Melitta (Spartacus)

Melitta is the wife of Oenomaus and a servant in Batiatus' ludus. She appears exclusively in Spartacus: Gods of the Arena.

Names	Melitta
Gender	Female ♀
Race	Human
Occupation	Body Slave
Origin	Spartacus: Blood and Sand Issue #4 (January, 2010)
Alignment	Good
Age	30s
Created By	Steven S, DeKnight
Height	166 cm (5ft 5in)
Weight	54kg (119 lbs) (8.66 st.)
Personality Type	ISFJ
Portrayed By	Marisa Ramirez

Appearance

Melitta is a striking woman with long black hair, olive-toned skin, and large, distinctive hazel eyes. As a body slave, she wears finer garments than the other slaves and has subtle slave collars around her ankles that resemble jewelry.

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  Melitta in the Comic

Personality

Melitta is a well-rounded character, balancing duty, loyalty, and inner conflict. Though enslaved by Batiatus and Lucretia, she serves them diligently and maintains a composed demeanor. She offers guidance to the other slave girls, demonstrating wisdom and kindness, yet carries herself with quiet humor and deference. Her deepest devotion lies with her husband, Oenomaus, whom she encourages during moments of self-doubt and despair. However, she also harbors conflicted feelings for Gannicus, creating an emotional struggle within her.

Biography

The Shadow of Death

During Oenomaus' battle against Theokoles, Melitta watches in anguish as her husband fights valiantly against the monstrous Greek warrior. Despite proving himself Theokoles' greatest challenge, Oenomaus is ultimately overpowered and nears death. Overcome with emotion, Melitta cries out. Theokoles, moved by her love, momentarily pauses, allowing Oenomaus the chance to reclaim his weapon. At that moment, the editor of the games declares the match a draw, deeming both warriors victorious.

Gods of the Arena

Melitta is first seen conversing with Diona and Naevia about men. Later, she comforts her husband, Oenomaus, as he struggles with his time away from the arena, reassuring him that she will be there to witness his return. They share a tender moment before making love.

She is present during Gannicus' blindfolded fight in the marketplace, watching anxiously. When he emerges victorious, she is visibly relieved and happy.

When Varus visits the villa, Gannicus is presented for his entertainment. Fascinated but too weary for physical exertion, Varus demands to see Gannicus with a slave. With no other options nearby, Lucretia tries to intervene out of respect for Melitta but is silenced by Batiatus, eager to please their guest. Though initially unwilling, both Melitta and Gannicus succumb to the moment by the end of the act. However, this experience leaves them deeply shaken, burdened with guilt and unspoken emotions. Melitta keeps the incident a secret from Oenomaus.

She urges Gannicus to forget what happened, but he lingers in her thoughts, even appearing in her dreams. Despite avoiding his gaze, she encounters him again during the Night of Pleasures organized by Lucretia and Gaia. Gannicus confesses his love for her, and though they share a brief, passionate kiss, Melitta flees in confusion. Oenomaus notices Gannicus’ distant behavior but assumes it stems from his new position as Doctore, unaware of his true feelings for Melitta.

During a series of exhibition battles arranged by Titus, Gannicus momentarily loses focus when he looks up at Melitta. Later, he confesses to her that despite the pleasures wealth could offer, none compare to her. In response, Melitta reaffirms her devotion to Oenomaus, telling Gannicus that the greatest love she has ever known is when she holds her husband. She then leaves to escort Crixus to the villa.

The next day, Gannicus faces Crixus in a decisive battle to determine the ludus champion. Heartbroken by Melitta’s rejection, he deliberately drops his guard when he looks up at her, allowing Crixus to win. Knowing his loss means he will be sold to Tullius, he accepts his fate.

Melitta, distraught over his departure, secretly visits Gannicus that night with Lucretia’s knowledge, bringing a stolen amphora of wine. Gannicus refuses the drink, but Melitta takes a sip as she finally admits she has been suppressing her feelings for him. They share a passionate moment and move toward the bed, but before anything more can happen, Melitta suddenly begins coughing up blood. Unbeknownst to her, the wine was the poisoned amphora Lucretia had prepared for Titus. She collapses, dying in Gannicus’ arms as he pleads in horror for her to breathe.

Her body is later brought to the villa, where a shocked Lucretia orders Gannicus to leave before Oenomaus returns, ensuring he does not discover the truth. When Oenomaus arrives, he finds Melitta’s lifeless body on a table and is overcome with grief.

Legacy

Blood and Sand

Melitta is mentioned by Oenomaus when Spartacus visits his cell in Delicate Things. He is seen preserving her shrine in their shared cell, honoring her memory.

Vengeance

After Oenomaus is captured, Ashur attempts to torture him into revealing the Rebels' whereabouts but fails. Seeking another way to break him, Lucretia reveals the truth about Melitta’s fate to Ashur, who in turn delivers the devastating news to Oenomaus. Upon learning that Melitta was with Gannicus the night she died—and that they had been intimate before—Oenomaus is left in shock and anguish. Though their first encounter was forced upon them, Oenomaus sees it as a betrayal.

Later, when facing Gannicus in the arena, Oenomaus confronts him about Melitta’s death. Gannicus admits the truth, provoking Oenomaus into attacking him in a near-blind rage. Though he ultimately refrains from killing Gannicus, their friendship is fractured. Over time, however, they reconcile, and when Oenomaus is mortally wounded while saving Gannicus, he finds solace in the belief that he will soon be reunited with Melitta in the afterlife.

War of the Damned

In Enemies of Rome, Melitta is mentioned by Gannicus in conversation with Spartacus and appears in flashbacks. In an extended scene from Victory, Gannicus briefly references her again, telling Sibyl that if he falls in battle, he will await her on the shores of the afterlife, where Melitta and Oenomaus will be by his side.

Trivia

• As slaves, Melitta and Oenomaus could not legally marry. Their union would have been purely ceremonial. However, successful gladiators were sometimes permitted a domestic life, including fathering children, with their dominus' consent—either as a reward for their prowess or to improve their morale within the ludus.
• Melitta is likely from Hispania, based on references in Gods of the Arena. When Gannicus asked Oenomaus if he would see her ashes beneath the ground, it aligned with burial customs of the Iberian Peninsula, where urns were traditionally interred.
• The Tera Necropolis in Alentejo, Portugal, contained numerous buried funerary urns, similar to how Melitta’s ashes were laid to rest. The Turduli, a tribe believed to have Celtic origins, historically inhabited the Alentejo region.
• Melitta may have originated from the former Phoenician province of Turditania (later Hispania Baetica, now modern-day Andalucía) or from one of the southern Iberian tribes, such as the Bastetani (Almería, Granada, and Albacete), the Turduli (Alentejo, southern Portugal, and Extremadura), or the Edetani (Valencia).
• As Lucretia’s personal body slave, Melitta would have been known as an Amanuensis, meaning “within hand’s reach.” The Latin term for a female body slave is Serva Corporis, while a female house slave would be referred to as an Ancilla (handmaiden).
• The name Melitta is Greek in origin, meaning “honey bee.” It evolved into Melissa in modern English, which coincidentally matches its pronunciation in Homeric Greek.
• In Gods of the Arena, Melitta’s remarks about what Oenomaus and Gannicus would do if forced to fight each other foreshadow the events of Libertus, where this scenario ultimately unfolds.
• Neither Oenomaus nor Gannicus ever learned that Lucretia was indirectly responsible for Melitta’s death. She had poisoned an amphora of wine meant for Titus Batiatus, which Melitta later drank in Gannicus’ cell, unknowingly sealing her fate. Both Oenomaus and Gannicus wrongly blamed Tullius, believing the wine—originally a gift from him—was poisoned.
• Melitta has a marking or tattoo on her right leg that reads Servus (Servvs) Batiati (possibly Batiatus). This is briefly visible during her final intimate scene with Gannicus.