The Weaving Contest

430 Words2 Pages
The Weaving Contest It’s not my fault that the goddess Athena is sensitive and gets her feelings hurt easily. I mean, people have been walking into my shop for years saying, “Arachne! Girl, your weaving is so fine, I bet it’s better than Athena’s!” Even though I’m just a mortal, I have to say – my weaving is the bomb! So one day I said, “Yeah, you’re right, I bet I can weave just as good or better than Athena herself!” This is where my troubles started. Some snitch ran and told Athena. She disguised herself as an old lady and came into my shop in Lydia, Northern Greece, to warn me and beg me to stop my bragging. I was mad and I threw some thread at that stupid old lady and told her that I didn't need her advice. If Athena wanted to test her skills against mine," I said, "she should give it a try and see who the better weaver is." That's when the old lady ripped off her disguise and turned into Athena. She accepted my challenge and said, "The loser of the weaving contest must agree to never touch a loom or a shuttle ever again." The contest started the next day, and I was off to a great start. Athena's weaving was of Poseidon and the Parthenon. Mine mocked the gods' weaknesses and silly behavior. It looked like my weaving was going to beat Athena's, but mine offended Zeus and Athena because I was making fun of the gods. Athena's was more classical and more about love, balance, and beauty, while mine was snobbish and making fun of people. Zeus was on a cloud judging the competition and he was appalled by my work. I didn't really care that he and Athena reacted that way. They were both so mad, and Zeus said Athena won the competition. "It looks like you really love your work." said Athena. "I would free you from your promise if I could, but you must stick to your promise to never to touch loom or spindle again. I know you will never be happy unless you can
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