Aconite is a toxic plant that grows up to a metre tall and has purple or blue flowers. It grows on rocky terrain rather than in the ground and is exceedingly dangerous, which is exactly what the ancient Greeks used it for. Hecate, the goddess or witch, is claimed to have produced the poison aconite, which Athena used to turn Arachne, a mortal, into a spider in Greek mythology. When Arachne, a shepherd's daughter, challenged Athena, goddess of wisdom and crafts, to a weaving contest, Athena became enraged and jealous and beat Arachne around the head. When Athena saw Arachne hang herself, she said, 'Live on then and yet hang, condemned one, but should you be reckless in the future, this same condition is pronounced, in punishment, against your descendants, to the last generation!' Hecate's venom was sprinkled on her. Arachne's hair fell out, her nose and ears fell out, her head shrank, and her entire body shrank as soon as the poison touched her. Her fingers served as legs, and the rest of her body was one round belly from which she continues to weave a thread.
