The goddess Athene took vengeance on Arachne by transforming her into a spider. Arachne, a talented weaver, boasted she could out-weave even the goddess. As punishment for her arrogance and disrespect, Athene challenged her to a weaving contest. Arachne's work was flawless, yet Athene, enraged by her hubris, turned her into a spider to weave for eternity, symbolizing both punishment and the origin of spiders in mythology.