Maidens of Myth Series : Atalanta, The Huntress

Born an Arcadian (in some accounts Boeotian) princess to the King Iasus, Atalanta was abandoned at her birth atop a mountain, as her father had long desired a son. It has been said that a she-bear had taken Atalanta in her care, raising and suckling the young girl from her youth. Growing up in the wilderness, Atalanta was able to hone her abilities as a huntress and skilled warrior and eventually took an oath of virginity to the goddess Artemis. Atalanta is most famously known as the heroine of the tale of the wild boar. When deprived of sacrificial offerings, Artemis unleashed the boar into the town of Calydonia and ravaged the city and its people with death and famine. Not long after a hunt was formed of famed heroes who were intent on bringing about the end of the boar. Atalanta was the one who dealt the killing blow to the boar and would be celebrated throughout the region for her bravery in the slaying of the beast.

Eventually reunited with her father, Atalanta came to realize that her father desperately wanted her to settle down with a husband. She agreed to one condition - that her husband be her equal in strength, speed, and intelligence. All the suitors failed to win against her speed in the footraces save one man named Hippomenes who advised the help of the goddess Aphrodite. By using golden apples to lure away Atalanta whenever she would gain an upper hand in the footraces, Hippomenes was cleverly able to trick the huntress. By this manner, Hippomenes was able to win the race and Atalanta’s hand in marriage. She would later bear his son named Parthenopeus. However, the pair would be turned into lions as a result of disrespect towards Zeus. As the belief at the time was that lions couldn’t mate within their own species, Hippomenes and Atalanta would never be able to remain together.