Athena
The story of Athena in Ovid's "Metamorphoses" strikes me as relatable. Athena is challenged by Arachne to a weaving contest and, though Athena weaves a complex piece showing Arachne the dangers of challenging a goddess, is still bested when she looks upon Arachne's piece (which insults the gods and diminishes their power) and it is just as technically good as hers. She the proceeds to beat Arachne and turn her forever into a spider. I think that most people can relate to the feeling of expecting to be the best and then being proven wrong by someone you perceived as lesser than you. It's a classic high school feeling- you studied so hard for a test just to have Jenny No-Study do better than you, sparking feelings of jealously, inadequacy, and frustration. Athena takes that feeling and blows it into literal god-like proportions. She's the goddess of wisdom and weaving is kind of her thing, so it's only natural to expect that when she's bested at it, not only does she feel stupid, which is against her very nature and purpose, but she feels that her status is being challenged and lessened, something a god can simply not stand for. She even warned Arachne what would happen to her via the very tapestry she was weaving! So should we really expect anything other than a tantrum of divine magnitude? I think we've all been where Athena is after being beaten- too bad we can't turn people into spiders.Â