauty." Pseudo-Apollodorus, Bibliotheca 2. 37-41 : "Perseus took flight and made his way to the ocean, where he found the Gorgones sleeping . . . All who looked at them were turned to stone.

Perseus, therefore, with Athena guiding his hand, kept his eyes on the reflection in a bronze shield as he stood over the sleeping Gorgones, and when he saw the image of Medousa, he beheaded her." For MORE information on the Gorgon see MEDOUSA ATHENA WRATH : AUGE LOCALE : Tegea, Arkadia (Southern Greece) For the PRELUDE to this story see Athena Favour: Heracles' Spartan War Pseudo-Apollodorus, Bibliotheca 2. 146 (trans. Aldrich) (Greek mythographer C2nd A.D.) : "On his way past Tegea Herakles deflowered Auge, without realizing that she was the daughter of Aleus [his wartime ally]. She gave birth to her child secretly and placed it in the temenos of Athena. Since the land was being ravished by a pestilence [sent by the goddess], Aleus entered the temenos and there tracked down the evidence of his daughter's travail. He set the infant out for exposure on Mount Parthenon . . .

and gave Auge to Poseidon's son Nauplios to sell abroad [into slavery]." ATHENA WRATH : ARACHNE LOCALE : Kolophon, Lydia (Anatolia) Ovid, Metamorphoses 6. 1 ff (trans. Melville) (Roman epic C1st B.C. to C1st A.D.) : "Then to herself [Athena said]--‘To praise is not enough; I should have praise myself, not suffer my divinity to be despised unscathed.’ She had in mind Arachne's doom, the girl of Lydia, who in the arts of wool-craft claimed renown (so she had heard) to rival hers. The girl had no distinction in her place of birth or pedigree, only that special skill. Her father was Idmon Colophonius, whose trade it was to dye the thirsty wool with purple of Phocaea. She had lost her mother, but she too had been low-born and matched her husband. Yet in all the towns of Lydia Arachne's work had won a memorable name, although her home was humble and Hypaepae where she lived was humble too.

To watch her wondrous work the Nymphae would often leave their vine-clad slopes of Tmolus, often leave Pactolus' stream, delighted both to see the cloth she wove and watch her working too; such grace she had. Forming the raw wool first into a ball, or fingering the flock and drawing out again and yet again the fleecy cloud in long soft threads, or twirling with her thumb, her dainty thumb, the slender spindle, or embroidering the pattern--you would know Pallas [Athena] had trained her. Yet the girl denied it [all such gifts were god-given so her denial was blasphemous], a teacher so distinguished hurt her pride, and said, ‘Let her contend with me. Should I lose, there's no forfeit that I would not pay.’ Pallas [Athena] disguised herself as an old woman, a fringe of false grey hair around her brow, her tottering steps supported by a stick, and speaking to the girl, ‘Not everything that old age brings,’ she said, ‘we'd wish to avoid. With riper years we gain experience. Heed my advice.

Among the world of men seek for your wool-craft all the fame you will, but yield the goddess place, and humbly ask pardon for those rash words of yours; she'll give you pardon if you ask.’ With blazing eyes Arachne stared at her and left her work. She almost struck her; anger strong and clear glowed as she gave the goddess (in disguise) her answer : ‘You're too old, your brain has gone. You've lived too long, your years have done for you. Talk to your daughters, talk to your sons' wives! My own advice is all I need. Don't think your words have any weight. My mind's unchanged. Why doesn't Pallas come herself? Why should she hesitate to match herself with me?’ Then Pallas said, ‘She's come!’ and threw aside the old crone's guise and stood revealed. The Nymphae and Lydian women knelt in reverence. Only Arachne had no fear.

Yet she blushed all the same, a sudden colour tinged her cheeks against her will, then disappeared; so when Aurora [Eos] rises in the dawn, the eastern sky is red and, as the sun climbs, in a little while is pale again. She stood by her resolve, setting her heart, her stupid heart, on victory, and rushed to meet her fate. Nor did the child of Jove [Zeus] refuse or warn her further or postpone the contest. Then, with no delay, they both, standing apart, set up their separate looms and stretched the slender warp. The warp is tied to the wide cross-beam; a cane divides the threads; the pointed shuttles carry the woof through, sped by their fingers. When its through the warp, the comb's teeth, tapping, press it into place. Both work in haste, their dresses girdled tight below their breasts; the movements of their arms are skilled and sure; their zeal beguiles their toil. Here purple threads that Tyrian vats have dyed are woven in, and subtle delicate tints that change insensibly from shade to shade.

So when the sunshine strikes a shower of rain, the bow's huge arc will paint the whole wide sky, and countless different colours shine, yet each gradation dupes the gaze, the tints that touch so similar, the extremes so far distinct. Threads too of golden wire were woven in, and on the loom an ancient tale was traced [Athena depicted her contest with Poseidon for Athens] . . . Yet to provide examples to instruct her rival what reward she should expect for her insensate daring, she designed in each of the four corners four small scenes of contest, brightly coloured miniatures . . . That was the end, and she finished her picture with her own fair tree. Maeonis [Arakhne] shows [in her weaving the seduction of various mortals by gods in animal disguise] . . . Round the edge a narrow band of flowers she designed, flowers and clinging ivy intertwined. In all that work of hers Pallas could find, envy could find, no fault.

Incensed at such success the warrior goddess, golden-haired, tore up the tapestry, those crimes of heaven, and with the boxwood shuttle in her hand (box of citrus) three times, four times, struck Arachne on her forehead. The poor wretch, unable to endure it, bravely placed a noose around her neck; but, as she hung, Pallas in pity raised her. ‘Live!’ she said, ‘Yes, live but hang, you wicked girl, and know you'll rue the future too: that penalty your kin shall pay to all posterity!’ And as she turned to go, she sprinkled her with drugs of Hecate, and in a trice, touched by the bitter lotion, all her hair falls off and with it go her nose and ears. Her head shrinks tiny; her whole body's small; instead of legs slim fingers line her sides. The rest is belly; yet from that she sends a fine-spun thread and, as a spider, still weaving her web, pursues her former skill. All Lydia rang; the story raced abroad through Phrygia's towns and filled the world with talk." Virgil, Georgics 4. 246 ff (trans.

Fairclough) (Roman bucolic C1st B.C.) : "The spider, hateful to Minerva [Athena], hangs in the doorway her loose-woven nets." ATHENA WRATH : HARMONIA LOCALE : Thebes, Boiotia (Central Greece) Pseudo-Hyginus, Fabulae 148 (trans. Grant) (Roman mythographer C2nd A.D.) : "From their [Aphrodite and Ares' adulterous] embrace Harmonia was born, and to her Minerva [Athena] and Vulcanus [Hephaistos] gave a robe ‘dipped in crimes’ as a gift. Because of this, their descendants are clearly marked as ill-fated." ATHENA WRATH : TEUTHIS LOCALE : Aulis, Boiotia (Central Greece) & Teuthis, Arkadia (Southern Greece) Pausanias, Description of Greece 8. 28. 5-6 (trans. Jones) (Greek travelogue C2nd A.D.) : "Adjoining the land of Theisoa is a village called Teuthis [in Arkadia], which in old days was a town.

In the Trojan war the inhabitants supplied a general of their own. His name according to some was Teuthis, according to others Ornytos. When the Greeks failed to secure favorable winds to take them from Aulis, but were shut in for a long time by a violent gale, Teuthis quarrelled with Agamemnon and was about to lead the Arkadians under his command back home again. Whereupon, they say, Athena in the guise of Melas, the son of Ops, tried to turn Teuthis aside from his journey home. But Teuthis, his wrath swelling within him, struck with his spear the thigh of the goddess, and actually did lead his army back from Aulis. On his return to his native land the goddess appeared to him in a vision with a wound in her thigh. After this a wasting disease fell on Teuthis, and its people, alone of the Arkadians, suffered from famine. Later, oracles were delivered to them from Dodona, telling them what to do to appease the goddess, and in particular they had an image of Athena made with a wound in the thigh.

This image I have myself seen, with its thigh swathed in a purple bandage." ATHENA WRATH : ILUS LOCALE : Troy, the Troad (Anatolia) Pseudo-Plutarch, Greek and Roman Parallel Stories 17 (trans. Babbitt) (Greek historian C2nd A.D.) : "When the shrine of Athena in Ilion was in flames, Ilos [the first king of Troy] rushed up and seized the Palladion, a statue which had fallen from heaven, and was blinded: for the Palladion might not be looked upon by man. But later, when he had placated the goddess, he regained his sight. So says Derkyllos in the first book of his Foundations of Cities." For other MYTHS of the Palladium see: For the PRELUDE to this story see Athena & the Trojan War: Shipwreck of Ajax Pseudo-Apollodorus, Bibliotheca E6. 20-22 (trans. Aldrich) (Greek mythographer C2nd A.D.) : "Lokrian Aias, when he saw Kassandra clinging to the wooden statue of Athena, raped her . . .

Athena was enraged at . . . the impious act of Aias [and destroyed his ship] . . . The [rest of Aias'] Lokrians regained their own country with difficulty [after returning from the Trojan War], and three years afterwards, when Lokris was visited by a plague, they received an oracle bidding them to propitiate Athena at Ilion [Troy] and to send two maidens as suppliants for a thousand years. The lot first fell on Periboia and Kleopatra. And when they came to Troy they were chased by the natives and took refuge in the sanctuary. And they did not approach the goddess, but swept and sprinkled the sanctuary; and they did not go out of the temple, and their hair was cropped, and they wore single garments and no shoes. And when the first maidens died, they sent others; and they entered into the city by night, lest, being seen outside the precinct, they should be put to the sword; but afterwards they sent babes with their nurses. And when the thousand years were passed, after the Phokian war they ceased to send suppliants." Callimachus, Aetia Fragment 1.

8 (from Scholiast on Iliad 13. 66) (trans. Trypanis) (Greek poet C3rd B.C.) : "Athena compelled the Lokrians for a space of a thousand years to send to Ilios maidens selected by lot. The story in Callimachus Aitia 1." Callimachus, Aetia Fragment 2.1 (from Scholiast on Lycophron 1141) : "A plague having come on Lokris through the assault of Aias upon Kassandra, the god [Apollon] told them by an oracle that for a thousand years they must send maidens every year to Troy for Athena. When they arrived they were slain by the Trojans who met and stoned them. Any who escaped made their way secretly to the temple of Athena and became for the future her priestesses." Strabo, Geography 13. 1. 40 (trans. Jones) (Greek geographer C1st B.C.

to C1st A.D.) : "The present Ilians [Trojans] further tell us that the city was, in fact, not completely wiped out at its capture by the Akhaians and that it was never even deserted. At any rate the Lokrian maidens, beginning a little later, were sent every year. But this too is non-Homeric, for Homeros knows not of the violation of Kassandra . . . and yet he does not so much as mention any violation of her or say that the destruction of Aias in the shipwreck took place because of the wrath of Athena or any such cause . . . But the fact is that the Lokrian maidens were first sent when the Persians were already in power." Other sources not quoted here: Tzetzes on Lycrophon; Polybius xii.5; Scholiast on Homer's Iliad xiii.66; Iamblichus, De Pythagorica vita, viii.42; Suidas, s.v.

poinê; Servius on Virgil's Aeneid 1.41 ATHENA WRATH : IODAMA LOCALE : Koroneia, Phokis (Central Greece) Pausanias, Description of Greece 9. 34. 1 (trans. Jones) (Greek travelogue C2nd A.D.) : "Iodama, who served the goddess [Athena] as priestess [at the shrine of Koroneia in Phokis], entered the precinct by night, where there appeared to her Athena, upon whose tunic was worked the head of Medousa the Gorgon. When Iodama saw it, she was turned to stone. For this reason a woman puts fire every day on the altar of Iodama, and as she does this she thrice repeats in the Boiotian dialect that Iodama is living and asking for fire." ATHENA WRATH : ALCINOE LOCALE : Korinthos (Southern Greece) Parthenius, Love Romances 27 (trans.

Gaselee) (Greek poet C1st B.C.) : "From the Curses of Moero [of Byzantium, Greek poetess C3rd B.C.]: Alkinoe, so the story goes, was the daughter of Polybos of Korinthos and the wife of Amphilokhos the son of Dryas; by the wrath of Athene she became infatuated with a stranger from Samos, named Xanthos. This was the reason of her visitation: she had hired a woman named Nikandra to come and spin for her, but after she had worked for her for a year, she turned her out of her house without paying her the full wages she had promised, and Nikandra had earnestly prayed Athene to avenge her for the unjust withholding of her due. Thus afflicted, Alkinoe reached such a state that she left her home and the little children she had borne to Amphilokhos, and sailed away with Xanthos; but in the middle of the voyage she came to realise what she had done.

She straightway shed many tears, calling often, now upon her young husband and now upon her children, and though Xanthos did his best to comfort her, saying that he would make her his wife, she would not listen to him, but threw herself into the sea." SOURCES

Question: Whom did a jealous Athena turn into a spider?
Answer: Arachne