Eliza and Athena

"i made this myth up for my language arts class. i hope you like it"

once there was a young girl named eliza. she was the daughter of a king and so she never had to work. she became very lazy. she had her servants do everything for her.

"i am so very thirsty, and my glass is on the table. please get it for me." she called. immediately a servant picked the glass up from the table next to eliza and held it up to her lips until eliza was no longer thirsty.

the next day, eliza was walking to dinner when her hat fell off. she called for a servant and a young man ran over, picked up the hat, dusted it off , and placed it back on eliza's head.

she continually called for her servants to do simple tasks for her. her father noticed her laziness and decided1 to punish her. he set her in a room with only a loom2 and some yarn3. no servants were allowed in the room.

"you will stay in this room, not eating or drinking until you have woven a blanket for me. you have to do all of the work by yourself. call for me when you are done". the king left eliza all alone in her room.

eliza called for her servants, but none appeared. then she remembered her father telling her about athena, the goddess of wisdom and handicrafts. she called for athena over and over until finally, she fell asleep.

while she was sleeping, she had a dream. hermes spoke4 to her in her dream. he said "athena has heard your pleas for help. she is very angry with you. she will come to you and inform you of your punishment".

eliza awoke very frightened. she then saw that there was an owl5 on the edge of her window. the owl spoke to her.

"i am athena. you have called upon me to do your work. you must be punished for your laziness. you are a mortal of high importance, therefore you have no work to do. i am going to make you a lowly animal.

you will have to work constantly just to stay alive. people will look down at you in disgust. you will be killed just because you are insignificant6. all of your children and their children and so on will have the same fate".

eliza worked for the rest of her life. all of her children have the same fate.

they are doomed7 to be ants for the rest of their lives.

the end