The Hunt for the Wild Boar of Calydon
Artemis, goddess of the hunt, pursued a bitter and relentless vengeance upon a king who carelessly slighted her.
Artemis, goddess of the hunt, pursued a bitter and relentless vengeance upon a king who carelessly slighted her.
Calydon was an ancient city in Aetolia, on the west coast of mainland Greece near modern Missolonghi. The tale tells how Artemis, goddess of the hunt, took spiteful revenge on a king who slighted her.
WHEN Meleager, son of Oeneus, king of Calydon, was born, the Fates whispered that his life would last no longer than a chip of wood upon the nursery fire. Overhearing them, his mother Althaea sprang to the fire and doused it, locking what remained safely in a chest.
Many years later, Oeneus forgot to honour Artemis in his sacrifices, and the outraged goddess loosed a huge boar in his kingdom, which tore through it destroying crops and homes.
Meleager, now a young man, assembled a formidable hunting party of heroes to deal with the menace, from Jason and Theseus to Castor and Pollux — and also one woman, Atalanta.
Atalanta had been found in the woods as a baby by hunters, and was herself skilled as a hunter. But her presence was a source of constant discord in the party, with Meleager’s uncles especially resentful of a woman.
In fact, everything was going as the vengeful Artemis had planned.
Suggest answers to this question. See if you can limit one answer to exactly seven words.
How did Althaea prevent the Fates’ prophecy from coming true?
Express the ideas below in a single sentence, using different words as much as possible. Do not be satisfied with the first answer you think of; think of several, and choose the best.
The Fates prophesied. ‘The nursery fire will burn to ashes. Then Meleager will die.’