\cf4 \ATXht10131 Arachne\b0 \cf7 \ATXht0 was neither a nymph nor a queen, but an ordinary mortal girl who had e
arned great fame for her skill in the weaving of wool, an art that she must have learned directly from\cf0 \b \cf4 \ATXht6 Athena\b0 \cf7 \ATXht0 . But Arachne claimed otherwise, and even said that she could teach a thing or two to the goddess. So Athen
a appeared at her loom in the guise of an old woman and, smiling, advised her to be more prudent so as not to anger the goddess. The girl replied with harsh words and challenged Athena, wherever she might be, to compete with her in the use of the spindle
and needle. The goddess revealed herself and the contest began. Athena chose to represent the twelve gods of Olympus in all their glory and then, as a warning to the girl, added examples of the punishment of human pride in the four corners of the fabric
. Arachne, working with speed, wove a picture of the loves of the gods, depicting those unions which were not to their credit:\cf0 \b \cf4 \ATXht10516 Europa\b0 \cf0 \ATXht0 \cf7 deceived by \b \cf4 \ATXht8 Zeus\b0 \cf0 \ATXht0 \cf7 in the form of a b
ull,\cf0 \b \cf4 \ATXht11206 Leda\b0 \cf7 \ATXht0 lying beneath the wings of the swan, and\cf0 \b \cf4 \ATXht5 Poseidon\b0 \cf0 \ATXht0 \cf7 mounting his sister\cf0 \b \cf4 \ATXht11 Demeter\b0 \cf7 \ATXht0 in the guise of a stallion. Her work was s
o perfect that Athena, in rage, tore it to pieces and struck her rival with the shuttle. In humiliation and desperation, Arachne hung herself, but the goddess changed her into a spider so that she could go on living and weaving her thread.
