This she does, but her reward is to be turned in to a spider, to weave for ever more. Arachne challenges Athena to a spinning contest, boasting that she could beat the goddess. Then there is the tale of Athena, goddess of women’s crafts, and Arachne, a mortal weaver. The Spinners, or The Fable of Arachne, Diego Velazquez ( Museo del Prado) Once this process was completed nobody, neither God nor mortal, had the power to change it. Greek mythology tells us of the three fates, who controlled lives through the spinning, measuring and cutting of thread.
Three Fates Tapestry by Pat Taylor (from a drawing by Henry Moore)
However, as the myths and legends show, spinning and weaving was not just a domestic chore, but also the pastime of queens and goddesses. Homespun cloth was the norm and it was women’s work to produce it. In Ancient Greece spinning and weaving were so intertwined in women’s lives that the vast majority of the female population would have been involved in this task in some way. One of the things that struck me whilst reading was how Circe’s loom (a gift from Daedalus in this version of events) is an important recurring motif, as a token of love, a means of occupying time during a seemingly endless exile and also common ground and eventual hand of friendship between Circe and Penelope. Miller has really brought Circe to life in a brilliantly vivid and intimate way. I have just finished reading Circe by Madeline Miller, and I would highly recommend this beautifully written re-telling of the story of the goddess witch Circe.
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