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    Old Greek Stories by James Baldwin Greek Stories by James Baldwin    

Chapter 6: The Wonderful Weaver

Performer: LibriVox - SopranoHarmony


I. THE WARP

There was a young girl in Greece whose name was Arachne. Her face was pale but fair, and her eyes were big and blue, and her hair was long and like gold. All that she cared to do from morn till noon was to sit in the sun and spin; and all that she cared to do from noon till night was to sit in the shade and weave.

And oh, how fine and fair were the things which she wove in her loom! Flax, wool, silk-she worked with them all; and when they came from her hands, the cloth which she had made of them was so thin and soft and bright that men came from all parts of the world to see it. And they said that cloth so rare could not be made of flax, or wool, or silk, but that the warp was of rays of sunlight and the woof was of threads of gold.

Then as, day by day, the girl sat in the sun and span, or sat in the shade and wove, she said: "In all the world there is no yarn so fine as mine, and in all the world there is no cloth so soft and smooth, nor silk so bright and rare."

"Who taught you to spin and weave so well?" someone asked.

"No one taught me," she said. "I learned how to do it as I sat in the sun and the shade; but no one showed me."
'The Spinners' by Diego Velázquez

"But it may be that Athena, the queen of the air, taught you, and you did not know it."

"Athena, the queen of the air? Bah!" said Arachne. "How could she teach me? Can she spin such skeins of yarn as these? Can she weave goods like mine? I should like to see her try. I can teach her a thing or two."

She looked up and saw in the doorway a tall woman wrapped in a long cloak. Her face was fair to see, but stern, oh, so stern! and her gray eyes were so sharp and bright that Arachne could not meet her gaze.

"Arachne," said the woman, "I am Athena, the queen of the air, and I have heard your boast. Do you still mean to say that I have not taught you how to spin and weave?"

"No one has taught me," said Arachne; "and I thank no one for what I know;" and she stood up, straight and proud, by the side of her loom.

"And do you still think that you can spin and weave as well as I?" said Athena.

Arachne's cheeks grew pale, but she said: "Yes. I can weave as well as you."

"Then let me tell you what we will do," said Athena. "Three days from now we will both weave; you on your loom, and I on mine. We will ask all the world to come and see us; and great Jupiter, who sits in the clouds, shall be the judge. And if your work is best, then I will weave no more so long as the world shall last; but if my work is best, then you shall never use loom or spindle or distaff again. Do you agree to this?"

"I agree," said Arachne.

"It is well," said Athena. And she was gone.

***

II. THE WOOF

When the time came for the contest in weaving, all the world was there to see it, and great Jupiter sat among the clouds and looked on.

Arachne had set up her loom in the shade of a mulberry tree, where butterflies were flitting and grasshoppers chirping all through the livelong day. But Athena had set up her loom in the sky, where the breezes were blowing and the summer sun was shining; for she was the queen of the air.

Then Arachne took her skeins of finest silk and began to weave. And she wove a web of marvelous beauty, so thin and light that it would float in the air, and yet so strong that it could hold a lion in its meshes; and the threads of warp and woof were of many colors, so beautifully arranged and mingled one with another that all who saw were filled with delight.

"No wonder that the maiden boasted of her skill," said the people.
'Minerva and Arachne' by René-Antoine Houasse

And Jupiter himself nodded.

Then Athena began to weave. And she took of the sunbeams that gilded the mountaintop, and of the snowy fleece of the summer clouds, and of the blue ether of the summer sky, and of the bright green of the summer fields, and of the royal purple of the autumn woods,-and what do you suppose she wove?

The web which she wove in the sky was full of enchanting pictures of flowers and gardens, and of castles and towers, and of mountain heights, and of men and beasts, and of giants and dwarfs, and of the mighty beings who dwell in the clouds with Jupiter. And those who looked upon it were so filled with wonder and delight, that they forgot all about the beautiful web which Arachne had woven. And Arachne herself was ashamed and afraid when she saw it; and she hid her face in her hands and wept.

"Oh, how can I live," she cried, "now that I must never again use loom or spindle or distaff?"

And she kept on, weeping and weeping and weeping, and saying, "How can I live?"

Then, when Athena saw that the poor maiden would never have any joy unless she were allowed to spin and weave, she took pity on her and said:

"I would free you from your bargain if I could, but that is a thing which no one can do. You must hold to your agreement never to touch loom or spindle again. And yet, since you will never be happy unless you can spin and weave, I will give you a new form so that you can carry on your work with neither spindle nor loom."

Then she touched Arachne with the tip of the spear which she sometimes carried; and the maiden was changed at once into a nimble spider, which ran into a shady place in the grass and began merrily to spin and weave a beautiful web.

I have heard it said that all the spiders which have been in the world since then are the children of Arachne; but I doubt whether this be true. Yet, for aught I know, Arachne still lives and spins and weaves; and the very next spider that you see may be she herself.

    Old Greek Stories by James Baldwin Greek Stories by James Baldwin    

Chapter 6: The Wonderful Weaver

Performer: LibriVox - SopranoHarmony

Directions

Study the chapter for one week.

Over the week:

  • Read and/or listen to the chapter.
  • Review the synopsis.
  • Study the vocabulary words.
  • Complete the enrichment activities.
  • Answer the review questions.

Synopsis

Arachne loves to spin all morning and weave all afternoon. She becomes so skilled at spinning, she feels no mortal or god can match her, including the goddess Athena/Minerva, the divine goddess of crafts and weaving. Affronted, Athena/Minerva challenges Arachne to a weaving contest. Arachne uses her finest silk thread to weave a marvelous web that is both strong and light. Athena/Minerva weaves enchanting pictures with the sunbeams, the clouds, plus the colors of the sky, the fields, and the woods to win the contest. As a result of her loss, Arachne must never use the loom or spindle again. Athena/Minerva transforms Arachne into a spider so Arachne can spin and weave without a loom or spindle.

Vocabulary

Arachne: A woman famous for her skill at weaving. She was changed into a spider by the goddess Athena.
Athena/Minerva: The goddess of wisdom, especially strategic warfare, the arts, and especially crafts, in particular, weaving.
Zeus/Jupiter: Supreme ruler of all Greek gods and husband to Hera/Juno who rides on the storm clouds and hurls burning thunderbolts.
Loom: A frame or machine of wood or other material, in which a weaver forms cloth out of thread.
Warp: The threads that run lengthwise in a woven fabric; crossed by the woof or weft.
Woof: The set of yarns placed crosswise in a loom, interlaced with the warp, carried by the shuttle.
Spindle: A rod used for spinning and then winding natural fibers.
Distaff: A device to which a bundle of natural fibers are attached for temporary storage, before being drawn off gradually to spin thread.
Asteroid: Minor planets, especially of the inner Solar System.

Enrichment

Activity 1: Recite the Book Information

  • Recite the name of the author, the title of the book, and the title of the chapter.

Activity 2: Narrate the Story

  • Narrate the events aloud in your own words.

Activity 3: Study the Story Picture(s)

  • Study the story picture(s) and verbally describe the relation to the story.

Activity 4: Map the Story

  • In the story, the young girl Arachne lived in Greece.
  • Study the map of Greece, and name the seas which surround it.

Activity 5: Playact Arachne

  • Pretend you are Arachne.
  • Act out spinning some beautiful cloth.
  • Act overly proud of your cloth.
  • Now show great despair as you watch Athena/Minerva out spin you up in the skies.

Activity 6: Complete Written Narration   

  • Click the crayon above, and complete page 203 of 'Fourth Grade Prose: Written Narration, Dictation, and Review Questions.'

Activity 7: Complete Copywork and Dictation   

  • Click the crayon above, and complete pages 203-204 of 'Fourth Grade Prose: Written Narration, Dictation, and Review Questions.'

Activity 8: Match the Greek and Roman Names   

  • Click the crayon above, and complete page 204 of 'Fourth Grade Prose: Written Narration, Dictation, and Review Questions.'

Activity 9: Color the Mythological Character and the Celestial Body   

  • Click the crayon above, and complete page 205 of 'Fourth Grade Prose: Written Narration, Dictation, and Review Questions.'

Activity 10: Answer Written Review Questions   

  • Click the crayon above, and complete page 206 of 'Fourth Grade Prose: Written Narration, Dictation, and Review Questions.'

Review

Question 1

What does Arachne like to do all day?
1 / 7

Answer 1

Arachne likes to spin and weave all day.
1 / 7

Question 2

Why does Athena/Minerva challenge Arachne to a weaving contest?
2 / 7

Answer 2

Arachne insults Athena/Minerva by believing she is the better spinner.
2 / 7

Question 3

In the contest, what type of thread does Arachne use?
3 / 7

Answer 3

Arachne uses her finest silk for weaving.
3 / 7

Question 4

In the contest, what does Athena/Minerva use to weave?
4 / 7

Answer 4

Athena/Minerva weaves the sunbeams, the clouds, and the colors of the sky, the fields, and the woods.
4 / 7

Question 5

Who wins the contest?
5 / 7

Answer 5

Athena/Minerva wins the contest.
5 / 7

Question 6

What must Arachne give up as a result of losing the contest?
6 / 7

Answer 6

Arachne must never touch the loom or spindle again.
6 / 7

Question 7

How does Athena/Minerva abide by the bargain while still enabling Arachne to spin and weave?
7 / 7

Answer 7

Athena/Minerva turns Arachne into a spider so Arachne can spin and weave without a loom or spindle.
7 / 7

  1. What does Arachne like to do all day? Arachne likes to spin and weave all day.
  2. Why does Athena/Minerva challenge Arachne to a weaving contest? Arachne insults Athena/Minerva by believing she is the better spinner.
  3. In the contest, what type of thread does Arachne use? Arachne uses her finest silk for weaving.
  4. In the contest, what does Athena/Minerva use to weave? Athena/Minerva weaves the sunbeams, the clouds, and the colors of the sky, the fields, and the woods.
  5. Who wins the contest? Athena/Minerva wins the contest.
  6. What must Arachne give up as a result of losing the contest? Arachne must never touch the loom or spindle again.
  7. How does Athena/Minerva abide by the bargain while still enabling Arachne to spin and weave? Athena/Minerva turns Arachne into a spider so Arachne can spin and weave without a loom or spindle.

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