Dear Friends of Ancient Mythology! The wild boar used to be a huge, dangerous animal. It is therefore not surprising that it plays a major role in Greek mythology - but not only there. There are two wild boars in particular that are the focus of myths: 1. the Erymanthian boar, the boar of Heracles, and 2. the Calydonian boar, the boar of Meleager. Here I want to introduce the Calydonian Boar. The Coin: Roman Republic, C. Hosidius C.f. Geta, gens Hosidia AR - Denarius (serratus), 3.79g, 18.44mm, 225° Rome, 68 BC Obv.: Bust of Diana, diademed, wearing earring, bow and quiver over her shoulder behind GETA, before III VIR Rev.: Calydonian boar standing r., pierced by arrow and attacked by dog. In ex. C HOSIDI C.F. Ref.: Crawford 407/1; Sydenham 904; Hosidia 2 somewhat rarer than the type with smooth edge, VF Mythology: Oineus, the king of Kalydon in Aitolia, had once entertained all the gods at a harvest festival, but had forgotten to slaughter an animal for Artemis. The goddess was enraged and sent a large boar that devastated the king's fertile fields. Oineus called for help and Greek heroes came from all parts of the country. There came the Kuretes, the brothers of Althaia, the wife of Oineus. There came the Dioscuri Castor and Polydeukes and their Messenian cousins Idas and Lynceus. Theseus came from Athens, Iphicles, half-brother of Heracles, came from Thebes, Iason, Admetos, Peirithoos, Peleus and Eurytion came from Thessaly, Telamon from Salamis, Amphiaraos from Argos, Ankaios and Atalante from Arcadia, and others more. Herakles was prevented by his labours. At the head of the heroes was Meleagros, the son of Oineus and Althaia. The hunt for the Calydonian boar was very unfortunate. Many heroes lost their lives, Ankaios was the first to be killed by the boar. A second hunter was also killed by the boar. Peleus accidentally hit his father-in-law Eurytion with his spear. The great misfortune came on the sixth day of the hunt. On this day the boar was killed by an arrow of Atalante and the death blow of Meleagros. Meleagros awarded the boar's head and hide to Atalante. But his uncles, the brothers of his mother Althaia, would not tolerate this. They insisted on the right of their clan. They snatched the trophies from the Atalante and a quarrel ensued, then a fight in which Meleagros slew his two uncles. Now there are various continuations of the myth. When Meleager was born, he had been prophesied by the Parcae that he would only live as long as the log in the oven. Althaia immediately plucked it out of the fire, extinguished it and hid it in a secret place. When she heard of her brothers' deaths, she was enraged, took out the log and threw it into the fire. When it was burnt, Meleagros collapsed dead, still cutting up the boar. Another legend tells of a revenge campaign of the Kuretes against Kalydon. Meleager intervened only when the Kuretes had almost conquered Kalydon and met his death. In the underworld he was the only one whose shadow even Herakles was afraid of. And when Meleagros tearfully told him about the Kalydonian hunt, it was the first and only time that Herakles also had to weep. Background: Important for generalising considerations is the boar's relationship to Artemis, which continues after the hunt with the revenge campaign of the Kuretes. In Ephesus, for example, the Kuretes were the mythical warriors whose noise of weapons drowned out the birth cry of the goddess, later a college of priests in the Prytaneion. The killing of Meleager is the necessary and indispensable atonement for the insult inflicted on Artemis as a result of the slaying of her boar and at the same time the legitimisation of the goddess's guardians, who only fulfil their task when they move to Kalydon. This also explains why they did not take the city despite Meleager's death, but had to leave again. Only later versions of the hunting myth, which no longer understood the sacrilege, needed the murder of the uncles and the curse of the mother or the old wives' tale of the log, the burning of which the Parcae are said to have linked to the end of Meleager. There is no lack of parallels for the unforgiving attitude of the sister of the no less uncompromising Apollo; one need only think of the innocent Niobids, the unhappy Hippolytos or the foolhardy Aktaion. Seen in this light, Meleager could be described as the mythical prototype of the failure who applies for the position of "Holy King" but fails the test. I have added the pic of a fries from the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford Sources: (1) Ovid lib.VIII, 385-414; 437-444; 515 (2) Karl Kerenyi, Die Mythologie der Griechen - Die Heroen-Geschichten; dtv (3) Robert von Ranke-Graves, Griechische Mythologie, Rowohlt (4) Wikipedia Best regards Jochen
I don’t own any coins depicting the Calydonian Boar. However, I do have a denarius featuring the Erymanthian Boar: AR Denarius 17mm. 3.90g. Rome Mint Head of young Hercules, wearing lion's skin, r. The Erymanthian Boar running r.; In ex.: M. VOLTEI. M.F. RSC I Volteia 2
