Calydonian HuntKalydonian Hunt

The quest for the Golden Fleece, the Trojan War and the Kalydonian Boar Hunt are three of the most notable gatherings of heroes in the ancient world.

A savage boar had been released into the countryside around the city of Kalydon (Calydon) by the goddess Artemis in order to punish king Oineus for his failure to make a proper sacrifice to her.

The boar was in no way ordinary; it was so fierce that no single person could master it; a hunting party of the most noble and bravest fighters in all of Greece was assembled to hunt the boar; included in the hunting party was the beautiful virgin huntress, Atalanta; she was the first to wound the boar but the beast was finally killed by Meleagros (Meleager).

Meleagros awarded the boar-skin to Atalanta as a tribute to her bravery; his mother’s brother (or brothers) tried to take the prize away from Atalanta but Meleagros killed his uncle(s) for the insult to his authority; the murder of his uncle(s) would eventually be the undoing of Meleagros; he died during the siege of Troy when his venomous mother called upon the lords of darkness to avenge her brother’s death at the hands of her arrogant son.

Participants in the Calydonian Boar Hunt included: Meleagros, Atalanta, Akastos, Telamon, Iphiklos (Iphiclos) and Peleus.