Erymanthic boar
The Erymanthian boar ( ancient Greek ἐρυμάνθιος κάπρος erymánthios kápros ) and the Calydonian boar were descendants of the mighty sow Phaia in Greek mythology .
The Erymanthian boar is named after Mount Erymanthos in Arcadia . Like the Kerynite doe , it was dedicated to the goddess Artemis and devastated the area around Mount Erymanthos.
To put a stop to his anger, Heracles (also known as Hercules in German-speaking countries) was entrusted with the task of catching him alive and bringing him to Mycenae . To do this, the hero drove him out of the thicket of the forest in which the boar lived and deep into a snowfield. The boar tired quickly, and Heracles had thus completed another task.
A popular motif in Greek art is the moment when Herakles brings the living boar to his employer Eurystheus , who is fearfully hiding in a large barrel.
literature
- Karl Kerényi : The Mythology of the Greeks. Volume 1: The stories of gods and mankind (= dtv 30030). 16th edition. Deutscher Taschenbuch-Verlag, Munich 1994, ISBN 3-423-30030-2 .
- Michael Grant , John Hazel: Lexicon of ancient myths and figures (= dtv 32508). Unabridged, 18th edition in the text. Deutscher Taschenbuch-Verlag, Munich 2004, ISBN 3-423-32508-9 .
- Robert von Ranke-Graves : Greek Mythology. Sources and interpretation (= Rowohlt's encyclopedia. 404). New edition in one volume, 14th edition. Rowohlt, Reinbek near Hamburg 2001, ISBN 3-499-55404-6 .
