This is an "Arachne", half woman, half spider monstrosities that can be encountered prowling about amongst the dusty bookshelves of the Study area in Konami's 2003 Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow video game. Arachnes attack by . . . um . . . lactating high-pressure streams of silk webbing from the nipples of their breasts in a machine gun-like fashion (I don't even want to know how that works, but somebody may have been thinking of Austin Powers' Fembots). If nothing else, it's a highly unusual and creative way to produce that substance!

In Greek mythology, Arachne was a mortal woman so skilled at weaving that her masterpieces rivaled, and even surpassed, that of the gods, and she was none too shy about boasting of her skill at the loom, nor did she show proper humility in crediting and thanking said deities for the artistic ability and creativity that they had bestowed upon her. Naturally, this did not sit very well with the gods at all, and Athena in particular, thus, She challenged Arachne to a weaving contest in order to teach her a lesson. However, much to Athena's dismay, not only did Arachne win the ensuing competition, but, in her boundless arrogance, Arachne foolishly chose to antagonize her divine opponent even further with the tapestry that she wove, which depicted the loves and transgressions of the gods. Like most deities, Athena was a very poor loser and didn't take insults lightly. Enraged, She destroyed Arachne's creation, slashed the woman's face, and transformed the prideful Arachne into a spider as punishment for her hubris (pissing off a god or goddess is never a good idea). In another version of the myth, Arachne lost to Athena and, shamed, committed suicide by hanging herself. Feeling pity for the dead woman, Athena brought Arachne back to life, albeit in spider form. Beyond its value as a parable, Arachne's sad tale was also the ancient Greek's explanation for how arachnids (her name is also the Greek word for spider) came to be such experts at weaving webs.

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Materials:
Newsprint, tissue paper, white notebook paper, wire twist ties, acrylic paint, ink, embroidery floss (hair), and white glue.

Dimensions:
7.2 cm (2.8") wide x 5.0 cm (2.0") long x 4.6 cm (1.8") high.

Time:
Three days; May 29th-31st, 2016.