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Taking time to live well
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Illustration: Zuza Misko

Illustration: Zuza Misko

Mythology | How the spider got eight legs

Iona Bower October 9, 2019

A little legend about one of our favourite creepy crawlies

There’s no doubt there’s something a bit special about spiders. In our October issue (in shops now), we are celebrating our eight-legged friends on our Magical Creatures page. But why did Mother Nature decide they needed quite so many legs? We suspect there’s a very scientific evolutionary answer, but we quite like this one...

The Greek myth of Arachne has several versions but Ovid told a slightly terrifying story about how the spider got eight legs.  

Arachne was a mortal woman, the daughter of a shepherd, and a top-notch weaver, but more than a little boastful regarding her skill. Foolishly, she began to boast that her weaving was better than that of the Goddess Athena, who overheard (as Gods are wont to) and popped to earth, disguised as an old lady to urge her to retract her claims in hopes the Gods would forgive her. 

Bumptious Arachne refused to say that her weaving was inferior to that of Athena’s and went one step further, in fact, saying that if Athena thought her weaving was so spectacular she should come to earth herself and join her in a weaving competition. Athena cast aside her old lady costume and they both began to weave. 

Athena’s weaving depicted contests between mortals and the Gods in which mortals were harshly punished for daring to set themselves against the Gods (an unsubtle hint of what was to come, but one Arachne chose to ignore). Arachne, meanwhile, ill-advisedly wove a picture showing the ways in which the Gods had abused mortals over the years. More inadvisedly still, her weaving turned out to be far superior than Athena’s.

Furious at both Arachne’s cheek and her talent, Athena struck her about the head three times and tore her work to pieces. Shamed and fearful, Arachne hanged herself.

Athena, who shows a frightening lack of moral compassion here, we must say, even for a Goddess, told her: "Live on then, and yet hang, condemned one, but, lest you are careless in future, this same condition is declared, in punishment, against your descendants, to the last generation!" She sprinkled her with some of Hecate’s poisonous herbs, at which point Arachne’s hair fell out, her nose fell off and her head and body shrank. Her talented weaver’s fingers stuck to her sides and became legs, which would spin thread from her belly for ever. 

The moral of the story? Keep your light under a bushel… unless you’re a Goddess with a bit of an anger problem. 

Get hold of your copy of this month's The Simple Things - buy, download or subscribe

More from our October issue…

Featured
Pumpkin Beer Keg Jonathan Cherry.jpg
Oct 31, 2023
Make | a pumpkin beer keg
Oct 31, 2023
Oct 31, 2023
Back cover cartoon.jpg
Oct 22, 2019
October | a final thought
Oct 22, 2019
Oct 22, 2019
Spooky Stories Alamy.jpg
Oct 19, 2019
Build your own spooky story
Oct 19, 2019
Oct 19, 2019

More creatures we think are magical…

Featured
Moths2.jpg
Oct 10, 2023
Learn | To Tell Moth Jokes
Oct 10, 2023
Oct 10, 2023
Stoat Zuza Mysko.JPG
Jan 11, 2022
Magical Creatures | Weasels vs Stoats
Jan 11, 2022
Jan 11, 2022
Dormouse Zuza Mysko.JPG
May 3, 2021
How to | Become a Dormouse Monitor
May 3, 2021
May 3, 2021
Inmagical creatures Tagsissue 88, October, magical creatures, spiders, mythology, myth, spooky
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  Buy ,  download  or  subscribe   See the sample of our latest issue  here   Buy a copy of our latest anthology:  A Year of Celebrations   Buy a copy of  Flourish 2 , our wellbeing bookazine  Listen to  our podcast  - Small Ways to Live Well
Feb 27, 2025
Feb 27, 2025

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See the sample of our latest issue here

Buy a copy of our latest anthology: A Year of Celebrations

Buy a copy of Flourish 2, our wellbeing bookazine

Listen to our podcast - Small Ways to Live Well

Feb 27, 2025
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The Simple Things is published by Iceberg Press

The Simple Things

Taking time to live well

We celebrate slowing down, enjoying what you have, making the most of where you live, enjoying the company of of friends and family, and feeding them well. We like to grow some of our own vegetables, visit local markets, rummage for vintage finds, and decorate our home with the plunder. We love being outdoors and enjoy the satisfaction that comes with a job well done.

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