How Did Arachne Judge The Old Lady Of Being Shepherd?

As the daughter of a shepherd famous for the beautiful wool of his sheep, Arachne was a gifted and talented weaver. She often boasted about her weaving and became angry when others compared her skill to that of Athena, the goddess of wisdom, strategy, and crafts. Word of Arachne’s artistry quickly spread across Greece, and travelers often gathered to watch her work. When Athena learned of Arachne’s constant gloating, she appeared at Arachne’s home as an old, peasant lady and told her not to offend the gods by comparing herself to them as the consequences of such disrespect would be grim. Arachne completely disregarded this advice and accused the old lady of being senile, leading to Athena challenging her to a competition in which the loser would never be …show more content…
Once the competition ended, Athena showed off a tapestry that honored the gods, showing the people of Athens under Poseidon and Athena, deciding on which god to name the city of Athens after. It also included the image of Zeus standing in the middle of the Olympic pantheon. Arachne, however, wove a tapestry as an insult to the gods, which depicted Zeus seducing many mistresses, Dionysus as a drunk, Apollo as a poor, lonely shepherd, along with others. Envy was so amazed by both pieces of art that she couldn't declare either as a winner. When Athena saw Arachne’s work she became so enraged by the disrespect and beauty of the tapestry that she immediately tore it into shreds, but even she had to admit that it was just as flawless as her own. Athena pressed a finger to Arachne’s forehead, which caused her to feel guilt for her excessive pride and disrespect towards the gods. Arachne became so depressed and overwhelmed with shame that ran to the nearby woods and hanged herself from a tree. Although Athena was extremely rational, she felt sorry for causing the death of Arachne and took pity on