Apart from the hexagonal honeycombs of bees, there are hardly any more perfect architectural creations in nature than spider webs. Spiders weave them with such speed and virtuosity that they rightly aroused the envy of the Greek goddess Pallas Athena. According to legend, spiders originated as follows: In the region of Lydia lived a peasant girl named Arachne. She was famous for being the best weaver in all of Hellas. Her fabric was as delicate as mist and as transparent as air. She was so convinced of her abilities that she did not hesitate even to compete with Athena, the goddess of art, crafts, and handiwork, and the favorite daughter of Zeus. The contest was observed and judged by 12 gods under the leadership of Zeus. The “jury” awarded first place, as expected, to Pallas Athena. Arachne could not bear this humiliation and tried to hang herself. But the magnanimous Athena freed her from the noose and said: “Live, rebellious maiden! But from now on you shall hang and weave as long as you live.” Then she sprinkled her with the juice of magical plants, her hair fell out, she shrank, and was transformed into a spider. Since then, the spider Arachne has hung in her web and continues to weave it. The great class of arachnids, Arachnida, is named after Arachne.