By: Alexis VanFleet, Curtis Barbacci, & Shelby Foster

Upon hearing this, Athena disguised herself as an old woman and went to Arachne to allow her a

chance for redemption. She told Arachne that you must never anger the gods, and a human’s work

never has no room for improvement. Arachne then said, “What do you know, you’re so old you’re probably senile! I don’t need your advice or

Athena’s.” Athena had seen enough and revealed her true identity.

Upon revealing herself, Athena said, “Let it be so! A contest between you and I.” Arachne readily agreed to the

challenge. Athena called the goddess, Envy, to be the judge. They weaved all night, and in the morning both tapestries were beautiful. Athena decided to depict the gods in all of their wondrous accomplishments in her

tapestry. Arachne, on the other hand, decided to depict the gods in a negative light in her work. She showed Zeus and his many love affairs and a drunken Dionysus. Envy

declared that both works were flawless, and she could not decide who the winner was.

Arachne’s story shows that you should never tempt the power of

the gods. It is similar to the concept of respecting your elders; the gods were more

powerful than the Greeks and were expected to respect that.

Another moral of the story could be that you should never boast or brag that you are better than others. If you do, there will be negative consequences for you.

Works Cited“Arachne: The Greek Goddess Who Became the First Spider.”

Goddess Gift. 25 Feb. 2009 <http://www.goddessgift.com/ goddess-myths/ greek-goddess-arachne.htm>.

Kuchinsky, Charlotte. “The Myth of How the First Spider Came to Be.” Associated Content. 18 Apr. 2008. 25 Feb. 2009 <http://www.associatedcontent.com/ article/ 716213/ the_myth_of_how_the_first_spider_came.html?cat=37>.

McCaughrean, Geraldine. “Arachne the Spinner.” Barrington Middle. 25 Feb. 2009 <http://www.barringtonmiddle.org/ C9/ Ms%20Samolis/ Document%20Library/ Cause%20and%20Effect_Arachne%20the%20Spinner.pdf>.

“The Tale of Arahne.” Angelfire. 25 Feb. 2009 <http://www.angelfire.com/ weird2/ randomstuff/ arachne.html>.