Topic: Little Miss Muffet didn't stand a chance

[Patraw]

This is an "Arachne", half woman, half spider monstrosities that can be encountered prowling about amongst the dusty bookshelves of the Study area in Konami's 2003 Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow video game. Arachnes attack by . . . um . . . lactating high-pressure streams of silk webbing from the nipples of their breasts in a machine gun-like fashion (I don't even want to know how that works, but somebody may have been thinking of Austin Powers' Fembots). If nothing else, it's a highly unusual and creative way to produce that substance!





In Greek mythology, Arachne was a mortal woman so skilled at weaving that her masterpieces rivaled, and even surpassed, that of the gods, and she was none too shy about boasting of her skill at the loom, nor did she show proper humility in crediting and thanking said deities for the artistic ability and creativity that they had bestowed upon her. Naturally, this did not sit very well with the gods at all, and Athena in particular, thus, She challenged Arachne to a weaving contest in order to teach her a lesson. However, much to Athena's dismay, not only did Arachne win the ensuing competition, but, in her boundless arrogance, Arachne foolishly chose to antagonize her divine opponent even further with the tapestry that she wove, which depicted the loves and transgressions of the gods. Like most deities, Athena was a very poor loser and didn't take insults lightly. Enraged, She destroyed Arachne's creation, slashed the woman's face, and transformed the prideful Arachne into a spider as punishment for her hubris (pissing off a god or goddess is never a good idea). In another version of the myth, Arachne lost to Athena and, shamed, committed suicide by hanging herself. Feeling pity for the dead woman, Athena brought Arachne back to life, albeit in spider form. Beyond its value as a parable, Arachne's sad tale was also the ancient Greek's explanation for how arachnids (her name is also the Greek word for spider) came to be such experts at weaving webs.







Materials:
 Newsprint, tissue paper, white notebook paper, wire twist ties, acrylic paint, ink, embroidery floss (hair), and white glue.

Dimensions:
 7.2 cm (2.8") wide x 5.0 cm (2.0") long x 4.6 cm (1.8") high.

Time:
 Three days; May 29th-31st, 2016.

[X]

In Greek mythology, Arachne was a mortal woman so skilled at weaving that her masterpieces rivaled, and even surpassed, that of the gods, and she was none too shy about boasting of her skill at the loom, nor did she show proper humility in crediting and thanking said deities for the artistic ability and creativity that they had bestowed upon her. Naturally, this did not sit very well with the gods at all, and Athena in particular, thus, She challenged Arachne to a weaving contest in order to teach her a lesson. However, much to Athena's dismay, not only did Arachne win the ensuing competition, but, in her boundless arrogance, Arachne foolishly chose to antagonize her divine opponent even further with the tapestry that she wove, which depicted the loves and transgressions of the gods. Like most deities, Athena was a very poor loser and didn't take insults lightly. Enraged, She destroyed Arachne's creation, slashed the woman's face, and transformed the prideful Arachne into a spider as punishment for her hubris (pissing off a god or goddess is never a good idea). In another version of the myth, Arachne lost to Athena and, shamed, committed suicide by hanging herself. Feeling pity for the dead woman, Athena brought Arachne back to life, albeit in spider form. Beyond its value as a parable, Arachne's sad tale was also the ancient Greek's explanation for how arachnids (her name is also the Greek word for spider) came to be such experts at weaving webs.

I guess it depends on the storyteller or era in which the story itself came out of (good read none the less). Like all other myths of the day there are many versions out there. The one I've read about is this;

In this version of the myth, Arachne was a blessed weaver of Greece. People asked her if she had been taught weaving by Athena herself, the goddess of wisdom. Although this was meant as a compliment, Arachne became angry. She thought that her skill was greater than the goddess's. Hearing of her attitude, Athena appeared on her doorway disguised as an old woman in a dark cloak. She asked her to respect the gods and goddesses, but Arachne just laughed, and said that even if Athena herself challenged her, it would be an easy win. Athena then revealed herself and challenged Arachne to a competition. The loser would promise never to weave again.

Athena wove a tapestry of the people of Greece, with Poseidon and Athena over them, deciding whose name should be given to the city of Athens. Arachne wove a tapestry about Zeus, and his seduction of Europa and others. Athena saw that although Arachne had insulted the gods, her work was so beautiful that Athena herself was awed. She realized that Arachne couldn't live without weaving. To make Arachne realize her mistake and also to teach her to respect the gods and their works, she touched Arachne's forehead with the tip of her hand. The magic worked only partially, filling Arachne with guilt for her insolence, and she hanged herself. Out of pity, Athena brought Arachne back to life as a spider, so that she and her descendants could weave all their lives.

[Shiroi Koumori]

Nice figurine!

And I want that my little pony.....

[Patraw]

X:  Yes, myths are very fluid and often change, which I think is fun.   My write-up was based on the information found in the Arachne Wikipedia article.

Shiroi Koumori:  I got that MLP Littlest So Soft Cottonbelle toy recently, secondhand, for a quarter plus sales tax, at a local thrift store (her face was pretty grimy, but she cleaned up nice).  She's from 2013; I'm not sure how much she normally retails for.

[Shiroi Koumori]

Shiroi Koumori:  I got that MLP Littlest So Soft Cottonbelle toy recently, secondhand, for a quarter plus sales tax, at a local thrift store (her face was pretty grimy, but she cleaned up nice).  She's from 2013; I'm not sure how much she normally retails for.

Ah! So that's her name. I am not specifically looking for her but MLPs are cute in general.