Actaeon (Transformation)
heroHunter who accidentally saw Artemis bathing and was transformed into a stag, then torn apart by his own hunting dogs.
The Myth
His own dogs ate him alive — and they did not recognize their master. Actaeon, grandson of Cadmus and the finest hunter in Thebes, stumbled upon Artemis bathing in a forest pool while hunting on Mount Cithaeron. He saw her naked. Artemis splashed water on him and he transformed into a stag — antlers, hide, hooves. His mind remained human. He fled, and his own pack of fifty hunting dogs chased him down and tore him apart. His companions, not recognizing the stag, cheered the dogs on. Ovid lists all fifty dogs by name. The dogs then searched for their master, not knowing they had killed him. Chiron made a statue of Actaeon to comfort them.
Parents
Aristaeus, Autonoe
Symbols
Fun Fact
Ovid names all fifty of Actaeon's hunting dogs — the longest list of dog names in classical literature.
Explore Further
Actaeon
heroActaeon was a master hunter who accidentally saw Artemis bathing naked — she transformed him into a...
Aristaeus
heroCulture hero who taught humanity beekeeping, cheese-making, and olive cultivation.
Aristaeus (Beekeeper)
heroA culture hero who taught humanity beekeeping, olive cultivation, and cheese-making, and whose bees...
Actaeon's Transformation
conceptThe hunter who accidentally saw Artemis bathing naked and was transformed into a stag, then torn...
Artemis
godTwin sister of Apollo and goddess of the hunt. Artemis roamed the wild forests with her band of...
Cadmus
heroCadmus was the Phoenician prince who founded Thebes, sowed dragon's teeth, and brought the alphabet...
Cadmus and the Spartoi
heroThe Phoenician prince who founded Thebes and introduced the Greek alphabet, whose sowing of dragon...
Artemis Brauronia
godAn epithet of Artemis worshipped at Brauron in Attica, where young girls performed bear dances as a...
Chiron
creatureChiron tutored Achilles, Asclepius, Jason — the great teacher.
Mount Ida (Crete)
placeMount Ida was the highest peak in Crete, home to the cave where the infant Zeus was hidden from his...
Mount Ida (Troy)
placeMount Ida near Troy was the mountain from which the gods observed the Trojan War and where Paris...
Mount Olympus (Sacred)
placeThe highest mountain in Greece and mythological home of the twelve Olympian gods, whose...