[340] The catalogue of these heroes is in Apollodôr. i. 8, 2;
Ovid, Metamor. viii. 300; Hygin. fab. 173. Euripidês, in his play
of Meleager, gave an enumeration and description of the heroes
(see Fragm. 6 of that play, ed. Matth.). Nestôr, in this picture
of Ovid, however, does not appear quite so invincible as in his
own speeches in the Iliad. The mythographers thought it necessary
to assign a reason why Hêraklês was _not_ present at the
Kalydônian adventure: he was just at that time in servitude with
Omphalê in Lydia (Apollod. ii. 6, 3). This seems to have been the
idea of Ephorus, and it is much in his style of interpretation
(see Ephor. Fragm. 9. ed. Didot.).
[341] Euripid. Meleag. Fragm. vi. Matt.—
Κύπριδος δὲ μίσημ᾽, Ἀρκὰς Ἀταλάντη, κύνας
Καὶ τόξ᾽ ἔχουσα, etc.
There was a drama “Meleager” both of Sophoklês and Euripidês: of
the former hardly any fragments remain,—a few more of the latter.
[342] Hyginus, fab. 229.
[343] Diodôr, iv. 34. Apollôdorus (i. 8; 2-4) gives first the
usual narrative, including Atalanta; next, the Homeric narrative
with some additional circumstances, but not including either
Atalanta or the fire-brand on which Meleager’s life depended. He
prefaces the latter with the words οἱ δέ φασι, etc. Antoninus
Liberalis gives this second narrative only, without Atalanta,
from Nicander (Narrat. 2).
The Latin scenic poet, Attius, had devoted one of his tragedies
to this subject, taking the general story as given by Euripidês:
“Remanet gloria apud me: exuvias dignavi Atalantæ dare,” seems
to be the speech of Meleager. (Attii Fragm. 8, ap. Poet. Scen.
Lat. ed. Bothe, p. 215). The readers of the Æneid will naturally
think of the swift and warlike virgin Camilla, as the parallel of
Atalanta.
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