Dear Reader
A few months ago I came across this incredibly interesting article about a spider web that covered the coast of Aitoliko, in the west of Greece. According to the article, this is the result of an increasing in the numbers of a particular spider called Tetragnatha spiders.
The name of this spider is of Greek origin, coming from the words “Tetra” – a numerical prefix referring to four; and “gnatha” meaning “jaw”.
Most commonly, they can be found in tropic or sub-tropical regions as they seem to enjoy damp spaces. Lakes, river banks and swamps seem to be some of their favourite spots to hang out. So is no surprise to find them by this lagoon in Aitoliko.
Another interesting fact is that these spiders can build incredibly large nests and webs when mating, despite their small size.
So, with the high-temperatures, humidity and an increase in mosquito population during that season, these little friends have decided to take advantage and have a massive nest fest. Thankfully, it will soon disappear and it poses no harm to humans or the environment around the phenomenon.
You can read more about this, here; this link will direct you to the BBC article I first read. Immediately when seeing and reading it, I couldn’t help but recall the myth of Arachne and I knew I had to write about it.
Arachne (αραχνη) was an extremely skilled weaver from Lydia, a kingdom in Asia minor. She was so skilled that both people and nymphs alike would come to admire her works. Arachne would often proclaim that she was so good that her weaving was superior to that of Athena’s; the goddess of wisdom, war strategy, heroic endeavour, weaving and other crafts.
This display of Hubris deeply displeased the goddess who, disguised as an old woman, approached Arachne and, while complementing her work, advised her not to compare herself to the gods or challenge them.
Arachne, no listening to the woman’s advice, claimed that if Athena was so angry she could come and tell her herself, challenging the goddess for a competition. Athena then drops the disguise, showing herself to Arachne and accepting the competition.
Athena weaves a beautiful tapestry portraying the competition between her and Poseidon when choosing a protector for the city of Athens, embellished with four more occasions were mortals were punished by the gods for their hubris, emphasizing how bad it is to claim superiority over the gods.
Arachne weaves a tapestry depicting various occasions where the gods, mainly including Zeus and Poseidon, deceived, seduced and abused mortal women.
Athena, though admiring Arachne’s skill and execution of the work, is enraged when seeing such an insult to the gods and rips the work apart; hitting Arachne in the head with a wooden weaving shuttle repeatedly.
Ashamed and terrified, Arachne tries to hang herself but Athena spares her life by turning her into a spider.
Like so, the myth of Arachne is only one of the many myths that describe the consequences of Hubris; how claiming superiority over the gods or the excessive arrogance will end in tragedy. There’s many more, being that Hubris is a common topic for myths.
In the light of this, I think the best way to end this post is to remind everyone to keep their Hubris in check and, next time one crosses your way, take a moment to admire the work of a well-built spider web.
Keep positive,
Bee
Graekus 