Oeneus

Oeneus (Oineus or Οἰνεύς) was the most famous king in Calydon and Aetolia, mostly because his two sons were great heroes, and the most famous boar hunt took place during his long reign. Oeneus was also host to many great heroes in this boar hunt.

• Oeneus and his Family

• Calydonian Boar Hunt

• Deianeira

• Oeneus in Prison

Oeneus and his Family

Oeneus (Οἰνεύς) was the son of King Porthaon, who was the son of Agenor and Epicasta, and of Euryte, the granddaughter of the Aetolian river god, Achelous. Oeneus was the brother of Agrius, Alcathous and Melas.

Oeneus had many children from his two wives: first Althaea, later Periboea. Both of his wives were his nieces.

Althaea was the daughter of Thestius and Eurythemis, and the sister of Leda and Hypermnestra. Althaea bore him three sons, Meleager (Μελέαγρος), Clymenus and Toxeus, as well as two daughters, Gorge and Deïaneira (Δηιάνειρα). Clymenus didn't always list their children. Some said that Meleager's real father was Ares, the Greek god of war. See the Calydonian Boar Hunt for the account of Meleager's birth, life and death.

Similarly, a few authors, including Apollodorus and Hyginus, wrote that Deïaneira was not Oeneus' daughter, but Dionysus', the god of wine. Not only this, but Hyginus also indicated that Dionysus had Oeneus' blessing when the god seduced his wife. Oeneus devoted himself to various rites, while Dionysus slept with Althaea. For this unusual hospitality, Dionysus rewarded Oeneus by giving him vine, and teaching the king how to plant the vine and harvest the fruit, which he called oinos in Greek.

According to Hyginus' Fabulae, Althaea had another son by yet another god, who sailed with the Argonauts. His name was Ancaeus, son of Neptune (Poseidon).

Oeneus was said to have killed his own son Toxeus for jumping over a ditch. Why Oeneus killed him was not recorded.

Deianeira

According to Apollodorus, Deianeira (Δηιάνειρα) could drive a chariot, and she practised the art of war. No other authors mentioned her warlike abilities.

When Oeneus' daughter Deianeira reached marriageable age, many suitors came to woo her because of her great beauty. Among the suitors were Achelous, the Aetolian river god, and the hero Heracles. Only these two dared to compete for Deianeira's hand in marriage.

Heracles wrestled with the river god, who had the ability to change shapes. Achelous tried several transformations to defeat Heracles. When Achelous transformed into a bull, Heracles broke off his horns. Achelous surrendered to Heracles to get his horns back.

Heracles fought several wars for Oeneus, but exiled himself when he accidentally killed a cupbearer. Though he was not charged for the murder, he left Calydon with Deianeira and headed for the city of Trachis.

However, on their journey, the centaur named Nessus tried to rape Deianeira. Heracles killed Nessus with his poisoned arrow. Before the centaur died, Nessus tricked Deianeira into collecting his tainted blood, claiming it was a potent love potion.

Heracles and Deianeira had several children, including a son named Hyllus.

Unaware that the blood was venomous, Deianeira used the so-called love potion on one of Heracles' shirts. When Heracles wore the shirt, the venom entered into his body, causing great agony. Deianeira, realising what she had done, hanged herself before her husband came home.

Even though Heracles was dying, his death was slow, so he built a pyre for himself and asked Philoctetes or Philoctetes' father to set alight the pyre, to end his agony. Heracles' body disappeared, taken to Olympus to become a god.

See the page on Heracles for more details on the story of Heracles and Deianeira.

Oeneus in Prison

With the death of his first wife (Althaea) and his son Meleager, Oeneus married again, to another niece named Periboea, the daughter of Hipponous (Oeneus' brother) and Astynome. According to one source, Periboea was seduced by Hippostratus, the son of Amarynceus. Hipponous was angry with his daughter, and sent Periboea off to his brother Oeneus with an order for Oeneus to kill her. Since his own wife had died, Oeneus married his niece, instead.

Periboea bore Oeneus two sons, Tydeus (Τυδεύς) and Olenias. However, another writer named Peisandrus said that Oeneus slept with his own daughter, Gorge, who became the mother of Tydeus.

Tydeus was banished from Calydon for murdering a kinsman. There is some confusion over who Tydeus murdered. According to one source, he killed his own brother, Olenias. Another writer said that Tydeus killed his uncle, Alcathous, the brother of Oeneus.

Whichever kin he murdered, Tydeus went to Argos where he married Deipyle, the daughter of King Adrastus of Argos. Tydeus became the father of the hero Diomedes.

Tydeus was another hero who took part in the war of the Seven Against Thebes. Aiding Polyneices to regain the throne in Thebes, Tydeus died in battle from his wounds. See Seven Against Thebes for more details about the war between Argos and Thebes.

During Tydeus' exile, the sons of Agrius took advantage of the fact that Oeneus was now without an heir. The sons of Agrius put their own father on the throne, and imprisoned the aged King Oeneus.

Ten years after the death of Tydeus and the seven Argive chieftains, their sons, including Diomedes, fought another war against Thebes. The new generation of Argive leaders was known as the Epigoni. The Epigoni succeeded where their fathers had failed. See Epigoni in the Seven Against Thebes.

Shortly after this war, Diomedes, with the help of Alcmaeon, leader of the Epigoni, went to Calydon. Diomedes killed Agrius and all of his sons, before releasing his grandfather from prison.

Though Oeneus regained his kingdom, he did not live long afterwards, or he was too old to rule. Diomedes should have become king in Calydon, but instead he gave the kingdom to his uncle Andraimon, son-in-law of Oeneus and husband of Gorge (Oeneus' daughter). Diomedes returned to Argos. Not long after this, Diomedes became the suitor of Helen, and later fought at Troy, as the leader of Argos. For more details, see Diomedes in Heroes II.