Althaea is Meleager’s mother. After Meleager kills her brothers, she engages in a long internal debate as to where her true allegiance lies—with her son, or with her brothers. She at last decides to avenge her brothers and tosses the fragment of wood (to which Meleager’s life was tied by a curse) on the fire. After Meleager dies and Calydon grieves, Althaea kills herself.
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Althaea Character Timeline in Metamorphoses
The timeline below shows where the character Althaea appears in Metamorphoses. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Book 8: Meleager and the Calydonian Boar
Meleager’s mother Althaea is praising her son when she sees her brothers’ corpses. Hearing that Meleager killed them,...
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Althaea takes the fragment of wood in and out of the fire, battling between motherly and...
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Calydon mourns Meleager’s death. Feeling guilty for killing her son, Althaea kills herself. Meleager’s sisters beat their breasts in grief and kiss their brother’s body on...
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