# Spinning and weaving --- ## History ### China - [[Men plough, women weave (Chinese idiom)]] --- ### Egypt (Ancient) [[“It is well known that sometimes Herodotus describes exotic barbarians in order to construct a picture of barbarism to be compared pejoratively with familiar Hellenism ...”|“Weaving is woman’s work in Greece; in Egypt the men do it.”]][^1] --- ### Europe Spinners and weavers passed down their craft and traditions to their daughters.[^2] They would invoke faithful goddesses while spinning, and chant and observe relevant omens.[^3] Women refused to weave on [[Thursday]], which was a holy day of rest.[^4] --- - *See also:* - [[Spinning and weaving deities]] [^1]: Robert Wardy, *[[Wardy. 'Doing Greek Philosophy', 2006.|Doing Greek Philosophy]]* (London and New York: Routledge, 2006), p. 59. [^2]: Max Dashu, [[Dashu. 'Witches and Pagans_ Women in European Folk Religion, 700-1100', 2017.|Witches and Pagans: Women in European Folk Religion, 700-1100]] (Richmond, CA: Veleda Press, 2017), Chapter 2. [^3]: Max Dashu, [[Dashu. 'Witches and Pagans_ Women in European Folk Religion, 700-1100', 2017.|Witches and Pagans: Women in European Folk Religion, 700-1100]] (Richmond, CA: Veleda Press, 2017), p. 33. [^4]: Max Dashu, [[Dashu. 'Witches and Pagans_ Women in European Folk Religion, 700-1100', 2017.|Witches and Pagans: Women in European Folk Religion, 700-1100]], p. 36.