Metamorphoses: The Death of Actaeon

Actaeon was the son of Aristaeus and Autonoe, and an avid hunter. In pursuing his favorite pastime, he offended Artemis by boasting that his hunting skills exceeded those of the divine huntress or, as others say, he inadvertently affronted the goddess by stumbling onto her secluded grotto, where she was bathing in a pool. Angered at having her naked form glimpsed by the eyes of a mortal man, she changed him into a stag. Actaeon grew antlers, long nimble limbs where his hands and feet had been, and large ears; his mind, however, remained that of a mortal. The hunter now became the hunted as his hounds set upon him, believing the creature before them to be their accustomed quarry. Unable to speak or defend himself against his loyal hounds, Actaeon succumbed to their snapping jaws.