Althaea

Overview

Althaea was a Greek princess—and later a queen—from the region of Aetolia. She was one of the daughters of Thestius and married Oeneus, the king of Calydon. Together they had several children, including Meleager and Deianira.

When Meleager was born, Althaea discovered that his lifespan was linked to a log in her hearth: according to the Fates, Meleager would die as soon as the flames had consumed the log. Althaea thus removed the log from the fire and hid it away. 

Years later, however, she burned it in a fit of rage after Meleager killed her brothers in a brawl over the trophies from the Calydonian Boar Hunt. Following Meleager’s death, Althaea either killed herself or died at the hands of her husband Oeneus.^[1]