“When you show yourself to the world and display your talents, you naturally stir all kinds of resentment, envy, and other manifestations of insecurity...”
Inspired by: The myth of Arachne
Arachne’s blinding talent
Winning isn’t always the best option.
Arachne found that out the hard way.
The woman was an incredibly skillful weaver from Ancient Greece.
Admired by the masses, she produced artworks worthy of heaven.
But her pride and hubris caused her to provoke someone she shouldn’t have.
By claiming herself greater than the gods, she has brought upon her the attention of Athena – the goddess of wisdom, warfare & handicraft, who challenged the mortal to a contest of weaving.
Not only did Arachne accept the challenge, but she also intended to embarrass the gods during the competition.
While Athena weaved a tapestry showcasing the might of the gods, Arachne chose to depict their sins and their faults:
Zeus’s philandery,
Bacchus’s pursuit of Erigone,
And Hades’s kidnapping of Persephone.
While the images were offensive, the characters seemed almost lifelike – the work shining with the skill of its creator.
Seeing the outrageous, but irrefutably better work, Athena flew into a rage and cast a curse on the human weaver.
Arachne’s libs elongated, her frame got smaller, and black hair sprouted on her skin.
She became the very first spider, with only a single thread extending from her body, reminding her of what she lost.
Despite being the clear winner of the contest – she still ended up on the losing end.
She was the better artist, but the goddess was the one holding all the power.
The story shows us that standing out too much, paired with too much pride, can attract all kids of resentment, envy and anger.
And if that resentment is coming from someone holding too much power – you should be careful as to not overstep your boundaries, or you might face unwanted consequences, simply by hurting their pride.
Updates
Hope you enjoyed this issue.
While the story is well-known, I had fun delving deeper and connecting it with Robert Greene’s idea about why you should never outshine the master.
Let me know if you have any thoughts about it. In the meanwhile, I’m figuring out a theme for a book series based on stories from this newsletter.
Also, I’m starting to put out some content on Instagram. You can find me at @skony.skoneczny if you’re interested.
Topic for next week: “The legend of Hōichi the Earless”
Hope to see you there,
Łukasz Skoneczny
