The Myth Of Atalanta, The Beautiful Hunter
The myth of Atalante tells us the story of a strong and independent woman. Let us note right now that it is quite rare in Greek mythology. She is called the beautiful hunter because of her skill in this practice. Collected and raised by hunters, she has indeed developed a passion and a lot of talent for this activity.
According to Greek mythology, when Atalanta was born, the oracle would have said that if she married one day, then she would be transformed into an animal. She was the daughter of Iasos and Clymene. These two characters come from the Boeotian tradition of central Greece. His father, Iasos, wanted a boy and in no way wanted to have a girl.
Iasos therefore decided without any qualms to abandon Atalanta when he was born on the side of a mountain. A bear then took pity on him and took him in. The Atalanta myth says that this bear breastfed her and took care of her until hunters found her and decided to adopt the little girl.
The myth of Atalante and the strong woman
The myth of Atalante suggests to us that this woman was not very feminine, in the modern sense of the term. Due to her wild childhood, she developed a real passion for nature and for hunting. Even though the child became a very beautiful woman, she did not want to look like other women. She therefore decided to follow the precepts of Artemis, the goddess of hunting and nature, and to live according to the principles of the latter.
She, like Artemis, made a vow of virginity. Which didn’t give him any problems. This devotion to the goddess also implied that she dwells in the mountains and the countryside and that she devotes herself exclusively to hunting. As a result, Atalanta developed great physical abilities. She also learned to handle weapons with great dexterity, especially the javelin.
According to the myth of Atalante, two centaurs, named Hyleos and Rhoécos, subjugated by her beauty, tried to abuse her. Recall that in Greek mythology, the centaurs are half-man, half-horse creatures. They have the head, arms, and torso of a human, and the body and legs of a horse. Centaurs are mostly wild creatures dominated by their animal impulses. At the end of a fight, the two centaurs perished under the arrows of Atalante.
The bravery of Atalante
Atalanta was therefore a woman who loved combat and adventure. She was thus the only woman to be part of the Argonauts to conquer the Golden Fleece alongside Jason.
But what made her really famous was her participation in the Calydonian boar hunt. It is said that other hunters refused to let her take part in this hunting trip. However, at the insistence of the hero Meleager, the girl was able to join the group of hunters.
Greek mythology says that it was Atalanta the first who injured the beast, under the eyes of Meleager himself. It was ultimately this last hero who killed the ferocious beast. However, he decided to give the skin of the boar to Atalanta to honor the courage she had shown during the hunt.
Subsequently, Méléagre’s uncles objected to the young girl receiving this award. Indeed, they considered her unworthy of such an honor. Finally, following a discussion with his uncles, Méléagre killed them for opposing his decision. He then offered the boar skin to Atalanta. She thus gained the respect of all.
Love and tragedy
Due to her beauty and fame, there was no shortage of suitors for Atalante’s heart. However, she had taken a vow of virginity by placing herself at the service of the goddess Artemis. In addition, because of the predictions of the oracle that she had received at her birth but also because of her own character, she has long refrained from giving in to her many suitors who wooed her. Nonetheless, to put an end to this embarrassing situation, Atalanta said that she would only marry the man who could beat her in the race. However, if the suitor were to lose, she would kill him.
Despite this terrible warning, many volunteered to participate in such a competition with her. However, all without exception have lost. One day, however, a young man named Hippomena appeared.
Aphrodite, the goddess of love, decided to help Hippomene. She therefore gave him three golden apples from the famous garden of the Hesperides. During the race, the young man dropped the apples one by one on the course. Atalanta, curious and dazzled by the beauty of these magnificent golden fruits, stopped each time to pick them up. This is how she lost time and Hippomène was able to beat her in the race.
So the two young people got married and went hunting and fighting side by side for a while to their delight. However, they made love in the temple of Cybele, the goddess of Mother Earth, which made the latter enter into a mad rage. She then transformed the couple into lions and ordered them to pull his chariot for eternity. The Cybele fountain, on Paseo del Prado in Madrid, reminds us today of the myth of Atalante.
Our thoughts Hermes is perhaps one of the lesser-known deities in the Greek pantheon. Let’s discover together the history of this ancient myth.
