Wraakgodinnen moedigen Althaea aan om Meleagers houtblok te verbranden 1683 - 1710

Bernard Picart created this engraving, “Vengeful Goddesses Encourage Althaea to Burn Meleager’s Log,” sometime before 1733. At center, Althaea is portrayed enacting vengeance upon her son, Meleager, burning the enchanted log that sustains his life. This act, fueled by the Furies, embodies the destructive power of maternal rage and the complex interplay of fate and free will. The burning log is a potent symbol, akin to the threads of life spun and cut by the Fates, echoing through ancient Greek tragedies. Fire, here, is not just destructive; it's a tool of ultimate power, reminiscent of the eternal flame tended by Vesta, now twisted to serve personal vendetta. The Furies, or Erinyes, are themselves archetypes—primordial goddesses of vengeance. Their presence evokes a primal, subconscious fear, tapping into deep-seated anxieties about justice and retribution. This scene is heavy with psychological tension, a visual representation of the inner turmoil that consumes Althaea, whose emotional maelstrom transcends the centuries, resurfacing in countless iterations of conflicted maternal figures throughout art history. This image is not merely a depiction of a mythological event, but a mirror reflecting the eternal struggles of human existence.