Offended by Arachne’s claims, Athena challenged her to a weaving contest, with Athena’s weaving representing four separate contests between mortals and gods, with the latter punishing mortals for setting themselves as equals of the gods. Arachne began weaving at an early age and became a great weaver, so much so that she claimed that her skill was greater than Athena’s, though she refused to acknowledge that her skill came, in part, from Athena. According to Ovid’s tale, Arachne was a Lydian maiden, daughter of Idmon of Colophon. Arachne is the protagonist of a tale in Greek mythology from Book Six of Ovid’s epic poem Metamorphoses.
