Arachne and the Weaving Contest
Respect the Gods.........OR ELSE
Arachne was a talented weaver from Lydian, she may have even been the princess. But her talent made her a vain and arrogant child, and the praise she got from the people made her believe that she was even better than Athena, the god that created weaving. When she made the remark, Athena challenged her to a contest, where Arachne humiliated the gods with scenes of their mistakes. Of course, this angered the gods, and Athena turned her into a spider to live forever spinning thread, and that's why spiders exist. The word arachnid stems from this myth and describes all kinds of spiders.
Arachne and Athena
More on Athena
You may not know much about Athena, but she is a very defensive god and the goddess of city and handicrafts. She is Zeus's favorite child, and often mistaken for the goddess of wisdom, since it is one of her stronger traits. Athena is a military goddess, which often mistaken for Ares, who is the god of war. She was determined when it came to becoming the patron goddess of the new city.
Moral of the Myth
Arachne's arrogance is why she was turned into a spider; she disrespected the gods and she paid the price. The reason the Greeks believe spiders exist is to remind people that you cannot be vain to succeed. You may be great at something, and you may know that you're great at it, but you should not go around telling people that you are the best. Besides, there could always be someone better. The Greeks make the important message memorable through this story.