The Myth of Atalanta

Atalanta was the daughter of Iasus, King of Arcadia. Iasus had always wanted a son and, so, when Atalanta was born, he left his new-born daughter on a mountaintop to die.

Atalanta was found and raised by a female bear. She learned to hunt and fight just as a bear would. She became strong and fierce. When Atalanta was older she was found by a group of hunters from Calydonia and taken back to the city.

One day, King Oeneus decided to hold a festival. He gave sacrifice to all but one of the gods and goddesses. He forgot to show respect to Artemis. Furious, Artemis sent a boar to ravage the lands of Calydonia. It attacked cattle and even people and prevented crops from being sown.

The king’s son, Meleager, gathered a group of heroes to go on a hunt for the boar. He asked Atalanta to join them. Many of the heroes were offended by the idea of a woman joining the hunt but Meleager was very taken with Atalanta. He managed to persuade them to allow her to come along.

Several of the men were killed by the boar. Atalanta was a faster runner than any of the men, so, it was her who drew first blood with her spear. As the boar was injured, the other heroes soon caught up and Meleager finished the boar off. Meleager gave thanks to Atalanta by awarding her the hide of the animal.

Many of the men, including two of Meleager’s uncles, were outraged by this. They tried to forcibly take the hide from Atalanta. Meleager came to Atalanta’s defence. His uncles were killed in the melee.

With her newfound fame, Atalanta was rediscovered by her father, Iasus. He brought her home and planned to marry her off. However, Atalanta had already made a vow to the goddess, Artemis. She would never marry. She struck a deal with her father, she would only marry a man who could beat her in a race. Many men tried to beat her but they always failed.

That was until a man named Hippomenes made an appeal to the goddess of love, Aphrodite. She gave him three golden apples which were utterly irresistible. During the race every time Atalanta got ahead of Hippomenes, he would roll an apple ahead of her. Hippomenes managed to defeat Atalanta and she was forced to marry him.

In time, Atalanta came to love Hippomenes. However, he had never given proper thanks to Aphrodite for her help. He never made sacrifice to her. Aphrodite grew angrier and angrier over time and, in punishment, she turned the two heroes into a pair of lions. They lived out their days as true hunters.