Vana'diel Bestiary: Arachne  

General Information

• Lottery spawn of the Recluse Spider at (F-9)/(F-10) on the second map of Kuftal Tunnel.

Arachne's Spawn Location

• Aggressive to sound and links with Recluse Spiders

• Guaranteed drops: Arachne Web

Arachne Special Attacks

• Sickle Slash: Single target critical hit physical damage.

• Spider Web: Strong AoE Slow effect. (Effect overwrites and cannot be overwritten by the Haste spell).

• Acid Spray: Frontal cone AoE Water based magic damage with additional Poison damage.

Historical Information

Arachne, in Greek mythology, was a weaver in the city of Hypaepa, who claimed that her skills were so great that she had no equal in her craft, including the goddess Athena, who not only presided over wisdom and war, but also over the weaving arts. Athena, assuming the guise of an old woman, confronted Arachne and warned her to not anger the gods, though Arachne scoffed at her and insisted that a contest be held to prove her skills.

Athena, now back in her true form, wove a tapestry depicting the victory she had over the god Poseidon which inspired the people of Athens to name their city after her. Arachne in turn wove a tapestry depicting twenty-one infidelities of the gods, including three instances of the god Zeus with mortal women.

Though she admitted that Arachne's work was flawless, the subject matter she chose enraged Athena, who tore apart Arachne's loom and tapestry, then struck her in the head. Realizing her mistake, Arachne ran off and committed suicide by hanging herself.

Taking pity on Arachne, Athena sprinkled her body with the juices of the flower Aconite and loosened the rope, which turned into a spider's web. Likewise, Arachne was transformed into a spider, so that she could continue weaving with the spider silk that Athena had created.