00:12Once upon a time, there was a young woman, whose name, was Arachne.
00:18Arachne was an excellent weaver, and the daughter of a village shepherd, who began weaving,
00:23at an early age.
00:24By the time she had grown up, her weaving skills had become perfect, and highly remarkable,
00:31recognized, far and wide.
00:33However, Arachne became very boastful, bragging that her weaving skills, surpassed that of
00:39Athena herself.
00:40When Athena heard this, she one day, appeared to the mortal woman, while she was bragging
00:46again, and warned her thus.
00:48Change from your boastful ways, child, for you can never compare to the deathless gods.
00:55Beg for mercy, and Athena may spare your soul.
00:59But Arachne was unrepentant, and stubborn, daring the goddess to come down, and challenge her
01:05to a weaving contest.
01:07At this, Athena removed her disguise, revealing her sparkling self in her glory, and challenged
01:13Arachne to a contest, to see who weaved the most beautifully.
01:18The two, immediately began weaving, at their very best.
01:22Athena's weaving, told the story of four contests between mortals and the gods, in which the
01:28victorious gods, punished the mortals, for considering themselves equal, to the immortal
01:33gods.
01:34While Arachne's weaving, depicted the cruelty of the gods, telling of how the gods abused,
01:40and mistreated humans, telling of how Zeus, tricked and seduced many women.
01:45Athena saw that Arachne's weaving, was clearly more beautiful than her own, but also, Arachne
01:51had insulted, and disrespected the gods.
01:54A mere mortal, against the deathless gods.
01:58Furious, Athena tore Arachne's weaving to pieces, and struck her three times, on the
02:03head.
02:04Filled with shame, Arachne hung herself, but the goddess was not done with her.
02:11Cursing her to spin the threads, all her days, Athena sprinkled Hecate's magic herb, on Arachne,
02:18transforming her into a spider.
02:20Arachne's hair, nose, and ears, fell out.
02:23Her head, limbs, and body, became tiny, while her belly, became huge.
02:29From which she spun her web.
02:31She had drawn the ire of the goddess, condemned to eternally weave the web, as a spider.
02:38This is the myth of Arachne, the first spider.
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