Erigone

Erigone is a figure in Greek mythology, described as the daughter of Icarius and his wife (names vary by source). The myth links her to the introduction of wine to mortals and to the origins of Dionysian cult rites. According to one version, Icarius shares wine with neighbors; the guests, misinterpreting it as poison, attack and kill him. Grief-stricken, Erigone and her faithful dog Maera die; in some tellings she hangs herself at her father’s tomb. Other accounts say that Erigone and Maera are later transformed into celestial figures. The story has been cited in classical literature as an etiological tale for wine, rural mourning customs, and the relationship between humans and the gods.

Erigone is also a genus of spiders in the family Linyphiidae, commonly known as sheet weavers. Species of Erigone are small, generally a few millimeters long, and many are brown or dull in coloration. They construct horizontal sheet-like webs among vegetation, leaf litter, or low understory, where they capture small insects. The genus has a widespread distribution, including Europe, parts of Asia, and North America, and its members can be found in forests, grasslands, and human-modified habitats. Erigone spiders are typically investigated in ecological and taxonomic studies due to their abundance, diversity, and role as predators of small invertebrates.