Actéon
In the Greek Mythology, Actéon (in Greek old Ἀκταίων / Aktaíôn ) is a famous hunter.
The metamorphosis
Wire of a minor god, Aristée (or of Cadmos according to Ovide) and of Autonoé, it passes to be raised by the Centaure Chiron and becomes a very skilful hunter. According to the most popular version, it surprises by chance, during its huntings, the goddess Artémis taking her bath. Furious and not having its weapons with range, it transforms it, by aspergeant it of water, in stag: Actéon, impotent, dies torn by its own dogs. (Diodore mentions other reasons with the ire of the goddess: it would have made a sacrilege in its temple or would have been praised to be more skilful than she with hunting. This last explanation is already given by Euripide in its Bacchantes .)
According to a minority tradition mentioned by the Pseudo-Apollodore (which allots it to Acousilaos), Actéon is metamorphosed by Zeus to have continued Sémélé, princess thebaine mother of Dionysos, of its assiduities.
Pausanias (IX, 38,5) reports that it was the subject of a heroic worship in the quoted of Orchomène (Béotie).
Artistic evocations
As of the Antiquity, the surprise of Artémis to the bath and the metamorphosis of Actéon are a favorite subject of the painters and sculptors. Pausanias (X, 30,5) evokes thus a painting of Polygnote (fifth century BC) on this subject. In its famous table Diane leaving the bath (see opposite), Boucher chooses to refer to this famous episode simply: whereas the naked goddess leaves water, one of its dogs smells the presence of an intruder - it will be Actéon. Among the famous representations of this moment, one can quote:
- the Hunting of Diane , Luca Giordano;
- Diane and Actéon , of the Riding of Arpin;
- Actéon metamorphosed in stag of Francesco Albane.
Sources
-
(III, 4,4).
- (IV, 33).
- (v. 337-340).
- (CLXXXI).
- (XX), (III, 138-252).
- (I, 44,5; IX, 2,3; IX, 38,5; X, 17,3; X, 30,5).
See too