The Atalantian Greek mythology is based on the story of Atalanta who was a huntress. She was famous for her skill in the footrace.
Hers was a story that started quite tragic, but eventually, she was able to establish herself in life. It is quite accurate to say that she became a force to be reckoned with.
The Meaning of the Atalantian Greek Mythology
The name Atalanta in Greek means equal in weight. This was the name of a heroine in Greek mythology. She was born in Arcadia to King Lasus and Clymene. Unfortunately for her, King Lasus had been looking forward to having a son.
Therefore, her birth was a great disappointment to him. He decided to get rid of her by leaving her on the mount Parthenion for the dead (infant exposure).
Luckily for her, she was found by a she-bear who had just lost her cubs to hunters. The she-bear, one of the symbols of Artemis, took care of her up until the same hunters came by and took her under their care.
She trained with them and grew up to become the best hunter. In her mind, she had no need for a man in her life. It did not help at all that she received an oracle that her marriage would be a disaster.
Thus, she had elected to remain unmarried and a virgin. When the centaurs Rhoecus and Hylaeus tried to rape her, she did not hesitate to defend her virginity. She killed them both with her arrows.
Hunting Conquests
As she was such an astute hunter, she felt that it was only natural that she be allowed to join the Argonauts. However, the issue of her gender came up again. Jason felt that having her on the crew might prove to be a disaster.
During the Calydonian Boar Hunt, her superior shooting skills enabled her to draw first blood. True to Jason’s earlier apprehensions, her membership in the crew caused a conflict.
The conflict centered around whether to give her a trophy of the hunt. It was only fair to give her one considering her contribution to the hunt.
However, not everyone was of this opinion. A quarrel ensued which led to the death of Meleager, her lover, at the hands of his own mother.
Wrestling
Another opportunity presented itself at the funeral games in honor of Pelias for her to showcase her skills. Atalanta entered the wrestling contests where she scored a victory over Peleus. This served to earn her even more fame.
Redemption
Upon learning of Atalanta’s various achievements, her father decided to overlook his initial disappointment in her being born a girl and took her back in.
He immediately set to find his daughter a husband if only to fulfill his fatherly obligations. She found herself in a tight fix.
She had already elected to never marry but she could not tell her father that for fear that she may have been disowned again.
Marriage
Atalanta was no fool. She knew that if she wanted to stay unmarried then she had to come up with a plan. She settled upon a test. The test was that in order to marry her, a suitor had to beat her at a footrace.
Anyone who lost to her, she would behead them herself. Seeing that she was one of the fastest mortals, nobody could beat her at a foot race.
She even gave some a head start or ran with armor on to weigh her down, but they still could not keep up. This kept her imminent marriage at bay.
All was going well with her plan up until Melanion entered the race. He knew for a fact that there was no way he could beat her. He may as well have beheaded himself for that was what awaited him if he decided to race her.
A lover in distress, he sought the help of Aphrodite. Aphrodite sympathized with Melanion for she had a weak spot for lovers and a concern for those having trouble in romance.
To remedy his situation, she gave Melanion three golden apples. These apples were to be used in a particular manner which she explained to him. All Melanion had to do in ingratitude of this service was to sacrifice to her.
When it was time for the race, Melanion carried the apples Aphrodite gave him. As was the case in all her races, Atalanta soon caught up with him. He dropped one of the golden apples at her feet.
She saw it and got so fascinated with it that she stopped to pick it up. She was confident that she would catch up with Melanion and true enough she did. When Melanion saw her passing him, he dropped another apple, but this time a little further to the side.
As expected, the sight of the second apple proved to be too irresistible for Atalanta to just pass it. Going for the apple slowed her down again but she was still able to catch up with Melanion.
By this time, they were quite near the finish line. He threw the third apple and the distraction cost her the race, as Melanion crossed the finish line first.
Aphrodite’s Wrath
Since Melanion won the race, he got to marry Atalanta. Their marriage was blissful for them. Melanion for one got so caught up in their happy marriage that he forgot to sacrifice to Aphrodite.
Aphrodite was not happy with this and was just bidding her time to punish them both. One day, when Melanion and Atalanta were passing a god’s shrine, Aphrodite decided to strike.
She hit them with overwhelming desire. They did the unthinkable: they lay with each other in the shrine. The god was not pleased with this turn of events and turned them both into lions as a punishment.
At the time, the Greeks believed that lions could only mate with leopards. They saw this as poetic as they would never be able to be together again.
Parthenopaeus
Atalanta had a son called Parthenopaeus whom she left exposed on a mountain. Despite that, he rose up to become a hero. His paternity has always been a mystery.
It was speculated that his father could have been either Meleager or Melanion but they were both with her only briefly. Others speculate that his father might have been Aris.
Symbolism of the Atalantian Greek Mythology
Adaptability
Atalanta was born a princess. However, she did not have the privilege of growing up as one. She grew up among the hunters who raised her.
Instead of acting differently, she decided to adapt to her surroundings by becoming not just any hunter but the best hunter.
Adapting to the hunters’ way of life was the best decision she ever made as it brought all the glory and recognition she attained while hunting.
Wisdom
Atalanta had earlier on in life resolved that she did not want to get married and the oracle simply cemented it. So, when her father started looking for a husband for her, it was clear that it was not something that she wanted for herself.
Being the wise woman that she was, she decided to come up with a test that would leave her unmarried all her life. Though she was outwitted by Melanion with the help of Aphrodite, it does not take away from the fact that the test was ingenious and she might have succeeded in remaining unmarried.
Breaking Barriers
Before Atalanta, female hunters were not that popular. Even her membership in the Arganauts was greatly contested to the point that it led to the death of Meleager.
At every juncture in her life, she proved everyone, including her father wrong. Once she gained fame for her conquests, her father went back on his words of not wanting her and took her back in. Hers is a story of breaking barriers placed in one’s way.
Gratitude
Atalantian Greek mythology is also a symbol of gratitude. Aphrodite agreed to help Melanion on the condition that he would sacrifice to her.
Once he got what he wanted, he got so caught up in his marriage that he forgot to. Aphrodite did not forget. Showing gratitude was very important to her.
She ended up condemning them to a life apart because they were turned into lions. This could have been simply evaded if Melanion showed gratitude to the goddess. One simple task to the goddess Aphrodite became their greatest undoing.
Conclusion
The story of the heroine Atalanta is a great one in Greek mythology. It is a great motivation to many looking at how her life started yet she was able to achieve all that she did. She had more people opposing her success than those supporting her.
Despite all this opposition even from her father who left her exposed on the mountain, she was able to become a formidable hunter. She earned all of their respect. She is also one of the most celebrated figures in Greek mythology.
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