From sailors who were turned into pigs, nymphs that sprouted into trees, and a gaze that converted the beholder to stone, Greek mythology brims with shape-shifters. The powerful Gods usually changed their own forms at will - but for mortals, the mutations were often unwanted. Iseult Gillespie shares how one such unnerving transformation befell the spinner Arachne.

1. The myth of Arachne and Athena - Iseult Gillespie
https://youtu.be/XvUHcsZOhJ8
From sailors who were turned into pigs, nymphs that sprouted into trees, and a gaze
that converted the beholder to stone, Greek mythology brims with shape-shifters.
The powerful Gods usually changed their own forms at will - but for mortals, the
mutations were often unwanted. Iseult Gillespie shares how one such unnerving
transformation befell the spinner Arachne.
1.- Arachne was ______.
AA noblewoman
BAn apprentice
CA slave
DA self-taught weaver
2.- Athena was the goddess of ______.
AFarming
BFabric
CWisdom
DLove
3.- Athena disguised herself and stole amongst the mortals in order to ______.
AAdmire Arachne’s work anonymously
BHear Arachne’s boasting for herself
CSee if Arachne was a better weaver than she was
DSteal Arachne’s talent for herself
ESee if Arachne was a better weaver than she was and steal Arachne’s talent for
herself

2. 4.- Arachne’s depictions of Zeus showed him ______.
AHurling thunderbolts
BSeducing women
CRuling with justice
DGoing to War
5.- Arachne was punished for ______.
AHer talent
BHer defiance
CHer skill
DAll of the above
6.- In Greek mythology, human skills were generally thought of as gifts from the
gods. What was so radical about Arachne claiming full credit for her talents?
7.- Can you think of other examples of metamorphosis, or transformation, in classical
mythology? How are they similar to or different from the myth of Arachne?
8.- What is the relationship between spiders and weaving? Is this an appropriate
origin tale for the scuttling creatures?
From birth, Arachne was involved in the business of silk—her father dedicated his
life to the selling and dyeing of cloth in the famous shade of Tyrian purple. And as
this fascinating podcast argues, the myth is a perfect metaphor for the mysteries
of and human fascination with spider silk.
The myth of Arachne has been retold and reinterpreted repeatedly across time.
Perhaps the most famous of these accounts is the Roman poet
Ovid’s Metamorphoses, a collection of narrative poems in Latin which tell stories of
humans transforming, or metamorphosing, into other creatures—including plants,
animals and inanimate objects. Arachne appears here as the spinner woman who was
transformed into the first spider due to Athena's wrath (the goddess was, as this
site dedicated to her demonstrates, a formidable character throughout Greek
mythology). Here is a full list of the highly imaginative range of transformations
that occur in Ovid’s collection. An English translation of Ovid’s telling can be
found here.

3. Ovid took a fairly traditional approach to the story of Arachne, painting her as a
character who was punished for her hubris, which means excessive pride. But
others have read Arachne as a more subversive figure, one who resisted the notion
that the gods were all-powerful and inherently better than mortals. Others have
seen her as a feminist icon, one who elevated the craft of weaving (which has been
traditionally associated with women’s domestic lives and “low” culture) to a radical
art form and who pursued her own talents over the social obligations imposed on
young women in the ancient world. Read more about women and weaving in the
ancient world here.
DISCUSS
Arachne’s refusal to dampen her talents in the presence of Athena is a decision that
has been read as foolhardy and revolutionary. Which impression of Arachne’s actions
do you agree with?
VOCABULARY
THE MYTH OF ARACHNE - VOCABULARY
nymphs that sprouted [Sp. brotaban] into trees (nymphs turned
into trees)
gaze [stare, look]
beholder [onlooker, watcher]
brim [be full of; Sp. rebosar]
shape-shifter: somebody who shifts (changes) shape
at will: [Sp. a voluntad]
unnerving [troubling; Sp. perturbador/a]
befell (past of befall [happened]
spinner [Sp. hilandera]

4. flare [ability]
fabric [Sp. tela]
tapestry [Sp. tapiz]
flock [gather, meet]
loom [Sp. telar]
sprung (past form of Spring) [emerged]
boast [brag, Speak proudly; Sp. alardear]
weaving (from weave) [Sp. tejido]
flaunt [show off]
craft [Sp. artesanía]
stole (past of steal) [move silently]
berate [scold; Sp. reprender]
dare [Sp. atreverse, osar]
defame [slander; Sp. difamar]
glittering [dazzling, impressive; Sp. reluciente]
shuttle [lanzadera]
blur [become indistinct]
conjure [produce magically]
wisp [Sp. mechón]
slender [thin, narrow]
hurtle [rush forward]
dwarf [make smaller] (from dwarf Sp. enano)

5. boost [push up]
squabble [argue, quarrel]
meddle [interfere]
philanderer [womanizer: Sp. mujeriego]
ensnare [trap, entrap]
misdemeanor [minor crime; Sp. fechoría]
dazzling [blinding]
wink [Sp. guiñar]
glee [delight]
dim [become less bright]
spool [reel of thread; Sp. carretel]
unfurl [unfold, uncurl]
belly [stomach]
penance [self-punishment]
undaunted [not feeling fear; Sp. impretérrita]

6. boost [push up]
squabble [argue, quarrel]
meddle [interfere]
philanderer [womanizer: Sp. mujeriego]
ensnare [trap, entrap]
misdemeanor [minor crime; Sp. fechoría]
dazzling [blinding]
wink [Sp. guiñar]
glee [delight]
dim [become less bright]
spool [reel of thread; Sp. carretel]
unfurl [unfold, uncurl]
belly [stomach]
penance [self-punishment]
undaunted [not feeling fear; Sp. impretérrita]