71 *antīqu-us a um ancient
līs līt-is 3f. quarrel, dispute. Poseidon (Neptune) and Athena (Minerva) both wanted to be patrons of Athens. Poseidon, god of the sea, struck a rock and produced a stream of (salt) water; Athena made an olive-tree shoot up. She was adjudged the winner, and the town was called after her. Ovid now describes what Minerva is depicting; hence e.g. īnscrībit 74, facit 76, dat 78, simulat 80 all have Minerva as subject
72 bis twice
mediō . . . grauitāte: a fine rising tricolon, with asyn-deton; the first an abl. abs.; the second an abl. of place, RL100A(b); the third an abl. of description, RLL(f)3(i), W40
sēdēs sēd-is 3f. seat, throne
73 august-us a um solemn, venerable. Is this a nod to the emperor Augustus?
74 īnscrībō 3 identify, mark
rēgāl-is e royal, regal
75 stāre: depends on facit ‘she makes X [to] stand . . .’; so too ferīre and exsiluisse 77
pelag-us ī 2n. sea
feriō 4 strike
tridēns trident-is 3m. trident
76 uulnere: i.e. where the trident struck
77 exsiliō 4 exsiluī gush, leap out
*fret-um ī 2n. sea-water, sea
pignus pignor-is 3n. token, sign, pledge
uindicō 1 lay claim to (subj. of purpose)
78 sibi: Minerva now refers to how she depicted herself
clipe-us ī 2m. shield
acūt-us a um sharp
*cuspis cuspid-is 3f. point
hast-a ae 2f. spear
79 gale-a ae 1f. helmet
aegis aegid-is 3f. aegis (a breastplate or shield of some sort)
80 percutiō 3/4 percussī percussum strike
81 ēdō 3 produce, give forth (inf. after simulat, ‘she simulated X to happen . . .’)
bāc-a ae 1f. berry
*fēt-us ūs 4m. fruit, offspring
cāneō 2 be grey
olīu-a ae 1f. olive
82 mīrārīque: inf. after simulat again, deōs being the subject
Victōria: i.e. a picture of the goddess Victory, to celebrate Minerva’s triumph
83 exempl-um ī 2n. example (here abl., ‘by means of’)
aemula laudis ‘[Minerva’s] rival for praise’ (i.e. Arachne, subject)
84 preti-um ī 2n. price, i.e. punishment (obj. of spēret)
spēret: i.e. ‘hope for’, ‘could expect [to pay]’ (subj. after intellegat)
furiāl-is e frenzied, mad
aus-um ī 2n. recklessness, criminal outrage
85 partēs: ‘corners’ (cf. angulus 87, 98)
86 distīnct-us a um embellished, picked out
sigill-um ī 2n. figure
87 Thrēici-us a um from Thrace
Rhodopēn: Greek acc. s. of Rhodope
*angul-us ī 2m. corner
Haem-us ī 2m. Haemus, lover (some say brother) of Rhodope. We know nothing of the background to this story. Did they proclaim themselves happier than Jupiter and Juno?
88 nunc . . . quondam: the line is structured A BC BC A
89 quī: refers back to Rhodope and Haemus; begin translating this line with it
tribuō 3 tribuī assign
90 Pygmae-us a um of the Pygmies. Her death resulted in a fight between pygmies and cranes
92 grus gru-is 3m./f. crane
indīcō 3 bellum (+ dat.) bring war on
93 Antigonēn: Greek acc. of Antigone. She was daughter of Laomedon, a Trojan king of Ilium (95), and boasted that her hair was more beautiful than Juno’s (nothing to do with the Antigone of Sophocles’ famous play)
contendō 3 fight
94 cōnsors cōnsort-is 3f. wife
95 *uolucr-is is 3f. bird
Īlion: Greek nom., Ilium, the city attacked by the Greeks in the Trojan war (Ilium is usually called ‘Troy’, but that technically is the name of the region, not the city)
illī: i.e. Antigone
96 Lāomedōn Lāomedont-is 3m. Laomedon (father of Antigone, a king of Ilium)
quīn ‘so as to prevent [it coming about] that [she] . . .’ + subj., RL174.2
97 plaudō 3 applaud (+ dat.). Even as a stork, Antigone continues boasting
crepitō 1 clatter
cicōni-a ae 2f. stork (in apposition to Antigone, RL17B, W3)
rōstr-um ī 2n. beak
98 quī: refers to angulus, with which begin the translation of this line
Cinyrān: Greek acc. of Cinyras. Did Cinyras’ daughters boast in a temple that they were lovelier than the gods, to be punished by being turned into temple steps?
orb-us a um bereaved
99 grad-us ūs 4m. step
100 lacrimō 1 cry, weep
101 circu(m)eō 4 circuī encircle, surround (Minerva is the subject)
ole-a ae 1f. foliage from the olive
pācāl-is e of peace. The olive branch has long been used as a sign of peace
ōr-a ae 1f. edge
102 suā . . . arbore: Athena’s tree was the olive
103 Maeonis 3f. (nom.) woman from Maeonia, i.e. Arachne
ēlūdō 3 ēlūsī ēlūsum trick, deceive
dēsignō 1 depict
104 Eurōp-a ae 1f. Europa. Jupiter, disguised as a bull, tricked her into climbing on to his back; he then swam off with her (see the Background to passage 5)
taur-us ī 2m. bull
106 tāct-us ūs 4m. touch
uereor 2 dep. fear
107 adsiliō 4 leap up
plant-a ae 1f. foot
108 fēcit: Arachne is subject; verbs describing what she ‘made happen’ are in the inf., e.g. tenērī, 108
Asteriēn: Greek acc. of Asterie. She was seduced by Jupiter in the form of an eagle (in some versions she escaped)
aquil-a ae 1f. eagle
luctor 1 dep. struggle
109 olōrīn-us a um of a swan
Lēd-a ae 1f. Leda. She was seduced by Jupiter in the form of a swan, and gave birth to (some say) Clytemnestra, Helen, Castor and Pollux
recubō 1 lie back
āl-a ae 1f. wing
110 ut how + subj. (after addidit and at 113; and implied at 112 [ut] Amphitryōn)
satyr-us ī 2m. satyr
cēlō 1 hide
111 Nyctēida: Greek acc. of Nycteis, ‘daughter of Nycteus’, otherwise known as Antiope
112 Amphitryōn: husband of Alcmena who came from Tiryns in Southern Greece
cum ‘at the time when’
Tīrynthi-us a um from Tiryns (i.e. Alcmena)
113 aure-us a um golden. In this and the next line we get a string of adjectives and nouns (in the nom.) referring to Jupiter (aureus, ignis, pāstor, uarius . . . serpēns, to be prefaced with ‘disguised as’) and the different women he seduced (in the acc.). The verb cēpit is to be understood where no other verb is available
Danaēn: Greek acc. of Danae; producing Perseus
Asōpida: Greek acc. of Asopis, otherwise Aegina, producing the hero Aeacus
114 Mnēmosynēn: Greek acc. of Mnemosyne, producing the nine Muses
Dēōida: Greek acc. of Deois (= daughter of Demeter) i.e. Proserpina, herself a daughter of Jupiter – an incestuous end to the list of Jupiter’s seductions
115 Neptūn-us ī 2m. Neptune, god of the sea. Arachne now pictures his affairs
116 Aeoli-us a um daughter of Aeolus. This uirgō is Canace, who produced five offspring. Note the string of ‘apostrophes’ in 115–20 (cf. 112)
posuit: understand ‘Arachne’ as subject
uīsus: ‘seen as’, ‘in the guise of’; this controls Enipeus and ariēs 117
Enīpeus: a river (god) in Thessaly
117 gignō 3 father, sire
Alōīdās: acc. pl. of Aloidae, the giants Otus and Ephialtes
ariēs ariēt-is 3m. ram
Bīsaltida: Greek acc., daughter of Bisaltes (Theophane, otherwise unknown)
118 tē: i.e. Neptune, whom three subjects (māter = Demeter 118, māter = Medusa 120, Melanthō 120) experience (sēnsit three times) as a horse, bird and dolphin
frūx frūg-is 3f. fruit
mīt-is e mild, gentle
119 crīnīt-us a um coiffeured (with + abl.)
coluber colubr-ī 2m. snake
120 equī: i.e. Pegasus
uolucer uolucr-is e fast
delphīna: Greek acc. s. of delphīn, a dolphin
122 reddidit: the subject is Arachne
agrest-is is 3m. countryman, peasant. For a time Apollo was forced to serve king Admetus. The reasons for his disguises as a hawk and lion are a mystery to us
123 utque ‘and how [he] . . .’. ut is used in the same way at 124, 125 and 126
modo . . . modo now . . . now . . .
accipiter accipitr-is 3m. hawk
leō -nis 3m. lion
124 pāstor: i.e. as a shepherd; we know nothing about his deception of Isse
Macarēida: Greek acc. of Macareis, daughter of Macareus
Issēn: Greek acc. of Isse
125 Līber: Arachne finishes off her work by depicting the affairs of two other gods – Liber (another name for Bacchus/Dionysus, god of drink) and Saturn. Little or nothing is known about either of these affairs
Ērigonēn: Greek acc. of Erigone
ūu-a ae 1f. grape. Presumably Liber/Bacchus disguised himself as a grape?
126 Sāturn-us ī 2m. Saturn, a very ancient god (presumably disguised as a horse, equō)
geminum: i.e. double-natured, half-man, half-horse
Chīrōna: Greek acc. of Ch(e)iron, a centaur famous for his wisdom (in one story he raised the young Achilles, Homer Iliad 11.832)
creō 1 create, produce
127 *tēl-a ae 1f. tapestry, weaving
limb-us ī 2m. border, edge
128 nexil-is e twining
heder-a ae 1f. ivy
intertext-us a um interwoven. A rare double spondee ends the almost golden line and Arachne’s work
129 carpō 3 carp at, criticise, pick to pieces (note the weaving metaphor)
130 success-us ūs 4m. (good) result, success (here abl. of cause, RL108.2, RLL(f)4(iii), WSuppl.syntax)
uirāgō uirāgin-is 3f. warlike woman, i.e. Minerva. She was a martial goddess (hence her gear at 78–9), and now she is about to show it
131 rumpō 3 rūpī smash, rip up
132 Cytōriac-us a um from Mount Cytorus in Turkey, where boxwood – a hard wood – was grown
radi-us ī 2m. shuttle
133 ter three times
quater four times
Idmoni-a ae 2f. daughter of Idmon (Arachne)
134 īnfēlīx : i.e. Arachne
laque-us ī 2m. noose
animōs-us a um proud, spirited
ligō 1 tie, bind
135 guttur -is 3n. throat
miseror 1 dep. take pity on
136 improb-us a um presumptuous
137 lēxque: subject of estō 138
sēcūr-us a um care-free (about + gen.)
futūr-um ī 2n. the future
138 estō: 3rd person imper. of sum, RLE1
139 suc-us ī 2m. juice
Hecatēidos: Greek gen. of Hecatēis, ‘belonging to Hecate’ (goddess of the underworld); Hecate is a witch, and expert in witchcraft
herb-a ae 1f. herb
140 sparsit: cf. Diana flicking water at Actaeon, passage 5, 3.189–90
extemplō immediately
medicāmen medicāmin-is 3n. drug
141 dēfluō 3 dēfluxī drop off
quīs = quibus
nār-is is 3f. nose
143 latus later-is 3n. side
exīl-is e thin
crūs crūr-is 3n. leg, shin
144 uenter uentr-is 3m. stomach
145 stāmen stāmin-is 3n. thread
antiquās: i.e. what she used to practise as a human
exerceō 2 practise
arāne-a ae 1f. spider (in apposition to Arachne)
Notes
1–13: Minerva thoroughly approves of the Muses’ treatment of the Pierides who had had the temerity to challenge the Muses to a singing contest (1–2). Nevertheless, her praise for them reminds her that she needs to be praised too (ancient gods were never modest about their demands or needs), and she remembers that her own godhead is currently being insulted (3–4) by the mortal Arachne, who (Minerva had heard) reckoned she was just as good a weaver as Minerva herself (5–7). And so, with a somewhat lumpy thematic transition, Ovid moves on to the next story. Arachne’s humble origins – her father a mere pleb who worked with dye, her dead mother his equal in this (7–11) – make her transgression all the more galling, and Ovid emphasises Arachne’s active desire for almost heroic fame (nōmen memorābile) in spite of her background (12–13: parua paruīs reinforces our sense of the ‘small-town’ girl keen to make good). Ovid, having told us that Minerva was wondering what to do about Arachne (5), prompts us (as often) to see this account of Arachne’s activities through Minerva’s eyes, as if 6–13 were her reflections on the matter.
14–25: Further – and even worse – Arachne had actually won the fame she sought, since crowds of nymphs came from miles not only to admire the finished product but even to watch her work (14–18). The balanced repetitions of 15–16, especially the forceful dēseruēre (not just ‘left’) and repeated suī, suās, emphasise that whatever people’s attachments to their homes, they still came. Ovid now expands on Arachne’s manual skill, covering everything from forming the raw wool into balls and drawing it out in threads, to turning the spindle and embroidering (19–23). The climax comes at 23–5: she must have been taught by Minerva herself (note the 2nd s. scīrēs, drawing the reader into agreement). Nonsense, says Arachne, offēnsa at the idea that her skill was anyone’s but her own – let Minerva challenge me and find out! One can sense Minerva’s bile rising as she goes through all this in her mind (cf. 30–3). This narrative so far is all background to the story proper, which will begin at 26. Observe how Ovid’s careful use of tense marks it off: pluperfects audierat (7), occiderat (10), fuerat (11), quaesierat (12), followed by perfects and imperfects (15–23). Then, in 24–5, Ovid switches to the present – the situation as it is now, with which Minerva is about to deal.
26–33: Disguising herself as an old woman (26–7), Minerva argues that, since old age has some uses, Arachne should be prepared to take advice from her (28–30; note sperne, cf. 4) – do not challenge the gods but ask forgiveness for daring to do so (30–3). Note cēde, ueniam (twice), temerāria, supplice, and rogō (twice). Will a proud woman like Arachne listen to that? It is almost as if Minerva is inviting Arachne to fall into the trap.
34–52: It is Arachne’s last chance. She fluffs it. Furious, she puts down her work, only just prevents herself from hitting the old woman and, turning on her (34–6), accuses her of being senile (37–8) and bossy (38–9), and expresses confidence in her own judgement (40–1). Not knowing that she is addressing Minerva, she challenges Minerva to a show-down (42) – who reveals herself and accepts (43–4). Everyone else, naturally, falls down to venerate the goddess, but not Arachne (44–5). Ovid dwells on the unwitting (inuīta) blush that quickly fades from her cheek (simile, 46–9). Does Arachne realise she has gone too far? Does she feel she should back down? No! Ovid-as-narrator emphasises that she brings her own punishment upon herself, generated by obstinacy (perstat) and short-sighted greed (stolidā cupīdine, 50–1: cf. fāta with fātīs 5). As for Minerva, no more warnings from her, but down to business (51–2). This is what she has been waiting for all along. Revenge, and praise, will be hers – or at least, the first.
70–82: ekphrasis (the Greek for ‘description’) is the technical term used for the detailed literary description of a real or imaginary work of art (it is a subject that generates much excitement among literary scholars). Faced with describing a work of art in words, the author unsurprisingly turns
the static picture into a story, saying who is who and what they are doing. Ovid now gives us thorough ekphraseis (plural) of Minerva’s and Arachne’s imaginary tapestries: first, Minerva’s. The centre of her tapestry is a picture of herself defeating Poseidon in a contest to become the patron of Athens. The location is explained (the Areopagus – ‘Ares/Mars’ rock’ – near the Acropolis, 70–1); the gods are present, with special emphasise on Jupiter, each identifiable by look (72–4, including a fine rising tricolon); Poseidon is shown striking a rock from which water pours out (75–7); Minerva depicts herself in full regalia (78–9), producing the (winning) olive (80–1), while all the gods look on in wonder; and the work is finished off with a representation of the goddess Victory (82), a god popular with the army (the emperor Augustus had erected an altar to Victory in the Senate house in 29 BC) and therefore with a military figure such as Minerva. Self-praise could hardly go further. Nor could the hint to Arachne: that Minerva is a winner.
83–102: In the four corners of her tapestry, however, Minerva depicts what happens to those who cross the gods – and Ovid leaves us in no doubt that she has Arachne in mind here (83–4). Most of the stories attached to these sinners are not known to us: Rhodope and Haemus are a mystery (87–9), as is the female Pygmy (90–2); Antigone apparently boasted about the beauty of her hair and was turned into a stork (93–7); and we can only guess at what Cinyras’ daughters did (98–100). Minerva ends by bordering the tapestry with a further self-reference – her very own olive (101–2). This is a tapestry with a message for mortals like Arachne: never cross a god like Minerva.
103–14: Arachne takes a quite different tack: gods in disguise, who deceive helpless females into sexual submission. At once Ovid points to the superiority of Arachne’s work: it really did look like the real thing (104). Europa, being carried far out to sea on the back of the bull-Jupiter, really did seem to be gazing at the retreating shore (105), and her companions to be shouting (106, how does one picture a shout?) and afraid of following her as the sea leapt up at them and they withdrew their feet (106–7). In other words, Arachne is a master at depicting emotion, movement and sound; there is nothing as complex in Minerva’s work. Next, Asterie and Leda struggle against Jupiter in the form of an eagle and swan (108–9); disguised as a satyr, Jupiter impregnates Antiope (110–11); he takes Alcmena in the guise of her husband Amphitruo (112); descending in a gold shower, he takes Danae, and as fire, shepherd and a snake, other women. The sheer variety and complexity of the scenes on offer elevate Arachne’s tapestry far above Minerva’s comparatively mundane effort.