According to Greek mythology, Leros was the island of the goddess Artemis, and it is believed that her temple stood in the area of present-day Partheni.

Mythology also links Leros to the city of Calydon in Aetolia. During the reign of King Oeneus of Calydon, Artemis sent a wild boar to the region as punishment. The beast ravaged the fields and terrorized the inhabitants. The legendary hero Meleager, son of King Oeneus, undertook the task of hunting and killing the boar.

Artemis, however, was unforgiving toward mortals and severe in the punishments she imposed. She regarded Meleager's act as an insult and a sign of disrespect and intervened to bring about his untimely death.

Meleager's four sisters mourned his loss inconsolably. Moved by their grief, the goddess transformed them into birds, known as the Meleagrides.

This myth is mentioned by Homer and also by Ovid in his work Metamorphoses. The story of the Meleagrides also inspired the great tragedians of antiquity, including Sophocles and Euripides.