Editing Textiles in folklore (section)

==Greece==
In Greek mythology, the [[Moirai]] (the "Fates") are the three [[crone]]s who control [[destiny]], by spinning the thread of life on the distaff. [[Ariadne]], princess of Minoan Crete and later the wife of the god [[Dionysus]], possessed the spun thread that led [[Theseus]] to the center of the [[labyrinth]] and safely out again.

Among the [[Twelve Olympians|Olympian]]s, the weaver goddess is [[Athena]], who, despite her role, was bested by her acolyte [[Arachne]], whom Athena in retribution turned into a weaving spider.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/Athena-Greek-mythology|title=Athena {{!}} Greek mythology|access-date=2016-09-29}}</ref> The daughters of Minyas, [[Alcithoe]], [[Leuconoe]] and their sister, defied [[Dionysus]] and honored Athena in their weaving instead of joining his festival. A woven [[peplos]], laid upon the knees of the goddess's iconic image, was central to festivals honoring both Athena at Athens, and [[Hera]].

In Homer's legend of the [[Odyssey]], [[Penelope]] the faithful wife of [[Odysseus]] was a weaver, weaving her design for a shroud by day, but unravelling it again at night, to keep her suitors from claiming her during the long years while Odysseus was away; Penelope's weaving is sometimes compared to that of the two weaving enchantresses in the ''Odyssey'', [[Circe]] and [[Calypso (mythology)|Calypso]]. [[Helen of Troy|Helen]] is at her loom in the ''[[Iliad]]'' to illustrate her discipline, work ethic, and attention to detail.

[[Homer]] dwells upon the supernatural quality of the weaving in the robes of goddesses.

In Roman literature, [[Ovid]] in his ''[[Metamorphoses (poem)|Metamorphoses]]'' (VI, 575–587) recounts the terrible tale of [[Philomela (princess of Athens)|Philomela]], who was raped and her tongue cut out so that she could not tell about her violation, her loom becomes her voice, and the story is told in the design, so that her sister [[Philomela (princess of Athens)|Procne]] may understand and the women may take their revenge.  The understanding in the Philomela myth that pattern and design convey myth and ritual has been of great use to modern mythographers: [[Jane Ellen Harrison]] led the way, interpreting the more permanent patterns of vase painting, since the patterned textiles had not survived.