Hubris

Arachne vs Athena

JAN 26, 2019

Greek Mythology: Arachne and Athena-How the First Spider Was Created

JOHN JACK GEORGE

John is currently pursuing a bachelor's degree in History and researches mythology and folklore in his free time.

��A painting from Francesco del Cossa. See how the crowd gathers around the loom of Arachne? Francesco del Cossa [Public domain]

Hubris is a recurring theme in Greek Mythology. Hubris, or arrogance, is one of the sins not taken lightly in Greek Mythology. The Greek gods were based upon humanity. Where we now think of divine as having no imperfections, the Greeks believed that their divinities had all the same imperfections as humanity- they loved, became angry, and made mistakes. They also were extremely jealous beings. The gods and goddesses were jealous of one another, often leading to such conflicts as the Trojan War. Humans did not escape the gods’ envy, especially those who claimed to be equal to or better than the gods’ themselves. This was what was defined as hubris. Not just excessive arrogance. The gods did not care about arrogance so long as one did not compare one's self to the gods. That was an unforgivable sin. For example, Salmoneus demanded that his subjects worship him the same way they worshipped Zeus, so Zeus struck him down and Hades subjected him to eternal torment in Tartarus. Narcissus, punished by being forced to forever stare at his face in the waters of a still pool was another man who was punished for his arrogance. In his case, he was vain and extremely prideful of his beauty. The story of Arachne and Athena is one of the foremost examples of the gods’ punishing hubris and showcases the pettiness and jealousy of the Greek gods.

“I am not afraid of the goddess,” she proclaimed to those gathered near, “Let her try her skill, if she so dare venture.” — Thomas Bulfinch-Arachne speaking of Athena

The Challenge

Athena was the goddess of defensive war, of strategy and of wisdom. She was also the goddess of the womanly arts, that being of carding, spinning, weaving, and needlework. The goddess was the daughter of Zeus, having sprung fully grown from his head after he had swallowed her pregnant mother, Metis. As with the other Greek gods, she had little love of competition, especially competition from those of the mortal race. It was with no pleasure then, that she overheard the comments from Arachne boasting of her weaving ability.

Arachne was the daughter of Idmon of Colophon, who was either a great dyer of wool or a shepherd. She lived in Lydia, and began weaving at a very young age. By the time she was grown, her weaving was so beautiful as to be the envy of the nearby nymphs. They would gather around her workshop to see her at work. It was not just the finished product that was beautiful, but the simple mastery of Arachne at her work. From the carding of the wool to weaving the shuttle along the loom, watching Arachne at work inspired wonder. Unfortunately, Arachne knew that her weaving was extremely well done, and this made her prideful. One fateful day, a nymph seeking to compliment Arachne on her weaving, suggested that the goddess Athena herself had taught Arachne to spin and weave. Outraged at the suggestion, Arachne immediately scorned the suggestion, boasting “Let Athena try her skill with mine; if beaten I will pay the penalty.”

Misfortune was with Arachne that day, for the goddess was near enough to overhear. Unhappy, but not yet angry, the goddess changed her appearance to that of an old crone, wrinkled and hunchbacked. She approached Arachne and offered some advice. “ …I hope you shall not despise my counsel. Challenge your fellow-mortals as you will, but do not compete with the goddess. On the contrary, I advise you to ask her forgiveness for what you have said, and as she is merciful perhaps she may forgive you.” Arachne belittled the crone’s advice and told her to keep her counsel. “I am not afraid of the goddess,” she proclaimed to those gathered near, “Let her try her skill, if she so dare venture.”

Such a direct challenge could not go unanswered by Athena. How dare this mortal speak so of a goddess’s talents, what gall had she to challenge an Olympian? The old woman disguise was dropped and Athena in all her glory stood before the crowd. All but Arachne immediately bowed low or knelt on one knee. “She came.” Was all that Athena said to the weaver. No further conversation was needed. The challenge was issued and accepted. The looms were quickly set up for the contest.

��A painting by Herman Posthumus, of Athena revealing herself to Arachne and the crowd. Herman Posthumus [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

The Contest

Both masters of their craft, the goddess and the women worked with a furious speed, passing the shuttle through the threads with a hurried haste. Athena’s weaving took shape first. She wove images of the herself and Poseidon in the contest for Athens. The work was incredibly detailed. It seemed almost as though Poseidon had just struck the earth and the salt water was gushing from its depths. Athena’s olive tree seemed to be growing along the outside of the weave. In the center Athena wove terrible images of the mortals who had dared to challenge the gods- Icarus falling to the earth, Salmoneus’ eternal torment in Hades, and others still. The watchers shrank back from her tapestry.

The tapestry of Arachne was no less pointed in its subject. She wove the terrible mistakes and failings of the gods. Her tapestry was filled with the exploits of Zeus. Leda caressed the swan in which Zeus had concealed himself, and the feathers seemed to move in an imaginary breeze. Europa was clinging to the bull as Zeus propelled them to Crete. The waves tossed her to and fro, while the bull remained unconcerned. Other stories were woven into the thread storybook, from Midas clutching his golden daughter to Phaethon’s fatal flight in his Father’s, Apollo’s chariot. Athena saw what Arachne was weaving and ceased her own work in rage. The sheer impiety and arrogance of the woman struck deep at Athena, who took her shuttle and rent apart Arachne’s tapestry. She then thrust her hand to Arachne’s head and filled her with guilt and shame. Mortified, Arachne fled her workshop and the contest.

��A painting by René-Antoine Houasse, showing the enraged Athena attacking Arachne. René-Antoine Houasse [Public domain]

The Punishment

Later that day, Athena would come across Arachne’s body, hanging by a rope from a tree. Athena stopped, looking closely at the woman. Something akin to pity stirred in her heart. Her tapestry had been well woven. Almost impulsively, Athena struck the woman’s head once more. “Live!” she cried, “Guilty woman! And that you shall preserve the memory of this lesson, continue to hang, both you had your descendants, to all future times.” With that, Arachne’s from shrunk and changed to that of a spider. Was it redemption, or retribution, that changing of the woman to a spider? Pulled from the rest that befalls the dead to forever hang and weave? To weave and weave each day, and to know that it was not only yourself cursed but all your descendants for all time? Truly it depends on the perspective. Is it better to seek the peace of death, or forever be forced to continue in your skill with no relief?

Analysis

The story of Arachne and Athena is one myth among many regarding the arrogance and the punishing of arrogance in Greek mythology. One important aspect of mythology is to show and reinforce cultural and societal norms. Humility and obedience, especially for women. Women had few rights in Ancient Greek society. As Elizabeth Wayland Barber notes in “Women’s Work: The First 50,000 Years, “No married woman ran the Classical Greek household or made its principal decisions.” Unmarried girls in Ancient Greece did not have any more rights than married women. Greek law and social convention regarding women were strict. In general, they were unable to hold property, vote, hold a public office or even attend a public assembly. Their marriages were organized by their father or a close male guardian, and all women were expected to marry. This and other myths, such as the myth of Medusa, Medea and of Niobe helps to show the general attitude toward women who were arrogant, independent or held power over men. They were often disparaged, and women discouraged from following in their footsteps. That being said, the core lesson in this myth is an important one. No matter how skillful you are, be wary of challenging others. A little bit of humility can go a long way.

It is important to note that in some versions of the myth, either Arachne or Athena is declared the winner of the contest. This version is based on the version found in Bulfinch’s Mythology, where no winner was actually declared, as Athena destroys Arachne’s tapestry before it is completed. There are also versions where Arachne’s own mortification changed her into a spider, with Athena having little to do with the transformation.

Sources!

All quotes from the myth are from Bulfinch's Mythology, 2014 Canterbury Classics Leatherbound Edition, pages 88-91. It is also the main source of the myth for this article.

The quote from Elizabeth Barber is from her book "Women's Work: The first 50,000 Years" Page 121. This book is a fascinating examination of weaving, spinning, and the making of clothes throughout history.

Daniel in Ezekiel

The most important intersection between the story of Aqhat and the Old Testament comes from its mention of a character named Daniel, which has contributed to attempts to identify the Daniel mentioned by Ezekiel (Ezek 14:14, 20; 28:3; spelled דָּנִאֵל, dani'el, not דָּנִיֵּאל, daniyyel; as in the book of Daniel). Ezekiel 14:14 lists Daniel as one of three righteous men, along with Noah and Job. The traditional view is that this verse refers to the sage Daniel, who is a character in the book of Daniel. Although this is still a plausible solution, the discovery of Ugaritic tablets featuring an ancient Canaanite epic character named Daniel has called this view into question.

Block finds it striking that Ezekiel would list a “younger contemporary” alongside Noah and the ancient patriarch Job, who are both “traditional paragons of piety.” In his view, the interpretation that this Daniel refers to the biblical sage Daniel raises a number of interpretive questions, including (Block, Ezekiel, Chapters 1–24, 447–48):

1. whether the Daniel of the book of Daniel could have gained a pious reputation so quickly;

2. why Ezekiel would list a contemporary Jewish example alongside two ancient, non-Israelite examples;

3. why Ezekiel would spell the name Daniel as דנאל (dn'l) rather than דניאל (dny'l), as it is spelled in the book of Daniel.

These questions can be answered in ways that fit with the traditional identification, but they also justify the search for alternative identifications.

Support for Identifying Ezekiel’s Daniel with Aqhat’s Daniel. The man Daniel from the story of Aqhat is usually considered the most likely candidate from extrabiblical literature to be the third ancient righteous man named by Ezekiel (see Barton, “Danel,” 223; Day, “Daniel of Ugarit”). This conclusion is based on three lines of evidence:

1. Ezekiel’s spelling of the name;

2. all of Ezekiel’s “paragons of piety,” who are non-Israelite; and

3. the association with Tyre in Ezek 28.

Spelling. Associating Ezekiel’s Daniel with the character from Aqhat could offer a solution to this question, as the spelling of the unvocalized Hebrew name from Ezekiel and the Ugaritic consonants from the story of Aqhat—written in the same Hebrew script for comparison—are identical (דנאל, dn'l).

Non-Israelite Paragons of Piety. The spelling variation is suggestive, but it does not decide the issue alone. If there were no other literary candidate for identifying Daniel in Ezekiel, the spelling difference could be just that—a spelling variation. However, Ezekiel’s use of two other non-Israelite ancient folk heroes suggests he refers to the ancient character Danel, not the contemporary biblical figure Daniel.

Reference to Tyre. In Ezekiel 28:2–3, Yahweh denounces the prince of Tyre for thinking of himself as a god, taunting him with the question, “Look, are you wiser than Daniel, so that no secret is hidden from you?” A reference to biblical Daniel in that context seems highly unlikely. Even if Daniel’s reputation was well known among the Jews in exile in Babylon, a reference to his wisdom seems out of place in an oracle addressed to Tyre. Thus, this in this verse, the Daniel seems more likely to refer to a figure from Canaanite literature.

Challenges to Identifying Ezekiel’s Daniel with Aqhat’s Daniel. The identification of Ezekiel’s Daniel with the Ugaritic Daniel raises interpretive questions of its own, including:

1. whether Daniel from the story of Aqhat is a textbook example of a righteous man like Noah and Job;

2. why Ezekiel would appeal to a polytheistic worshiper of Canaanite deities as an ideal righteous figure.

(For a detailed critique, see Dressler, “Identification.”)

Characterization of Aqhat’s Daniel. The story of Aqhat does not depict its Daniel character as an exemplary righteous figure, as Noah and Job are in the Bible. However, it does present him as a wise judge, similar to Job (Job 29:7–16): “Danel … arose and sat by the entrance to the gate, beneath the trees which were by the threshing floor. He tried the case of the widow, he judged the cause of the orphan” (KTU 1.17, v, 4–8; Wyatt, Religious Texts, 267).

Appeal to a Non-Israelite. It seems odd that Ezekiel, with his emphasis on Israel’s sin of idolatry, would promote a non-Israelite idol worshiper as an example of righteousness. Even though Noah and Job were non-Israelite, they still worshiped Yahweh, and Ezekiel would have expected his audience to know that (Block, Ezekiel, Chapters 1–24, 448).

Conclusion. While both the traditional view and the alternate view of the identity of the Daniel in Ezekiel raises questions, the discovery of the story of Aqhat at least provides evidence of ancient tradition surrounding a Canaanite legendary figure with the name Daniel. In Day’s view, “the evidence still favours the probability that Ezekiel is referring to the same figure as is alluded to in the Aqhat epic, though this is not to assert that he knew that very text” (Day, “Daniel of Ugarit,” 174).

Summary of the Narrative

The story of Aqhat is recorded on three tablets (KTU 1.17, 1.18, and 1.19); however, the story breaks off without a resolution, suggesting it originally continued onto a fourth tablet. Two whole columns are missing from each of the first two tablets: The first tablet is missing the third and fourth columns (out of six total), and the second tablet is missing the second and third columns (out of four total). The third tablet has a total of four columns; none are missing, but the beginning of the first column and the lower half of the second column are damaged (Parker, “Aqhat,” 49). The summary below is informed by the translations and critical notes from Parker’s translation in Ugaritic Narrative Poetry and Wyatt’s translation from Religious Texts from Ugarit. Unless otherwise noted, any quotations are from Parker.

Tablet 1 (KTU 1.17)

The story begins by recording that Daniel has made offerings to the gods and performed religious rites for seven days straight. On the seventh day, the god Baal brings Daniel’s plight to El; Baal reports that Daniel is doing these things because he “has no son like his siblings, no offspring like that of his fellows.” Baal implores El to bless Daniel with a son. El then blesses Daniel and declares that his wife will bear him a son. One of the gods visits Daniel to give him the good news. Daniel goes home, and the “Katharat” or “skilful goddesses” enter his house (Wyatt, Religious Texts, 264–65). Daniel provides food and drink for these goddesses for seven days, and they depart. The fragmentary text then refers to “the joy of the bed” and the “delights of the bed of childbirth.” According to Wyatt’s translation, these phrases identify the skillful goddesses as “those who apportion the delights of the bed of conception, the joys of the bed of childbirth” (Religious Texts, 265). Daniel begins counting off the months. He gets to the fourth month before the text breaks off with missing lines at the bottom of the column (KTU 1.17, i—ii).

The next two columns are missing (KTU 1.17, iii—iv), but they must have described the birth of Aqhat. They also likely introduced the special bow that the craftsman god Kothar-wa-Hasis brings to Daniel in the next column (KTU 1.17, v). The text resumes with someone (presumably Kothar-wa-Hasis) stating that he “will bring the bow … [and] many arrows.” The next scene opens with Daniel taking his place “by the gateway, among the chiefs on the threshing floor,” where he “takes care of the case of the widow, [and] defends the need of the orphan.” From there, he sees Kothar-wa-Hasis coming and tells his wife to “prepare a lamb from the flock” to honor their guest (compare KTU 1.17, v, 9–25; Gen 18:1–8). Kothar-wa-Hasis arrives, gives the bow and arrows to Daniel, accepts their hospitality, and leaves. Then Daniel gives the bow to his son Aqhat.

After some missing lines at the end of the column, the story turns to the goddess Anat, who sees Aqhat’s bow and covets it for herself. She offers Aqhat silver and gold in exchange for the bow and the arrows. Aqhat tells her to have Kothar-wa-Hasis make her a bow with arrows of her own. Anat then offers immortality to Aqhat, which he also rejects. Aqhat then rashly adds, “[And anoth]er thing let me say: bows (are for) warriors! Will women hunt now?” (KTU 1.17, vi, 39–41; Wyatt, Religious Texts, 276). To Anat, this was a grave insult because of her reputation as a violent warrior goddess (see KTU 1.3, ii where she is described as “knee-deep … in warrior-blood”). Aqhat insults her by insinuating she is “just a girl” who is unworthy of his powerful weapons. Anat, having been angered, begins plotting Aqhat’s downfall. Anat goes to visit El and “denounces Aqhat the Hero” (KTU 1.17, vi).

Tablet 2 (KTU 1.18)

The second tablet begins with Anat threatening El. In the missing lines, El probably offered some defense of Aqhat’s behavior and disagreed that he should be punished. Anat tells El that she will make his head run with blood and his “old grey beard with gore,” and then El should see if Aqhat will come rescue him from her. El relents and says she may do what she wishes with Aqhat (compare Job 1–2); Anat then invites Aqhat to go hunting with her (KTU 1.18, i). After a gap of two columns, we find Anat calling to “Yatipan, the mercenary warrior” (Wyatt, Religious Texts, 282) and instructing him to take the form of a hawk and strike Aqhat when he sits down to eat. Following Anat’s orders, Yatipan strikes and kills Aqhat. Anat watches him die and then weeps over having him killed for his bow and arrows (KTU 1.18, iv). The third tablet begins describing how Aqhat’s bow has fallen into the waters and shattered (KTU 1.19, i).

Tablet 3 (KTU 1.19)

In the third tablet, the scene shifts to Daniel, who is once again sitting at the city gate and administering justice for the people. Daniel’s daughter Paghit sees plants withering and birds circling her father’s house, which she takes as signs that something bad has happened. She weeps and tears Daniel’s robe. Daniel just laments the great heat and lack of rain that has caused the plants to dry up, and he instructs Paghit to prepare his donkey so he can inspect the fields. She does so, and Daniel examines the fields, wishing that Aqhat would come soon to harvest the grain before it dries up completely. While Daniel and Paghit are in the field, messengers come and tell Daniel that Anat has killed Aqhat. Daniel is upset and curses the birds. Baal hears his curse and makes all the birds he curses die and fall to the ground. Daniel’s purpose in cursing the birds was that he might cut them open and check their stomachs for Aqhat’s body, so when he does not find Aqhat, he has Baal heal the birds and restore them. He eventually finds Aqhat’s body in the belly of “Samal, Mother of Birds.” Daniel then buries Aqhat and travels around cursing the towns in the area where Aqhat was killed. He mourns Aqhat for seven years. Then Paghit requests permission to avenge her brother’s death by killing his murderer. Daniel gives her permission, so Paghit arms herself with a knife and sword and puts on armor under her gown. She travels to Yatipan’s camp, where she is welcomed (perhaps having been mistaken for Anat), and drinks wine with Yatipan, who describes himself as “the hand that slew Aqhat the Hero.” The tablet ends there, with the story unresolved.