| Atalanta | |
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Other Names |
Atalanta, Atlanta |
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First Appearance |
Greek Myth |
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Created by |
Greek Myth |
Origin[]
Atalanta is a heroine in Greek mythology.There are two versions of the huntress Atalanta: one from Arcadia, whose parents were Iasus and Clymene and who is primarily known from the tales of the Calydonian boar hunt and the Argonauts; and the other from Boeotia, who is the daughter of King Schoeneus and is primarily noted for her skill in the footrace. In both versions, Atalanta was a local figure allied to the goddess Artemis; in such oral traditions, minor characters were often assigned different names, resulting in minor regional variations.
At birth, Atalanta was taken to Mount Parthenion to be exposed because her father had desired a son. A she-bear—one of the symbols of Artemis—whose cubs had been recently killed by hunters came upon Atalanta and nursed her until those same hunters discovered her and raised her themselves in the mountains. Atalanta then grew up to be a swift-footed virgin who eschewed men and devoted herself to the huntress Artemis.
Atalanta modeled herself after Artemis, wearing a simple sleeveless tunic that reached her knees and living in the wilderness. While living in the wild, Atalanta slew two centaurs, Rhoecus and Hylaios, with her bow after her beauty caught their attention and they attempted to rape her.
Atalanta is only occasionally mentioned in the legend of the Argonauts; however, her participation is noted in Pseudo-Apollodorus's account, which says that during the search for the Golden Fleece, Atalanta, who was invited and invoked the protection of Artemis, sailed with the Argonauts as the only woman among them. In Diodorus Siculus's account, Atalanta is not only noted to have sailed with the Argonauts but to have fought alongside them at the battle in Colchis, where she, Jason, Laertes, and the sons of Thesipae were wounded and later healed by Medea. In the account of Apollonius of Rhodes, Jason prevents Atalanta from joining not because she lacks skill but because as a woman she has the potential to cause strife among men on the ship.
After the death of King Pelias in Iolcus, funeral games were held in which Atalanta defeated Peleus in a wrestling match.
According to Ovid, before her adventures, Atalanta had consulted an oracle who prophesied that marriage would be her undoing. As a result, she chose to live in the wilderness. After the Calydonian boar hunt, Atalanta was discovered by her father, who accepted her as his daughter and began to arrange a marriage for her. To prevent this, she agreed to marry only if a suitor could outrun her in a footrace, which swift-footed Atalanta knew was impossible. If the suitor was unsuccessful, he would be killed. Her father agreed to the terms, and many suitors died in the attempt until Hippomenes, who fell in love with Atalanta at first sight, appealed for divine help. Hippomenes knew he could not best Atalanta even with the advantage of a head start, so he prayed to the goddess Aphrodite for assistance. Aphrodite, who felt spurned because Atalanta was a devotee of Artemis and rejected love, gave Hippomenes three irresistible golden apples. As the race began, Atalanta, wearing armor and carrying weapons, quickly passed Hippomenes, but she was diverted off the path when he tossed an apple for her to retrieve; each time Atalanta caught up with Hippomenes, he would toss another apple, ultimately winning the race and Atalanta herself.
Atalanta bore a son, Parthenopaios (who may have been fathered by Meleager or Ares), who became one of the Seven against Thebes.
After the footrace, Hippomenes forgot to thank Aphrodite for her aid, and while the couple were out hunting the goddess afflicted them with sexual passion so that they had sex in a sanctuary belonging to either Zeus or Rhea. They were turned into lions for their sacrilege by either Artemis (angered by Atalanta losing her virginity), the goddess Cybele, or Zeus himself. The belief at the time was that lions could not mate with their own species, only with leopards; therefore Atalanta and Hippomenes would never be able to have "intercourse of love".
Public Domain Appearances[]
All published appearances of Atalanta from before January 1, 1929 are public domain in the US.
Some notable appearances are listed below:
- Catalogues of Women Fragments
- Seven Against Thebes
- Phoenissae
- Peloponnesian War
- On Hunting
- The Library
- The Argonautica
- Idylls
- Hymns
- The Library of History
- Geography - Greek Geography
- Description of Greece
- Historical Miscellany
- Imagines
- Dionysiaca
- Fabulae
- Metamorphoses
- Heroides
- Art of Love
- History of Love
- Georgics
- Thebaid