0:00:06.900,0:00:08.953
From sailors who were turned into pigs,

0:00:08.953,0:00:11.352
nymphs that sprouted into trees,

0:00:11.352,0:00:14.461
and a gaze that converted [br]the beholder to stone,

0:00:14.461,0:00:18.162
Greek mythology brims with shape-shifters.

0:00:18.162,0:00:22.042
The powerful gods usually changed [br]their own forms at will,

0:00:22.042,0:00:26.662
but for mortals, the mutations [br]were often unwanted.

0:00:26.662,0:00:32.288
One such unnerving transformation [br]befell the spinner Arachne.

0:00:32.288,0:00:34.663
Arachne was the daughter [br]of a tradesman

0:00:34.663,0:00:39.813
who spent his days dying cloth [br]the deepest shades of purple.

0:00:39.813,0:00:43.073
She had a flair for spinning [br]the finest threads,

0:00:43.073,0:00:45.012
weaving them into flowing fabric,

0:00:45.012,0:00:48.454
and creating magnificent tapestries.

0:00:48.454,0:00:52.423
People flocked to watch her hands [br]flying across her loom,

0:00:52.423,0:00:56.823
as if thread sprung directly [br]from her fingertips.

0:00:56.823,0:01:00.415
But as praise for her work grew, [br]so did her pride.

0:01:00.415,0:01:04.015
Arachne could often be heard [br]boasting about her skills,

0:01:04.015,0:01:09.914
declaring that her talent surpassed [br]anyone else’s—mortal or divine.

0:01:09.914,0:01:13.865
She refused to see weaving [br]as a gift from the gods.

0:01:13.865,0:01:18.063
Rather, she flaunted it [br]as her own personal genius.

0:01:18.063,0:01:22.294
Unfortunately, the goddess of wisdom [br]and crafts, Athena,

0:01:22.294,0:01:25.175
overheard Arachne [br]making these claims.

0:01:25.175,0:01:28.224
Planning to teach [br]the ungrateful girl a lesson,

0:01:28.224,0:01:33.785
Athena disguised herself as an old woman[br]and stole amongst the mortals.

0:01:33.785,0:01:36.055
She berated Arachne in public—

0:01:36.055,0:01:39.786
how dare the weaver claim[br]herself greater than the gods?

0:01:39.786,0:01:43.946
But Arachne only laughed, [br]barely looking up from her loom.

0:01:43.946,0:01:49.445
Provoked, the old woman threw off[br]her cloak to reveal her true form.

0:01:49.445,0:01:52.856
If Arachne insisted on defaming the gods,

0:01:52.856,0:01:57.437
Athena would challenge her [br]to a contest directly.

0:01:57.437,0:02:01.258
Masking her shock at the appearance [br]of the grey-eyed goddess,

0:02:01.258,0:02:03.746
Arachne accepted the challenge.

0:02:03.746,0:02:10.334
Athena drew up her own glittering loom [br]as a great crowd gathered to watch.

0:02:10.334,0:02:14.325
The weavers began, [br]eyes fixed and shuttles blurring.

0:02:14.325,0:02:17.218
Athena conjured [br]wisps of cloud from above

0:02:17.218,0:02:21.838
and slender threads of grass [br]from below in a spectacle of strength.

0:02:21.838,0:02:25.319
She wove tremendous scenes [br]that showed the power of the gods:

0:02:25.319,0:02:27.587
Poseidon riding the waves,

0:02:27.587,0:02:29.387
Zeus firing thunderbolts,

0:02:29.387,0:02:32.319
and Apollo hurtling across the sky.

0:02:32.319,0:02:38.629
In Athena’s splendid tapestry, [br]the glory of the gods dwarfed mortal life.

0:02:38.629,0:02:43.009
But Arachne had no interest [br]in boosting godly egos.

0:02:43.009,0:02:46.409
Her tapestry showed the gods[br]abusing their power:

0:02:46.409,0:02:48.189
squabbling amongst themselves,

0:02:48.189,0:02:49.767
drinking and bragging,

0:02:49.767,0:02:52.359
and meddling in the lives of mortals.

0:02:52.359,0:02:57.220
She represented Zeus as a philanderer,[br]transfiguring himself to ensnare women:

0:02:57.220,0:02:58.667
a swan for Leda,

0:02:58.667,0:03:00.420
a bull for Europa,

0:03:00.420,0:03:03.259
a shower of gold for Danae.

0:03:03.259,0:03:06.550
Arachne then turned[br]to the misdemeanors of other gods,

0:03:06.550,0:03:08.870
from Pluto’s abduction of Persephone

0:03:08.870,0:03:13.020
to Bacchus’s wild pursuit of Erigone.

0:03:13.020,0:03:16.270
Even though she cast the gods [br]in the most unflattering light,

0:03:16.270,0:03:20.310
Arachne’s work shone [br]with her dazzling skill.

0:03:20.310,0:03:22.511
Her tapestry was almost alive,

0:03:22.511,0:03:24.971
filled with movement [br]and lustrous colors

0:03:24.971,0:03:27.300
that winked triumphantly.

0:03:27.300,0:03:32.997
When Athena saw Arachne's undeniably[br]better and flagrantly subversive work,

0:03:32.997,0:03:36.980
she flew into a rage [br]and turned on the human weaver.

0:03:36.980,0:03:42.191
Arachne’s glee dimmed as she felt her body[br]shrinking and contorting.

0:03:42.191,0:03:46.291
Her fingers waved wildly [br]as her arms stuck to her sides,

0:03:46.291,0:03:50.052
and black hair[br]sprouted all over her body.

0:03:50.052,0:03:55.015
The goddess left Arachne with a single [br]spool of thread unfurling from her belly,

0:03:55.015,0:03:58.614
a slim reminder of her human talent.

0:03:58.614,0:04:01.584
For challenging the assumption[br]that the gods were untouchable,

0:04:01.584,0:04:06.864
Athena had shrunk her adversary [br]into the first spider.

0:04:06.864,0:04:10.733
To this day, Arachne and her children spin[br]out her penance—

0:04:10.733,0:04:13.330
or is it undaunted persistence?—

0:04:13.330,0:04:15.486
in the shadows of giants.