# Arachne — Metamorphoses character guide

> Arachne in Metamorphoses by Ovid.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** poor Arachne, a Spider Arachne

**First appearance:** 0059-transformation-of-arachne-into-a-spider

## Snapshot

A Lydian weaver whose skill at the loom rivals the goddess Minerva's, and whose refusal to bow turns her art into a dare with divine consequences.

## Who they are

Arachne is a craftsperson of humble birth whose reputation draws crowds to watch her spin, and whose pride in her own hands curdles into contempt for the gods. When Minerva arrives in disguise to warn her, Arachne doesn't just decline to apologize — she proposes a contest, and then weaves a tapestry mocking the gods' own scandals. Her story is Ovid's sharpest meditation on talent, insolence, and the price of refusing to flatter power.

## Relationships

### [Minerva](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/metamorphoses_se/characters/minerva)

_rivalry_

Arachne challenges Minerva to a weaving contest and is punished by being turned into a spider.

## In the story

### [Transformation of Arachne Into a Spider](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/metamorphoses_se/chapters/transformation-of-arachne-into-a-spider)

A mortal weaver of humble birth from Lydia, renowned for her skill; pridefully challenges Minerva to a contest, weaves a tapestry showing the gods' deceptions, and is transformed into a spider after attempting suicide.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/metamorphoses_se/characters/arachne
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/metamorphoses_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/metamorphoses_se/characters