Calydon
An Aetolian city whose king's neglect of Artemis brought a devastating divine boar to ravage the land.
The Story of Calydon
King Oeneus of Calydon made offerings to all the gods at harvest time but forgot or neglected Artemis. The goddess, enraged at the slight, sent a colossal boar to devastate the fields and countryside of Calydon. Oeneus' son Meleager gathered heroes from across Greece — the Argonauts, Atalanta, Theseus — for the Calydonian Boar Hunt. The boar was eventually killed, but the hunt ended in bloodshed among the heroes over who deserved the honour of the hide. Meleager's death followed swiftly, leaving Calydon diminished.
Parents
{Oeneus (king),Artemis (enemy)}
Children
{Meleager}
Symbols
Fun Fact
The hide and tusks of the Calydonian Boar were displayed as relics at multiple sanctuaries across Greece — ancient sites claimed to possess them for centuries.
Explore Further
Erymanthus
🏛 placegeography
An Arcadian mountain where the monstrous Erymanthian Boar lived, target of Heracles' fourth labour.
Calydonian Boar
🐉 creatureMonstrous boar sent by Artemis
The Calydonian Boar was a massive, destructive beast sent by Artemis to ravage Calydon after King Oeneus forgot to honour her in sacrifice.
Aetolia
🏛 placegeography
A region of northwestern Greece associated with the Calydonian Boar Hunt and the hero Meleager.
Erymanthian Boar
🐉 creatureGiant boar of Mount Erymanthos
The Erymanthian Boar was a gigantic wild boar that ravaged the lands around Mount Erymanthos in Arcadia — the fourth labour of Heracles.
Oechalia
🏛 placegeography
A city whose king Eurytus refused to honour his promise to give Heracles his daughter Iole, sparking the hero's final tragedy.
Mecone
🏛 placeSacred geography
The site where Prometheus tricked Zeus at a sacrificial feast, establishing the division between gods and mortals
Corinth
🏛 placeCity of Sisyphus and Medea
Corinth was a wealthy trading city on the narrow isthmus connecting mainland Greece to the Peloponnese, associated with Sisyphus, Medea, Bellerophon, and Pegasus.
Thebes
🏛 placeCity of Cadmus and Oedipus
Thebes was the great city of Boeotia, founded by Cadmus who sowed dragon teeth, and the setting for the tragedies of Oedipus, Antigone, and the Seven Against Thebes.
Calydonian Boar Hunt
💭 conceptNarrative
The great hunt that assembled heroes from across Greece to destroy a divine boar sent by the wrathful Artemis
Tegea
🏛 placegeography
An Arcadian city with a great temple of Athena Alea, and possessor of the tusks of the Calydonian Boar and the bones of Orestes.
Boeotia
🏛 placegeography
A fertile central Greek region whose name means "ox-land," birthplace of Heracles and setting of the Cadmus myth.
Pherae
🏛 placeGeography
A city in Thessaly where Admetus ruled and Alcestis chose to die in her husband's place