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ATHAMANTE. Athamas was the son of Aeolus and king of Thebes. His wife, Ino, nursed the infant Dionysus, son of her sister Semele and Jupiter, thus incurring Juno's wrath. Juno drove both Athamas and Ino mad; Athamas killed his son Learchus, and Ino jumped off a cliff with a second son, Melicertes (Met IV.464-530; OM IV.2804-3963).

Criseyde tells Troilus that if ever she be false to him, may Juno, through her might, make her as mad as Athamante, Tr IV.1534-1540. [Creseyde]

Athamante, occurring medially, has syllabic final -e and seems a modification to fit the number of stresses in the line, Tr IV.1539. Intrusive h after t was not pronounced.


Ovid, Met, ed. and trans. F.J. Miller, I: 210-215; OM, ed. C. de Boer, II.71-95.
From CHAUCER NAME DICTIONARY
Copyright © 1988, 1996 Jacqueline de Weever
Published by Garland Publishing, Inc., New York and London.

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