Arachne
Sign in to saveArachne (; from , cognate with Latin ) is the protagonist of a tale in classical mythology known primarily from the version told by the Roman poet Ovid (43 BCE–17 CE). In Book Six of his epic poem Metamorphoses, Ovid recounts how the talented mortal Arachne challenged the goddess Minerva (the Roman equivalent of Athena) to a weaving contest. When Minerva could find no flaws in the tapestry Arachne had woven for the contest, the goddess became enraged and beat the girl with her shuttle. After Arachne hanged herself out of shame, she was transformed into a spider. The myth both provide
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Arachne is a figure from classical mythology whose story, primarily known through the Roman poet Ovid's *Metamorphoses*, tells of a mortal woman who challenged the goddess Minerva to a weaving contest and was transformed into a spider as punishment. The myth illustrates themes of hubris and divine retribution, as Minerva's rage at Arachne's skill and presumption leads to the girl's tragic fate.
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Key facts
- Deity.type
- Greek
- Deity.name
- Arachne
- Deity.image
- René-Antoine Houasse - Minerve et Arachne (Versailles).jpg
- Deity.caption
- Minerva and Arachne, by René-Antoine Houasse, 1706.
- Deity.father
- Idmon
- Deity.children
- Closter
- Deity.abode
- Lydia or Attica
- Deity.siblings
- Phalanx (brother)
via Wikipedia infobox
Article
14 sectionsContents
- Biography
- Mythology
- Ovid
- The tapestries
- Other attestations
- Influence
- Gallery
- See also
- Footnotes
- References
- Bibliography
- Primary sources
- Secondary sources
- Further reading
Arachne (; from , cognate with Latin ) is the protagonist of a tale in classical mythology known primarily from the version told by the Roman poet Ovid (43 BCE–17 CE). In Book Six of his epic poem Metamorphoses, Ovid recounts how the talented mortal Arachne challenged the goddess Minerva (the Roman equivalent of Athena) to a weaving contest. When Minerva could find no flaws in the tapestry Arachne had woven for the contest, the goddess became enraged and beat the girl with her shuttle. After Arachne hanged herself out of shame, she was transformed into a spider. The myth both provided an etiology of spiders' web-spinning abilities and was a cautionary tale about hubris.
== Biography == According to the myth as recounted by Ovid, Arachne was a Lydian maiden who was the daughter of Idmon of Colophon, who was a famous dyer in purple. She was credited to have invented linen cloth and nets, while her son Closter introduced the use of the spindle in the manufacture of wool. She was said to have been a native of Hypaepa, near Colophon in Asia Minor.
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Categories
Characters in Roman mythologyDeeds of AthenaHubris mythsMetamorphoses charactersMetamorphoses into arthropods in Greek mythologyMythological people from AnatoliaMythological people from AtticaMythological people involved in incestMythological spidersSuicides by hangingSuicides in Greek mythologyTextiles in Greek mythology