She was the goddess of science and practical arts, invented the loom, the plough, and taught mortals to break in horses. She was a prudent and restrained goddess, and although she was a warrior, she was never violently impetuous. However, like all gods, she punished mortals who dared to challenge her: when a young girl, Aracne, boasted that she could embroider better than her, Athena accepted the challenge, and at the end of the work she recognized that the young girl was as skilled as she was. Nevertheless, Athena changed her into a spider, i. e. the insect which weaves and re-weaves its poor cloth.
