Atalanta
| “ | With my bow and arrows, I respectfully ask for the divine protection of the sun god Apollo and the moon goddess Artemis. I offer thee this calamity! | „ |
| ~ Atalanta |
Atalanta, also known as Atalante, is a famous huntress and archer known as the Chaste Huntress or the Virgin Huntress who appears in Greek Mythology.
Overview[]
She became famous after being the first one to drive an arrow into the Calydonian Boar during its extermination. Also, she is included as a member of the Argonauts, which assembled brave heroes from all over Greece. She has the tragic past of being born as the daughter of a king of a certain country and yet being abandoned in the mountains by her father.
Atalanta was the daughter of Iasus, son of Lycurgus, and Clymene, daughter of Minyas. She is also mentioned as the daughter of Mainalos or Schoeneus, of a Boeotian, or of an Arcadian princess. The Bibliotheca is the only source which gives an account of Atalanta's birth and upbringing. Prince Iasus wanted a son; when Atalanta was born, he left her on a mountaintop to die. Some stories say that a she-bear suckled and cared for Atalanta until hunters found and raised her, and she learned to fight and hunt as a bear would. She was later reunited with her father.
Having grown up in the wilderness, Atalanta became a fierce hunter and was always happy. She took an oath of virginity to the goddess Artemis, and slew two centaurs, Hylaeus and Rhoecus, who attempted to rape her. She seems to also worship Apollo as well.
History[]
Background[]
Atalanta was born as the daughter of King Iasus of Arcadia. However, although she was born in and as the princess of the natural paradise, Atalanta ended up being abandoned in the forests and on the mountains immediately she was born as she was shunned by her father - who desired a son. But she survived thanks to the divine protection from Artemis, a virgin goddess who felt pity for her. Artemis sent and made a female bear, a sacred beast of the goddess, nurture the girl by giving her milk and raising her up. In gratitude, the young Atalanta became a fervent follower of Artemis
Thereafter, after being brought up by the female bear sent by Artemis, and later was discovered and adopted by hunters who treaded into the mountains, Atalanta has developed her skills conspicuously, perhaps due to her latent talent, and also became a huntress. Upon reaching adulthood, Atalanta grows into and becomes an excellent and peerless huntress, and she accomplishes many adventures.
Tales of an Argonaut[]
There are three tales that Atalanta is famous for. The first tale is about how she was chosen, accompanies and participates as a member of the Argonauts led by Jason, joining Heracles, Medea, Orpheus along with many others. Atalanta boasts to be the fastest among humans, and right after becoming one of the few female crew members on the Argo, she happened to meet the hero Meleager.
In the quest for the Golden Fleece, Atalanta sailed with the Argonauts as the only woman among them. She jumped aboard the ship soon after the expedition set out, invoking the protection of Artemis, to whom she was a virgin priestess. She was following Meleager, who had put away his young wife for Atalanta's sake.
Atalanta returned his love but was prevented by an oracle from consummating their union, being warned that losing her virginity would prove disastrous for her. A disappointed Meleager joined the Argo, but Atalanta would not let him out of her sight. She plays a major part in various adventures of Jason's crew, suffered injury in a battle at Colchis, and was healed by Medea. Apollonius of Rhodes, on the other hand, claims Jason would not allow a woman on the ship because she would cause strife on the otherwise all-male expedition.
Meleager and Atalanta[]
Meleager was charmed by Atalanta, and he invited her to the extermination of the Calydonian Magical Beast. The second tale is about the extermination of the Calydonian Boar where Atalanta is most known for her participation in this hunt, but this resulted in giving rise to a tragedy right after this event. When King Oineus summoned heroes to destroy the Calydonian Boar, Atalanta answered the call and was the first to draw blood.
For the sake of exterminating this mystical beast that was dispatched by Artemis, who got angry with a king that was being negligent in offering her a sacrifice, Atalanta and the others exhausted their efforts in a desperate attempt to hunt down the boar. However, although Meleager pierced the finishing blow, he handed over the achievement to Atalanta, who was the first one to hit her arrow onto the boar, this being an act of good will towards Atalanta, or Meleager having thought that it is something that should be simply followed as a hero. Meleager awarded her the prize of the skin but his uncles protested and tried to take it from her by force. The hero slew them for the affront.
Concerning the males, they held displeasure towards that, where they cannot grow to be simply tolerant and were saying that they possess skills greater than Atalanta, who is a female. A fight suddenly occurred between Meleager and his relatives, and Meleager was inflicted with a deadly curse.
Marital Dispute[]
The third tale is about the dispute over Atalanta's marriage. After the hunt of the Calydonian Boar, Atalanta then returned to her birthland, but her father Schoeneus, who never had a son, insisted her to get married. The heroine reluctantly agreed insisting that a suitor must defeat her in a race and that the losers be put to death. When suitors began to rush for her hand, the troubled Atalanta decided to turn it into a footrace contest.
As she had pledged a vow of virginity to the goddess, she proclaimed "I will only marry one who can beat me in a footrace. Those who lose will be killed." She tore through a great number of challengers. Although Atalanta would not lose to any man in a footrace, she fell on the cowardly schemes of a man who borrowed the help of a goddess and ended up getting married half-forcibly. She lost when she was tricked into picking up irresistible golden apples thrown in front of her, and she had to break her vow. Afterwards, it has been told that she was turned into a lion as a punishment, but that is unsure.
Melanion--or Hippomenes--however, sought the help of the goddess Aphrodite who provided him with three golden apples to cast before the girl in the race. When Atalanta stooped to retrieve these, she was slowed enough to allow the hero to emerge victorious. Their marriage was a short-lived one, for Hippomenes neglected to pay Aphrodite her dues. She cursed him and he was compelled to lie with his wife in the sacred precinct of Zeus, Rhea or Artemis where an offended deity transformed them into lions.
Regarding Meleager, it is uncertain what kind of feelings Atalanta had embraced for him. However, she seemed to have watched the outcome of a man who loved her get dragged into a tragedy, while regarding her father's persuasion to marry, she tried to escape the unreasonable demand thrusted at her, but she could not accomplish that either. In the end, none of these tales had a particularly happy ending for her, and her distrust of men became extremely strong due to the third tale in particular as well. As far as she is concerned, Atalanta is an existence that projected her former self while simultaneously, she exists as a symbol of purity for children. Although she was saved by the hands of the gods, it is nearly beyond redemption for the rest of the children..
Death[]
Atalanta, unlike other hunters, did not stay a lion for long as Artemis raising her give Artemis mother-like natures which made Artemis removed Artemis cursed form, along with allowing her to take a lion-like form. Artemis joined the rest of Artemis' Hunters as a Chief Captain.
Atalanta, because of being abandoned by her father and raised by Artemis, has a adoration with children wishing for their salvation and happiness along with absolutely protecting them from any harm. This adoration can be obsession and it someone does something that pisses her off so bad, she becomes her berserk form, her inner lion from the gods' punishment.
The Hero Achilles likes to call Atalanta either Little Missy or Little Sis. The Rumor that Atalanta and Hippomenes became the chariot for Circe is wrong, they were just normal lions.