What was the curse of Athena to Arachne?
Athena wove a tapestry depicting the gods in majesty, while that of Arachne showed their amorous adventures. Enraged at the perfection of her rival’s work (or, alternatively, offended by its subject matter), Athena tore it to pieces, and in despair Arachne hanged herself.
Why did Athena turn Arachne into a spider?
Athena realised how skilled Arachne was, but wanted to teach her to be more humble and respect the gods. Touching Arachne’s forehead, the woman was filled with shame and hung herself. Athena brought her back to life and turned her into a spider, in order to let her weave all the time.
What does the myth of Arachne explain?
Everyone was amazed at her work and one day, Arachne boosted that she had a greater talent than goddess Athena herself. This was an offense towards the gods, which was a very serious and even deadly sin for the ancient Greeks. That is why goddess Athena transformed her into a spider to wave for all her life long.
Who won Arachne or Athena?
Athena
In great, terrifying anger, Athena tore the tapestry to pieces, smashed her loom, and beat Arachne three times, cursing her in front of everyone.
What is the main reason why Arachne was cursed?
Arachne’s weaving depicted ways that the gods, particularly Zeus, had misled and abused mortals, tricking, and seducing many women. When Athena saw that Arachne had not only insulted the gods but done so with a work far more beautiful than Athena’s own, she was enraged.
Why is Athena afraid of spiders?
Athena, in a fit of rage turned Arachne into a spider and ripped her tapestry before anybody saw it. From that point on, the children of Athena fear spiders because they worried that each spider was Arachne coming to take revenge on them.
What did Athena do to Arachne at the end of the story?
So Athena tore up Arachne’s beautiful work and struck her down. Arachne was so downcast by this, that she hanged herself. Athena was vindictive, and refused to give Arachne peace in death. So she turned the dead girl into a spider, so that she would be doomed to weave and spin for all time.
What’s the moral of Arachne?
What is the moral of the Arachne story? No matter how skilled people are, they are never any match for the gods. People need to remember their place, and not try to be stronger or wiser or smarter than the gods, or bad things will happen to them.
What was Athena afraid of?
Despite being the goddess of courage and the most powerful god’s daughter, Athena is afraid of being defeated. One day, Poseidon, the brother of Zeus and the sea god, challenged her. Athena’s uncle controlled all the oceans and wanted to obtain the earthly kingdoms, including Athens.
What is the moral of Arachne?
What is the moral of the Arachne story? No matter how skilled people are, they are never any match for the gods. People need to remember their place, and not try to be stronger or wiser or smarter than the gods, or bad things will happen to them. And good women, because that is their fate, should always be spinning.
What is Athena biggest fear?
As the goddess of wisdom and courage, Athena seems to fear no one and nothing. The story of her contest with Poseidon reveals her only fear and how it helped her win. She is afraid of losing a challenge.
Why was Arachne angry when people said she must have been taught by Athena?
Answer: Arachne thought that she was better weaver than Athena, the ‘goddess of weaving’, so Arachne angry when people said she must have been taught by Athena.
What did Arachne do wrong?
Who did Athena fall in love with?
In Greek mythology, the goddess Athena is immune to romantic love, so there is no particular lover for her. The goddess of love, Aphrodite, has power over all the goddesses and can lead them all to romantic love, though she has no power over Athena, Artemis, and Hestia, who are all virgin goddesses.
How did Athena get pregnant?
Hephaistos had a strong desire for Athena, but as a virgin goddess she ran away from him. He was not able to catch her – but he ejaculated and the seed fell on her leg. She wiped it away with a piece of wool and the seed fell on Gaia, the Earth, making her pregnant.
How are both Arachne and Athena corrupted by power?
In the context of the text, how are both Arachne and Athena corrupted by power? 1. Arachne thought she was a better weaver than even the Gods and looked down on anyone who disagreed. Athena was a Goddess who used her powers to turn Arachne into a spider because Arachne made her mad.
Who is Athena in love with?
Did Athena slept with Zeus?
Zeus not only has sexual relations with a number of female divinities and female mortals, but in at least two instances—those of Dionysos and of Athena—he actually gives birth!
Why is Athena a virgin?
Althought Athena is a virgin goddess, she mothered the god Erichthonios by Hephaestus. According to myth, she went to Hephaestus wanting some weapons forged. When Hephaestus tried to rape her, she protected her virginity and he ejaculated on her leg.
Who is Athena’s wife?
Athena never married. She raised Erichthonius, the son of Gaia and Hephaestus. Parents: Athena’s parents are Zeus, the King of the Gods and god of the sky, and Metis, a sea nymph.