Arachne’s Woven Webs of Truth

a mythological poem inspired by Ovid’s Metamorphoses

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Weave a web of truth,
So bold in its honesty,
It can’t be ignored.

Metamorphoses.
Punished for veracity,
She accused the gods.

Such violent beings,
Assaulting women’s bodies,
She called them guilty.

The first known spider,
She painfully grew eight legs,
Cursed to always weave.

Weave the webs of truth,
So bold in their honesty,
Cruelty is exposed.

Thank you for taking the time to read my poetry!

This one was inspired by the story of Arachne and Minerva (Athena) as told in Ovid’s epic poem, . While Ovid’s work does not hold up to modern feminist takes of mythology, I do appreciate how he called out the gods for their violent actions towards mortal characters. Even if he did so in a humorous (problematic to our standards today) manner.

Arachne was one such character. She wove a tapestry displaying the horrific way gods like Jupiter (Zeus) and Neptune (Poseidon)…