Méléagre (mythology)

See also: Méléagre

In the Greek Mythology, Méléagre (in Greek old Μελέαγρος / Meléagros ) is the son of Œnée, king of Calydon, and Althée, and the brother of Tydée and Déjanire. Certain version make rather of them the son of Arès.

According to Homère, it takes part in the hunting of the monstrous Sanglier of Calydon which devastates the vines of Calydon - wild boar sent by Artémis to punish Œnée not to have offered first steps of its vine to him. To cut down the animal, Œnée called upon many heroes like Jason, Idas and Lyncée, Nestor, Thésée, Pirithoos or the Dioscures. Lastly, Méléagre manages to cut down the animal. Furious, Artémis causes a war between Calydoniens and Curètes, war whose stake is the skin of wild boar and Calydon itself. During the war, Méléagre kills the brothers of its mother, who curses it. The curse obliges it to be withdrawn. But thereafter, yielding to the prayers of its people, it joined the battle, but is finally killed, according to the wishes of the Érinyes.

According to an alternative, reported by the Pseudo-Apollodore then by Ovide, the Moires appear shortly after its birth, predicting that when one of the logs of the hearth would be consumed, Méléagre would die at once. Frightened, Althée hiding place the log. Thereafter, during hunting, Méléagre falls in love with Atalante, one of the participating ones, which gives rise to then Parthénopée. Atalante gives the first wound to wild boar, and Méléagre gives him, in reward, the skin of the animal. Furious that the skin returns to a woman, the two brothers of Althée try to take it again to him, but Méléagre kills them. Althée, to be avenged, then throws to fire the log, thus killing his/her son.

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