LEROS TRAVEL GUIDE

LEROS > MYTHOLOGY

MYTHOLOGY

In ancient times, Leros was known as the island of Artemis. A temple dedicated to this goddess is thought to have possibly existed at the present day village of Partheni. According to mythology, Leros is associated with the town of Calydon in Aetolia. During the reign of Oeneus in Calydon, the goddess Artemis sent a wild boar which laid waste to the fields and terrified the locals. At that time, Meleager, a mythical hero and son of Oeneus and Althaea, succeeded to the throne and then killed this animal.

Nevertheless, Artemis regarded the slaying of the boar as an insult and profane. This is why she took revenge on Meleager by planning his early death. However, the intense grief of Meleager’s sisters over his death brought about the goddess’s sympathy. So Artemis took them to Leros and transformed them into birds, the well-known Meleagrides.