Actaeon

American  

[ak-tee-uhn] / ækˈti ən /

noun

Classical Mythology.

1. a hunter who, for having seen Diana bathing, was changed by her into a stag and was torn to pieces by his own hounds.

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Actaeon British  

/ ˈæktɪən, ækˈtiːən /

noun

1. Greek myth a hunter of Boeotia who, having accidentally seen Artemis bathing, was turned into a stag and torn apart by his own hounds

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Example Sentences

The painting in question, entitled Diana and Actaeon, dates from the Renaissance era and portrays a mythical scene from the Roman poet Ovid's Metamorphoses.

From BBC • Dec. 12, 2023

Based loosely on the Greek myth of Diana and Actaeon, “Redoubt” is divided into six parts, or “hunts.”

From Washington Post • Mar. 8, 2019

When Diana sees Actaeon watching her, she covers her body in a rage and turns him from a human into a stag, a lower member of the food chain.

From The New Yorker • May 16, 2015

Ms. Carter does wonders with the lighting here, as the screen conceals and reveals dancers behind it; a nod, perhaps, to Actaeon spying on Diana.

From New York Times • Jul. 16, 2012

Spying on Diana from the bushes was the hunter Actaeon, unaware of the grim fate awaiting him.

From "Ophelia" by Lisa Klein