Calydonian boar

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Calydonian boar hunt on the François vase , around 570 BC Chr.
Meleagros presents Atalante with the head of the Calydonian boar, Berlin
Calydonian boar on Roman denarius , 68 BC. Chr., Albert 1314

The Calydonian boar (also Calydonian pig ) is a monster of Greek mythology .

The Greek legend

The Calydonian boar, like the Erymanthian boar, a descendant of the mighty sow Phaia , was enraged by Artemis sent to devastate the surrounding fields of the city of Kalydon , because Oineus , the king there, had forgotten one day to include Artemis in his offerings. The boar was white in color, with bristles like spears, teeth like an elephant, and the size of an ox. The king's workers and cattle are also killed. Finally, Oineus calls for the bravest heroes of Greece. Many come to hunt the boar - except for Heracles , who is bound by his work.

The participants in the hunt are Admetus from Pherai , Amphiaraos from Argos , Ankaios and Kepheus from Arcadia , Atalante , the virgin huntress from Arcadia or Boeotia , Jason from Iolkos , Idas and Lynkeus from Messene , Iphicles from Thebes , Kaineus from Magnesia , Castor and Polydeukes , the Dioscuri of Sparta , Meleager , son of Oineus and Althaia , Nestor of Pylos , Peirithoos from Larisa , Peleus and Eurytion from Phthia , Plexippus and Toxeus from Pleuron , Kometes and Prothous , the brothers of Althaia, wife of Oineus, Meleager's uncles, Simon , Thrasyllos' brother , Telamon from Salamis and Theseus from Athens .

When they arrive at Oineus, two of these heroes refuse to hunt with a woman: Ankaios and Cepheus of Tegea , both of whom, like Atalante, come from Arcadia. Meleager, who - although married to Cleopatra - begins to fall in love with Atalante, can persuade both of them to give in, as Oineus threatens to break off the hunt. When this finally begins after a nine-day feast, the two centaurs Hyalos and Rhoikos , who have also joined the hunting community , try to rape Atalante together. Atalante, however, can kill both of them and subsequently goes next to Meleager.

When they encounter the boar and it attacks Telamon and Peleus, Atalante can at least distract the animal with a well-aimed bow shot. Ankaios is killed by the boar; Peleus accidentally kills the Eurytion in the fray . Amphiaraos, the seer, can blind the animal with one shot of his bow. Meleager pierces the boar's flank with his spear, which the monster finally drives further into its body and thus perishes.

Meleager, in love, now wants to give Atalante the skin of the animal, because after all, the animal's first blood flowed through her shot. Some participants in the hunt are enraged and think: If it is not clear who is really responsible for the death of the animal, then the fleece belongs to the most venerable participant in the hunt, namely Plexippos - says Plexippos. When his younger brother joins him and claims that at least Iphicles was the first to at least touch the animal with his arrow, Meleager kills his two uncles for the sake of Atalante, according to a version of Euripides preserved in fragments, in anger of being in love. The killing of his uncles, of which there are very different versions, means that his own mother will ultimately curse him and throw the log into the fire that - as long as it was intact - ensured his survival. In fact, Meleager dies after a short time, whereupon his mother hangs herself.

Remarks

  1. ↑ see on this version Ernst Kuhnert : Meleagros . In: Wilhelm Heinrich Roscher (Hrsg.): Detailed lexicon of Greek and Roman mythology . Volume 2.2, Leipzig 1897, Col. 2598-2600 ( digitized version ).

Editing in Fine Literature and Art

  • Lawrence Norfolk : In the shape of a boar . Roman, Knaus, Munich 2001 (original title: In the Shape of a Boar , translated by Melanie Walz), ISBN 3-8135-0085-3 .
  • Georg Daltrop: The Calydonian hunt in antiquity (= The hunt in art ), Parey, Hamburg / Berlin 1966 DNB 456 311 106 .

literature

  • Michael Grant , John Hazel: Lexicon of ancient myths and figures (= dtv 3181). Unabridged edition in the text. Deutscher Taschenbuch-Verlag, Munich 1980, ISBN 3-423-03181-6 .
  • Karl Kerényi : The Mythology of the Greeks. Volume 2: The Heroen Stories (= dtv 30031). 13th edition. Deutscher Taschenbuch-Verlag, Munich 1992, ISBN 3-423-30031-0 .
  • Robert von Ranke-Graves : Greek Mythology. Sources and interpretation (= Rowohlt's encyclopedia. 404). New edition in one volume, 15th edition. Rowohlt, Reinbek bei Hamburg 2003, ISBN 3-499-55404-6 .

Web links

Commons : Calydonian Boar  - Collection of images, videos and audio files