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MELEAGER (Gk. M€X aypos)

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Originally appearing in Volume V18, Page 93 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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MELEAGER (Gk. M€X aypos)  , in See also:Greek See also:legend, the son of Oeneus, See also:king of See also:Calydon, and See also:Althaea . His See also:father having neglected to See also:sacrifice to See also:Artemis, she sent a See also:wild See also:boar to ravage the See also:land, which was eventually slain by See also:Meleager . A See also:war See also:broke out between the Calydonians and See also:Curetes (led by Althaea's See also:brothers) about the disposal of the See also:head and skin, which Meleager awarded as a See also:prize to See also:Atalanta, who had inflicted the first See also:wound; the brothers of Althaea See also:lay in wait for Atalanta and robbed her of the spoils, but were slain by Meleager . When Althaea heard this, she cursed Meleager, who withdrew, and refused to fight until the Curetes were on the point of capturing the See also:city of Calydon . Then, yielding to his wife's entreaties, he sallied forth and defeated the enemy, but was never seen again, having been carried off by the See also:Erinyes, who had heard his See also:mother's curse (or he was slain by See also:Apollo in See also:battle) . According to a later tradition, not known to See also:Homer, the Moerae appeared to Althaea when Meleager was seven days old, and announced^ that the See also:child would only live as See also:long as the See also:log blazing on the See also:hearth remained unconsumed . Althaea thereupon seized the log, extinguished the flames, and hid it in a See also:box . But, after her brothers' See also:death, she relighted the log, and let it See also:burn away until Meleager died.3 Then, horrified at what she had done, she hanged herself, or died of grief . The sisters of Meleager were 2 The See also:god 'EXtoOv was also Phoenician; see See also:Driver, See also:Genesis, p . 165; See also:Lagrange, Religions Simitiques, See also:Index, s.v . 3 On the See also:torch as representing the See also:light of See also:life, see E . Kuhnert in Rheinisches Museum, x1ix., 1894, and J .

See also:

Grimm, See also:Teutonic See also:Mythology (Eng. trans. by J . Stallybrass, ,88o), ii . 853 . changed by Artemis out of compassion into See also:guinea fowls and removed to the See also:island of Leros, where they mourned See also:part of the See also:year for their See also:brother . The life and adventures of Meleager were a favourite subject in See also:ancient literature and See also:art . Meleager is represented as a tall, vigorous youth with See also:curly See also:hair, holding a See also:javelin or a boar's head, and accompanied by a See also:dog, See R . See also:Kekule, De fabula meleagrea dissertatio (1861); Surber, See also:Die Meleagersage (See also:Zurich, 188o) ; articles on Meleager " and Meleagrides " in See also:Roscher's Lexikon der Mythologie; L . See also:Preller, Griechische Mythologie; See also:Apollodorus i . 8; Homer, Iliad, ix . 527; Died . Sic. iv . 34; Dio See also:Chrysostom, Or .

67; See also:

Hyginus, Fab . 171; See also:Ovid, Metam . Viii . 260-545 . In the See also:article GREEK ART (fig .

End of Article: MELEAGER (Gk. M€X aypos)
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