Arachne by Eden Phillpotts
Arachne is a figure from Greek mythology, primarily known for her exceptional talent in weaving. In the allegorical retelling of her story by Eden Phillpotts, Arachne is portrayed as a young woman from Lydia who is initially taught by Pallas Athene, the goddess of wisdom and weaving. Despite her admiration for Athene's skill, Arachne becomes frustrated with the goddess's traditional methods and ultimately challenges her to a weaving contest. The narrative explores themes of creativity, ambition, and the conflict between mortal innovation and divine authority. In the contest, Arachne's tapestry is celebrated by the judges, including Zeus, for its unique perspective, which Athene cannot accept. In a fit of anger, Athene destroys Arachne's work, leading the young artist to a state of despair. Although she is saved by Hebe, a twist of fate transforms Arachne into a spider, symbolizing her eternal connection to weaving. This tale delves into the complexities of artistic expression and the consequences of challenging the gods, inviting reflection on the nature of talent and the balance between respect for tradition and the pursuit of personal vision.
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Subject Terms
Arachne
First published: 1927
Type of work: Novel
Type of plot: Fantasy—mythological
Time of work: Antiquity
Locale: Ancient Greece
The Plot
For two decades, beginning with The Girl and the Faun (1916), Eden Phillpotts wrote allegorical fantasies using Greek mythology to develop themes with contemporary significance. One of the best is Arachne, his retelling of the legend of Arachne, whom Pallas Athene transformed into a spider because the young girl challenged the goddess in weaving.
As the novel opens, Pallas Athene, goddess of wisdom, and her sister Hebe come upon Arachne of Lydia, who is creating designs from brightly colored stones but would prefer to make silk tapestries. Athene—known as the first weaver of Olympus—promises to teach the girl the art. Hebe expresses doubts, fearing that Arachne’s innate talent could be harmed by Athene’s interference and sensing that the girl will be reluctant to take Athene’s advice and thus will anger the goddess. Indeed, at the first lessons Arachne is disappointed with the immortal’s colors and designs and is bored by her philosophizing, although she acknowledges Athene’s perfection, precision, and speed. When the goddess tells Arachne to copy Athene’s tapestry, the girl ignores the model and creates from her imagination. A wealthy Roman purchases one of her tapestries, but the goddess says that in it Arachne has “broken from tradition, drawn opposed colours together, created disharmony, challenged elemental axioms and woven deliberate confusion.”
The girl thinks that Athene is prejudiced and old-fashioned, and Hebe cannot assuage her sister’s subsequent anger and disappointment. Arachne, eschewing marriage to devote herself wholly to art, starts weaving a grand tapestry that may take years to finish. As her father says, she “must do as her demon prompts.”
Hebe, visiting when the tapestry is almost done, thinks Athene will delight in the work and appreciate it because, as an artist, she will realize its beauty. When Athene views the tapestry, however, she is uncompromisingly critical, whereas the erstwhile student is proud and disrespectful. This confrontation concludes with a challenge: Each will weave a tapestry for a committee of three gods to judge.
When the tapestries are complete, Zeus, Dionysus, and Hermes announce Arachne as the winner. Zeus explains that Arachne’s work displays the treasure, loveliness, and emotion of Earth seen through the eyes of mortality, a vision forever hidden from immortal consciousness. Informed of the decision, Athene has Hecate send a hurricane to destroy the “sacrilegious web.” Distraught, Arachne goes to a wood to hang herself.
Hebe, aware of this, saves Arachne but lies to Athene, telling her that where Arachne hanged herself there is a spider clad in her colors, concluding that Zeus metamorphosed the girl into a spider who will spin eternally. Athene accepts the story, and her anger fades. Only millennia later does Hebe tell Athene the truth: Arachne gave up weaving, changed her name to Echo, married, and lived happily as a wife and mother.