Several forms of evidence surviving from the period support this conclusion. However, the general principle, as with spinning, remains very similar to the ancient world. Interesting topic and great amount of detail… so much research the pictures are really informative too! Finally, Athena’s prevalence as a culture goddess was not only relevant to men through law, math, and art. Of the major gods and goddesses, Athena was the goddess of women’s handicrafts, with weaving and spinning being the most important to her cult; they are with her in several prominent myths, in imagery, and in the cult’s rituals and practices [4]. How long has Telemachus been away from Ithaca? This included metaphors to provide context and suggest certain character traits about female characters, providing further insight into the lives of women and their work in the process. The roving was wrapped onto a distaff, or ēlakátē, a staff held under the arm to make the transfer of roving easier; to actually spin the thread, the roving was brought from the distaff toward the spindle, or átraktos [22]. One such example is found in in Aeschylus’ Agamemnon, where an important scene is commonly dubbed “the carpet scene,” as it revolves around a discussion of a particular piece of purple cloth that would normally be used as an expensive bridal cloth, proceeding to shock the audience when used first as a carpet, and eventually to ensnare the title character of Agamemnon to kill him [16]. As it is heard, Arachne is a story about Pride and Human Limitations. Outside of mythology, Ancient Greek authors also used spinning and weaving as shorthand for female-gendered labour and activity. But Arachne thought she was so smart, she wove a cloth making fun of the gods and goddesses, showing them getting drunk and falling down and making a mess of things. In terms of the loom itself, depictions tend to provide a front view of the loom, which portray a standing loom similar to the one depicted below, but not much other detail as to its construction. Plato goes into an in-depth discussion of the art of spinning, weaving, and making clothes in his Statesman dialogue, as a young man named Socrates and a stranger use spinning and weaving as a metaphor to define the bonds of the realm of statecraft, directly comparing weaving to ruling in the process [13]. Arachne was infuriated, “I do not need Athena!” she cried. She is also the goddess of weaving (which fits with war...somehow?) While her skills are equal to those of the goddess, her decision to show scenes of the gods as lustful and deceptive men incurred Athena’s wrath. This likely consisted of a simple wooden frame, probably set up rather like an easel, with upright back legs and an angled stave coming out towards the weaver [29]. Then Arachne stood up and said, “Before I die, great Athene, let me give you a present.” She went in and took a lovely cloak she had woven and gave it to her. However, Sparta is not the only place where slaves were important contributors to the labour of spinning and weaving, only the example where they seemed to have mostly replaced citizen women. Other than goddesses and the aforementioned Arachne, mortal women are also prominently associated with spinning or weaving in myth. She loves to show off these talents and is actually quite vain. Representations of women, weaving, and spinning, in myths and oral storytelling are particularly interesting because of the potential link between myth and female storytelling. [19]: Cancik & Schneider, 2009, vol. Once the thread was spun, it could be threaded onto a loom, called a histós [27]. Athena wipes her memory: How are conditions in Ithaca now? She is sweet and considerate to people who were sincerely seeking wisdom, but fierce and destructive to the ignorant. What does Athena warn Telemachus of as he returns home? There are also more sources available for Athenian spinning and weaving, making them the primary focus of this survey, with other cities like Sparta, where less evidence exists, relegated to the sphere of comparison [2]. (Aesthetic differences aside, the process from then to now is very much the same, though modern spinners typically do not bother with a distaff.). This will shield you from the wind. Unfortunately, no actual textiles, first hand accounts, or patterns survive from the time period under consideration [1]. In dramatic plays, as opposed to philosophical dialogues, where women feature as main characters more frequently, weaving and spinning are more typically included from a first person perspective. Arachne attempted to hang herself, but was saved at the last minute by Athena. Athena offers not only protection, but gifts to her followers. Moirai. ( Log Out /  In classical myth, Athena never took any lovers, and was often revered as Athena the Virgin, or Athena Parthenos. Ancient textile production formed an essential aspect of life in Ancient Greece, and an especially important part of the lives, labour, and perception of Ancient Greek women, but it does serve to remember that the lives of those involved in the labour were not created equal. Greece and Rome 52(1), 1-17. [22]: Cancik &Schneider, 2009, vol. [13]: Plato, Statesman, 297b, H.N. Weaving Contest Between Arachne And Athena. 14, p. 343. This means that the mythological figures prominently associated with weaving and spinning, both mortal and divine, were likely closer to female-driven ideals than other depictions of women as weavers elsewhere in Ancient Greece. Theatrical works are also interesting in that cloth props are often used and described, providing insight into common forms of textiles. They were also highly decorated, which implies a certain amount of pride taken in what amounts to be a very small part of the implements used in spinning [26]. One such mortal woman, who is especially notable for weaving, is Penelope, the wife of Odysseus. Incensed at such success the warrior goddess, golden-haired, tore up the tapestry, those crimes of heaven, and with the boxwood shuttle in her hand … Aristophanes. It is also a depiction of a mortal woman and a goddess together as experts in weaving, which is an interesting and unique characteristic. In what sanctuary were enshrined the marks of Poseidon's trident and Athena's olive tree? Change ), You are commenting using your Twitter account. What is 1st deal Penelope makes with suitors? 14, p.339. Athena then appears in the doorway in a long cloak and asks Arachne if she truly believes her talent does not come from the goddess. She turned her into a terrifying monster … When the historian Herodotus tells the tale of a particularly industrious woman catching the eye of the Persian King Darius in his histories, for example, she is spinning as she walks [12]. She was so beautiful that the god Poseidon burned with desire for her. In skill, Arachne had truly matched her. . ( Log Out /  This may have been because of the relative lack of literacy among women, and the oral tradition of the skill that was so characteristic of women’s knowledge [34]; this may have meant that no written patterns existed in the first place, or perhaps that the lack of priority on preserving these records means than none have survived. They also used a clay vessel called an epinetron, held over the knee, for more easily winding the fibres together into the kátagma, or roving, the treated fibre that is ready for spinning [19]. Athena is quite skillful and creative, not just in war strategy, but also in weaving and spinning. Of these three named Moirai, the youngest was Clotho, whose name means “spinner” and who thus performs the task of spinning in depictions of the Moirai. Athena's special powers included the ability to invent useful items and crafts. Eventually, youth and inexperience, coupled with consciousness of her superb gifts, causes Arachne to boast that her weaving is better then Athena’s. One day, an old woman walked up to Arachne and said, “You weave well, you should thank Athena the goddess of weaving for your gifts”. In men, Athena’s prowess in battle is synonymous for the respect which glory in battle wins men. Poseidon pursued Medusa and raped her, thus breaking her vow of virginity to Athena. Transactions of the American Philological Association, 141(1), 69-104. This is her limitation. Sea Farers, Sex Workers and the Goddess of Love. Boston: Brill. (hehe…no pun intended). Before she was a Gorgon, Medusa was a beautiful woman. She's also a warrior goddess, and was believed to lead soldiers into battle as Athena Promachos. Athena can be summed up in one word: ability. [20]: Blundell & Rabinowitz, 2008, p. 133. Economics of Governance, 10(3), 221-245. What does Penelope do when Odysseus reveals himself? But when, even after prompting, Arachne will not admit her debt to the goddess, Athena reveals herself and challenges the mortal to a weaving contest. How does Penelope react when holding Odysseus’ bow? ( Log Out /  What does Athena look like? Birth of Athena Athena's father was the god Zeus, the leader of the Olympians, and her mother was a Titan named Metis. Since all the things you will need are pretty cheap, it’s pretty popular among hobbyist weavers. 14, p. 343. Since Athena was the patron deity of Athens, weaving often held a special place in the religious lives of Athenian women; part of the ritual of the Panathenaia festival was the weaving of a new, elaborate peplos, or long women’s garment, for the statue of Athena Polias that stood in the Erectheion, part of the temple complex on the Acropolis. I suspect, (and again, this amounts to an unprovable hunch on my part), … Equipment also survives; while the distaff and shaft of the spindle were made of wood, and were not preserved, the whorls, made of clay, survive in great numbers, and provide an insight into what precisely spinning would have looked like in antiquity [25]. Pheonix, 62(1), 115-144. Change ), You are commenting using your Google account. During the weaving contest, Athene weaves a warning to Arachne. Out of pity, Athena transformed her into a spider, so she could continue weaving without having to break her oath. Who regonizes Odysseus 1st while in his home as begger? [36]: Cancik &Schneider, 2009, vol. [10]: Homer, The Odyssey, Book X, 244-5, Fagles. The first, and often most laborious, step of the process entailed wool or another fibre such as flax being cleaned, treated, and broken down into its smallest components in a process that is today called carding, to prepare it for spinning. Athena shows great care for the main heroes of “The Odyssey” and protects those who are too weak to be on their own. These epinetron were frequently associated with the start of a young woman’s marriage, and were highly decorated, often with wedding scenes, implying the importance of such tools in a woman’s married life [20]. Change ), You are commenting using your Facebook account. What subject does Athena weave into her tapestry in the contest? Both were a major part of the labour that the typical woman was expected to perform, and were tightly tied into the expectations and the depictions of femininity in Ancient Greece. (2009). Olympus and doing good deeds for people. Why would cleaning up bodies of suitors be bad for maids? Asides from the occasional childless widowers needing someone to weave their clothes for them, what about large cloth objects like sails, tapestries, and carpets (how common were the latter two, were these all also made in the home)? The typical spindle of Ancient Greece is still used today; a drop spindle, consisting of the long, thin staff of the spindle itself; a weight, called a whorl, or a sphóndylos, that allows the spindle to be suspended from the hand and to spin longer for each individual spin; and a hook, called a ánkistron, which guides the spun thread and creates the necessary tension [23]. A quality of an epic hero is to protect the weak, goddess or not, she proves over and over again that she is a true hero and a protector of the people. Threads of clouds and blades of grass made for the most stunning of pieces of work. Her skills also extended to womanly arts, namely weaving, the quintessential craft associated with being a high-positioned woman. he’s afraid–thinks Odysseus is a god, asks for them to be nice to him, Describe reunion of Telemachus and Odysseus, they hug and let out a terrifying screech, – Odysseus’ dog- treated like crap and lives in crap while Odysseus is away. Athena's family has been reeling throughout the show's first two episodes after Athena's husband Michael (Rockmond Dunbar) came … Arachne. Female slaves would have been expected to do a certain amount of spinning each day as part of their labour, as well as a large amount of the day-to-day textile production for wealthy Greeks, leaving wealthier women to apply themselves to textile arts [36]. Athena is the Greek goddess of war, but specifically of intelligent, cunning warfare. Athena had woven a beautiful cloth showing the gods and goddesses sitting together on Mt. Of course, she lost and Athena turned her into a spider.
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