silver eddying waters of wide Achelöus thou hast covered the bosom of
the plain with golden ears of corn, and they dance beneath the west
wind like the waves on summer seas. All hail to thee, Dionysus, who
bringest joy to the heart of man! About thine altars the juice of the
vine shall flow like water, and the souls of those who were bowed down
beneath labour and toil shall be uplifted to thee in the glad
harvest-time. And Pallas Athene, grey-eyed maiden, thee too we hail,
for thy gift of the fragrant olive. The shade of thy trees lies cool
upon the panting hill-sides, and thou hast looked with kindness on our
land. Oh, come hither, all ye townsfolk and ye dwellers on the plains
and hills--come hither in your hundreds, and dance about the altars,
and sing thanksgiving to the great gods on high."
Thus did they dance and sing, and there was gladness and rejoicing
through all the land, and not one soul among them all knew how soon
their laughter would be turned to tears. For when Artemis, the
huntress, saw that everywhere the altars smoked in honour of Demeter,
and Dionysus, and Pallas Athene, but that never a single stone was
raised to her, she was filled with jealousy and wrath. One night, when
all the land lay sleeping, she left the mountains, where she loved to
hunt, and came down to Calydon. The arrows in her quiver rattled as
she strode along in her wrath, and the flash of her eyes was as the
flash of summer lightning across the sky. With great swinging strides
she came and stood over OEneus as he slept.
"O king," she said, "too long have I been patient and waited for my
dues; but I will suffer thine ingratitude no more. When the young corn
stands green upon the plain, and the vine-leaves are shooting, and the
trees cast once more their shade upon the bare hill-side, then shalt
thou have cause to know my power. Demeter may sow her golden grain,
and Dionysus and Pallas Athene may fill their fruits with gladdening
juice, but thou hast yet to learn that, if it be my will, though the
promise of the harvest be fair, the fruits thereof shall lie spoilt
and ungathered where they grew. Broad and dark are the forests which
cover wild Arachynthus, and deep the ravines, and many a wild beast
lurks therein that is tame at my word alone. One of these will I let
loose upon thy land. Many a fair field shall be trodden underfoot, and
many a vineyard and olive-grove laid waste--yea, and red blood shall
flow, ere my wrath be assuaged, and I take away the pest from your
midst. I have spoken, and no sacrifice shall turn me from my word."
Thus did she speak, saying the words in his ear, and turned and left
the room by the way she had come. With a start he awoke from his sleep
and looked around him, but no one could he see. Only a sudden storm of
wind lashed the branches of the trees against each other, and a dark
cloud hid the face of the moon.
"The sad winter-time is coming," he thought, "with its storms and its
darkened days. Yet, lest there be aught in my dream, I will remember
Artemis to-morrow, and her altars, too, shall smoke with sacrifice."
So on the morrow a great festival was held in honour of Artemis, the
maiden huntress, and OEneus laid aside all thought of his dream. But
when the spring-time came and the early summer, he had cause to
remember it with sorrow, for out of the forests of Arachynthus there
came a great boar which laid waste all the country, right and left. In
size he was more huge than an ox of Epirus, whose oxen are the largest
in the world, and the bristles on his neck stood up like spikes. His
breath was as a flame of fire that burned up all that stood in his
way, and his cruel little eyes gleamed red with blood. Over the
cornfields he raged, and trampled the green blades beneath his hoofs,
and with his strong white tusks he tore down the vine-branches and
broke the overhanging boughs of the olive, so that the young berries
and fruit lay spoilt upon the ground. Not only did he lay waste the
fields, but the flocks and herds on the pasture-land were not safe
from his attack, and neither shepherds nor dogs could protect them
from his fury. Through all the country-side the people fled in terror
for their lives, and hid within the city walls, only now and again a
band of the bravest would go forth and lay nets and snares for him;
but so great was the strength of the beast that he broke through every
trap they could devise, and, killing any man who stood in his path, he
would return, with greater fury than before, to his attack upon the
fields and cattle. At length things came to such a pass that, unless
the monster could be checked, famine would ere long stare the people
in the face. When Meleager saw that neither prayer nor sacrifice would
turn the heart of Artemis, nor any ordinary hunting put an end to the
boar, he determined to gather around him a band of heroes who, for the
sake of glory, would come together for the hunt, and either kill the
beast or perish themselves in the attempt. So he sent a proclamation
far and wide through all the kingdoms of Hellas.
"O men of Hellas," he said, "the fair plains of Calydon lie trodden
underfoot by a grievous monster, and her people are fallen upon evil
days. Come hither and help us, all ye who love adventure, and fear not
risk nor peril, ye seasoned warriors whose spirit is not dead within
you, and ye young men who have yet your name to win. Come hither to
us, and we will give you fair sport and good cheer withal."
In answer to his call there flocked from far and wide to Calydon a
great host of brave men, and mighty was the muster which gathered
beneath the roof of OEneus for the hunting of the boar. Jason
himself came, the leader of the Argonauts, and Castor and Pollux, the
great twin brethren, whose stars are in the sky. There was Theseus,
too, who slew the Minotaur, and Peirithous his friend, who went down
with him to Hades, and tried to carry off Persephone from the king of
the Dead. And swift-footed Idas came, and Lynceus, his brother, whose
eyes were so sharp that they could see into the centre of the earth.
Others were there besides, whose names are too many to tell, and
Toxeus and Plexippus, the brothers of Althæa the queen, whom she loved
as she loved her own son Meleager. For as a little maid she had played
with them in the palace of Thestius, her father, and she remembered
how she would watch for them to come home from the hunt and clap her
hands with joy, when from afar she saw them returning home with their
spoil. And they would fondle her and play with her, and so long as
they were with her she was as happy as a bird; but when they went
away, her heart ached for them to come back. The memory of those days
still shone bright within her heart, and when her brothers came with
the other guests for the hunting of the boar, she welcomed them right
gladly. In the great hall a sumptuous feast was spread, and loud was
the laughter and bright were the faces, as one friend met another he
had not seen for many a long day, and sat down by his side in
good-fellowship with the groaning board before them. The feast was
well under way when one of the attendants whispered in the ear of the
king that yet another guest had come for the hunting of the boar.
"Who is he?" asked the king.
"My lord, I know not," the man replied.
"Well, keep him not standing without, at all events," said OEneus,
"but show him in here, and we will make him welcome with the rest."
In a few moments the man returned, and held back the curtain of the
great doorway for the new-comer to enter. All eyes were turned eagerly
that way to see who it might be, and a murmur of surprise ran round
the hall; for they saw upon the threshold no stalwart warrior, as they
had expected, but a maiden young and beautiful. She was clad in a
hunter's tunic, which fell to her knee, and her legs were strapped
about with leathern thongs. Crosswise about her body she wore a
girdle, from which hung a quiver full of arrows, and with her right
hand she leant on a great ashen bow like a staff. Her shining hair
fell back in waves from her forehead, and was gathered up in a coil
behind, and she held her head up proudly and gazed round on the
company unabashed. The glow of her cheek and the spring of her step
told of life in the open, and of health-giving sport over hill and
dale, so that she might have been Artemis herself come down from her
hunting on the mountains. She looked round the hall till her eyes fell
on OEneus, the host, in the place of honour, and in no wise troubled
by the silence which her coming had caused, she said,
"Sire, for my late-coming I crave thy pardon. Doubtless some of thy
guests have come from more distant lands than I, but, as ill-luck
would have it, I chose to come by way of the sea instead of by the
isthmus, and for a whole day I ate out my heart with waiting by the
shrine of Poseidon for a favouring breeze; for the east wind blew like
fury across the Crisæan Gulf, and any barque that had ventured to try
the crossing had been blown to the isles of the Hesperides ere it had
reached thy land. So I waited perforce till the wind fell and I could
cross over in safety."
Concealing his surprise as best he could, OEneus answered,
"Maiden, we thank thee for thy coming, and make thee right welcome in
our halls. Yet we fain would know thy name who, a woman all alone,
hast crossed barren tracts of land and stormy seas unflinching, and
come to take part in a hunt which is no mere child's sport, but a
perilous venture, in which strong men might hesitate to risk their
lives and limbs."
As she listened to his words she smiled.
"O king," she said, "thou hidest thy surprise but ill. Yet am I not
offended, nor will I make a mystery of who I am. My name is Atalanta,
and I come from the mountains of Arcadia, where all day long I hunt
with the nymphs over hill and over dale, and through the dark forests,
following in the footsteps of her we serve, great Artemis the
huntress. At her command I stand before thee now, for she said to me,
'Atalanta, the land of Calydon lies groaning beneath the curse,
wherewith I cursed them because they forgot me, and gave me not my
dues. But do thou go and help them, and for thy sake I will lay aside
my wrath, and let them slay the monster that I sent against them. Yet
without thee shall they not accomplish it, but the glory of the hunt
shall be thine.' Thus did she speak, and in obedience to her word am I
come."
When she had spoken, a murmur ran round the hall, and each man's gorge
rose within him as he determined in his mind that no mere woman should
surpass him in courage and strength. The sons of Thestius, the queen's
brothers, especially looked askance at her, and their hearts were
filled with jealousy and wrath; for her eye was bright and steady, and
her limbs looked supple and swift, and there seemed no reason why she
should not be a match for any man among them, in a trial where
swiftness of foot and sureness of eye would avail as much as brute
force. When Meleager saw their dark looks he was very angry that they
should so far forget their good breeding as to fail in welcoming a
guest, and he rose from his seat and went towards her.
"O maiden," he said, "we make thee right welcome to our halls, and we
thank thee because thou hast heard our appeal, and art come to help us
in the day of our trouble. Come, now, and sit thee down, and make glad
thy heart with meat and wine, for thou must need it sorely after thy
long journeying."
As he spoke, he took her by the hand and set her in a place of honour
between his father and himself, and saw that she had her fill of the
good fare on the board. As he sat beside her and talked with her, his
heart was kindled with love, for she was exceeding fair to look upon;
and the more he thought upon the morrow's hunting, the more loath was
he that she should risk her life in it. At length he said,
"Atalanta, surely thou knowest not what manner of beast it is that we
are gathered together to destroy. Thou hast hunted the swift-footed
stag, perchance, through the greenwood, but never a monster so fierce
as this boar that Artemis has sent against us. I tell thee, it will be
no child's play, but a matter of death to some of us. Hast thou no
mother or father to mourn thee if any evil chance befall, or any lover
who is longing for thy return? Think well ere it be too late."
But she laughed aloud at his words.
"Thou takest me for some drooping damsel that sits at home and spins,
and faints if she see but a drop of blood. I tell thee, I know neither
father, nor mother, nor husband, nor brother, and I love but little
the lot of womenkind such as thou knowest. Never have I lived within
four walls, and the first roof that covered me was the forest-trees of
Mount Parthenius, which stands where three lands meet, on the borders
of Sparta, Argolis, and wooded Arcadia, that I have chosen for my
home. Whence I came or how I got to Parthenius no one can tell, and I
have no wish to find out. As for savage beasts, had I not the eyes
of a hawk and the feet of a deer, I had not been safe ten seconds on
the uplands of Arcadia. For there, as doubtless thou hast heard, there
dwells a fierce tribe of centaurs--monsters half human and half
horse--who have the passions of men and the strength of beasts. These,
when they set eyes upon me, were fired by my beauty, and pursued me
over hill and dale, and I fled like the wind before them; but ever and
anon I found time to turn and let fly from my bow a dart which fell
but seldom short of the mark. So dire was the havoc I wrought in their
herd that after a time they gave up in despair, and molested me no
more. So talk not to me of fierce beasts or of danger. All my life
long I have breathed in danger from the air about me, and I had as
soon die outright, as sit with thy womenkind in safety within, whilst
all of you went forth for the hunting of the boar."
[Illustration: As he spoke, he took her by the hand and set her in a
place of honour between his father and himself.]
And nothing that Meleager could say would turn her from her purpose.
"Dost think I have left the mountains of Arcadia, and the nymphs, and
the joys and dangers of the hunt, to come and sit with the old wives
round thy palace fire in Calydon?" she said with a laugh; and her
white teeth shone like pearls in the torchlight, and the gleam of her
hair and the fire of her eyes kindled yet more surely the flame of
love in his heart, so that he could have fallen at her feet and begged
her for his sake to keep away from danger. But across the board he saw
the eyes of Toxeus and Plexippus, his mother's brothers, fixed upon
him, and their brows were dark and lowering as they frowned upon him
and Atalanta. So he said no more, lest they should discover his secret
and taunt him for his passion; but in his heart he knew that on the
morrow his thought would be as much for her safety as for the killing
of the boar. As for Atalanta, a stone would have returned his love as
readily as she. For a companion in the hunt she liked him full well,
but to give up her maiden life for his sake was as far from her
thoughts as the east is from the west. As yet she knew not the love of
man, and had vowed in her heart that she never would. Howbeit, such
things are not altogether within the power of mortals to will or not
to will, and Atalanta, like any other woman, was destined one day to
bow her proud head to the dust before a man's great love, though the
gods had not ordained that Meleager should be the one to win her. But
more of that hereafter.
When the morrow dawned, great was the bustle and confusion in the
court of the palace, where all were to meet together for the hunting
of the boar. Attendants ran this way and that to fetch and carry for
their masters, and, as the huntsman blew his horn, the hounds barked
impatiently, and strained, whining, at their leashes. At length, when
all was ready, Althæa with her maidens came forth into the portico,
and bade farewell to her guests, her husband, her brothers, and to
Meleager, her son.
"God speed thee, my son," she said, as she looked proudly on him, "and
good luck to thy hunting."
Then she stood on the step and waved to them with a smile as they
turned to look back at her before the curve of the roadway hid them
from sight. But though a smile was on her lips, her eyes were full of
tears, and her heart within her was dark with a dim foreshadowing of
evil. With a heavy step, she turned and went into the house, and as
she passed the altar by the hearth she stopped and bowed her head.
"Great Artemis," she prayed, "have mercy and bring my loved ones
safely back to me this day."
Then she went to her chamber and drew forth from its hiding-place the
half-burnt brand on which her son's life depended.
"His life, at any rate, is safe," she thought, "so long as this brand
is in my keeping."
And she hid it away again where she knew no one could find it, and set
to work restlessly, to while away the hours as best she could, till
the hunters should come home.
They, meanwhile, had gone their way up the steep path which led into
the mountains and deep into the heart of the forest, where they knew
their prey was lurking. Soon they came upon the track of his hoofs
leading to the dry bed of a stream, where the rushes and reeds grew
high in the marsh-land, and the bending willows cast their shadow over
the spot he had chosen for his lair. Here they spread the nets
cautiously about, and stationed themselves at every point of vantage,
and, when all was ready, let loose the hounds, and waited for the boar
to come forth from his hiding-place. Not long did they have to wait.
With a snort of rage he rushed out. The breath from his nostrils came
forth like steam, and the white foam flew from his mouth and covered
his bristly sides and neck. Quick as lightning, he made for the first
man he could see, and the tramp of his hoofs re-echoed through the
woods like thunder as he came upon the hard ground. As soon as he
rushed out, a shower of missiles fell towards him from every side,
but some were aimed awry or fell too far or too short of him, and
those that touched him slipped aside on his tough hide, as though they
had been feathers instead of bronze; and he broke through the nets
that had been spread to catch him, and galloped away unharmed, whilst
behind him a hound lay dead among the reeds, pierced through with his
tusk, and two of the hunters, who stood in his path, and had not been
able to rush aside in time, lay groaning on the ground with the iron
mark of his hoof upon them, and a gaping wound in the side of one.
When the rest saw that he had escaped them, they gave chase with all
speed, headed by Castor and Pollux, on their white horses, and
Atalanta close beside them, running swiftly as the wind. Ahead of them
the woodland track gave a sudden turn to the left, and the boar,
rushing blindly forward, would have plunged into the undergrowth and
bushes, and escaped beyond range of their darts. But Atalanta, seeing
what must happen, stopped short in the chase. Quick as thought, she
put an arrow to the string, and let fly at the great beast ahead; and
Artemis, true to her word, guided the arrow so that it pierced him in
the vital part behind the ear. With a snort of pain and fury, he
turned round upon the hunters and charged down towards them as they
came up from behind, and great would have been the havoc he had
wrought among them but for Meleager. As the brute bore down, he leaped
lightly to one side, and, gathering together all his strength, buried
the spear deep into the beast's black shoulder, and felled him to the
earth with the force of his blow. Immediately the others gathered
round, and helped to finish the work that Meleager had begun, and soon
the monster lay dead upon the ground in a pool of his own blood. Then
Meleager, with his foot upon the boar's head, spoke to the hunters.
[Illustration: As the brute bore down, Meleager buried the spear deep
in his shoulder.]
"My friends," he said, "I thank you all for the courage and devotion
you have shown this day. My land can once more raise her head in joy,
for the monster that wrought such havoc in her fields lies dead here
at my feet. Yet the price of his death has not been light, my
friends." And they bowed their heads in silence, as they remembered
the two whom the boar had struck in his rush, one of whom was now
dead. "Yet those who have suffered, have suffered gloriously, giving
up themselves, as brave men must, for the sake of others, and their
names shall surely not be unremembered by us all. Once more, my trusty
comrades, I thank you, every man of you. As for thee, lady," he
continued, turning to Atalanta, "while all have played their part, yet
the glory of the hunt is thine. But for thy sure hand and eye the
beast might yet be lurking in the forest. Wherefore, as a token of our
gratitude, I will give to thee the boar's head as a trophy to do with
as thou wilt."
At his words a murmur of applause went round the ring of them that
listened. Only the voices of Toxeus and Plexippus were not heard, for
they were mad with jealousy and wrath, and as soon as there was
silence they spoke.
"By what right," asked Toxeus, "shall one bear off the trophy of a
hunt in which each one of us has played his part?"
The insolence of his words and looks roused the anger of Meleager to
boiling-point. All through the hunt the brothers had shown scant
courtesy to Atalanta, and now their rudeness was past bearing.
"By the same right as the best man bears off the prize in any
contest," he answered quietly, though he was pale with rage.
"Happy is that one who has first won the heart of the judge, then,"
said Plexippus with a sneer, as he looked at Atalanta.
By the truth and the falsehood of his words Meleager was maddened past
all bearing. Scarce knowing what he did, he sprang upon him, and
before anyone knew what he was about, he had buried his hunting-knife
in the heart of Plexippus. When Toxeus saw his brother fall back upon
the grass, he sprang upon Meleager, and for a moment they swung
backwards and forwards, held each in the other's deadly grip. But
Meleager was the younger and the stronger of the two, and soon Toxeus
too lay stretched upon the ground beside his brother, and a cry of
horror went through the crowd of those who stood by. Pale and
trembling, Meleager turned towards them.
"My friends," he said, "farewell. You shall look upon my face no more.
Whether I slew them justly or no, the curse of Heaven is upon me, and
I know that night and day the Furies will haunt my steps, because my
hand is red with the blood of my kinsmen. O fair fields of Calydon,
that I have loved and served all my days, farewell for ever. Nevermore
shall I look upon you, nor my home on the steep hill-side, nor the
face of the queen, my mother; but I must hide my head in shame far
from the haunts of men. As for thee, lady," he said, turning to
Atalanta, "their taunt was false, yet true. Right honourably didst
thou win thy trophy, as all these here will testify;" and he pointed
to the hunters standing round. "Yet my soul leapt with joy when I
found that into thine hand and none other's I might give the prize of
the hunt. Wherefore, think kindly on my memory, lady, when I am far
away, for a brave man's heart is in thy keeping. Farewell."
And he turned and went away by the forest-path. So surprised were all
the company that no man moved hand or foot to stop him. The first to
speak was Atalanta.
"Comrades," she said, "do you bear home the dead and break the news as
gently as may be to the queen, and I will follow him, if perchance I
can comfort him, for the hand of Heaven is heavy upon him."
So firmly did she speak that no man found it in his heart to withstand
her; and when she saw that they would do as she bid, she ran swiftly
down the path by which he had gone, and disappeared from sight.
Meanwhile the day had been drawing towards its close, and Althæa had
come out into the portico to watch for the return of the hunters. The
rumour had reached the city that the boar had been killed, but not
without loss among the gallant band that had gone out against him, and
with a heavy heart Althæa was waiting to know who it was that had
fallen. In time she saw them returning home, and in their midst four
litters carried on the shoulders of some. When she saw them, her heart
stood still with fear, and as they came up and laid down the litters
before the doorway she was as one turned to marble, and moved neither
hand nor foot. When OEneus the king saw her, he took her gently by
the hand.
"Come within, lady," he said; "the hunting of the boar has cost us
dear."
"Ah! tell me the worst at once," she cried. "I can bear it better so.
The suspense is maddening me."
"Two of those who lie before thee are strangers who have given
themselves for us," he said. "One of them is sore wounded, and the
other is gone beyond recovery. The other two, Althæa, are very near
and dear to us--Toxeus and Plexippus, thy brothers."