Arachne
A Lydian maiden, daughter of Idmon of Colophon, a famous dyer in purple.
Arachne excelled in the art of weaving, and, proud of her talent, ventured to challenge Athena (Minerva) to compete with her. The maiden produced a piece of cloth in which the amours of the gods were woven, and as the goddess could find no fault with it, she tore the work to pieces. Arachne, in despair, hung herself; Athena loosened the rope and saved her life, but the rope was changed into a cobweb, and Arachne herself into a spider. This fable seems to suggest that man learned the art of weaving from the spider, and that it was invented in Lydia.