The Story of Meleager
Meleager was the son of Oeneus, king of Calydon, and his wife Althaea. When the baby was a week old, the three Fates appeared and said he would live only until a log burning in the fire turned to ash. Althaea snatched the log from the flames, put it out and hid it in a chest.
Meleager grew into a brave young warrior, and in some tellings he sailed with the Argonauts. When his father forgot to honor Artemis in his harvest offerings, the angry goddess sent a gigantic boar to ravage the land of Calydon. It trampled crops, killed cattle and terrified the people.
Meleager gathered the finest heroes of Greece to hunt the boar, including Theseus, Peleus, Jason, the twins Castor and Pollux and the huntress Atalanta. Atalanta drew first blood, and Meleager, who had fallen in love with her, finished the beast off. He gave her its hide as the prize.
Meleager's uncles, the brothers of Althaea, were outraged that a woman should receive the prize and tried to take it from her. In the quarrel, Meleager killed them. Mad with grief for her brothers, Althaea took the hidden log and threw it into the fire, and Meleager died as it burned away, after which Althaea took her own life.
In Homer's Iliad, the old warrior Phoenix tells a different version of Meleager's anger, in which he refused to fight for his city until it was nearly lost, a warning meant for the angry Achilles. Later poets said that Meleager's grieving sisters were turned into birds, the guinea fowl. When Heracles went down to the underworld, he met Meleager's ghost, who asked him to marry his sister Deianira.
Famous Myths About Meleager
The Burning Log
When Meleager was a week old, the Fates told his mother Althaea that he would live only until a log in the fire burned away. She snatched it from the flames, put it out, and hid it in a chest.
The Calydonian Boar Hunt
Artemis sent a giant boar to ravage Calydon, and Meleager gathered the finest heroes of Greece to hunt it. He killed the beast and gave its hide to the huntress Atalanta, whom he loved.
Death by Fire
Meleager's uncles were outraged that a woman received the prize, and in the quarrel Meleager killed them. Their sister Althaea, mad with grief for her brothers, threw the hidden log into the fire, and Meleager died as it burned away.
Meleager's Family Tree
Parents of Meleager
Partners of Meleager
Children of Meleager
Frequently Asked Questions About Meleager
Who was Meleager in Greek mythology?
Meleager was a prince of Calydon, the son of King Oeneus and Queen Althaea, and the leader of the Calydonian Boar Hunt.
What is the story of Meleager's burning log?
When Meleager was born, the Fates said he would live only until a log burning in the hearth was consumed. His mother Althaea pulled the log from the fire and hid it away.
How did Meleager die?
After the boar hunt, Meleager killed his mother's brothers in a quarrel over the boar's skin. In grief and anger, Althaea threw the log into the fire, and Meleager died as it burned.
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